The 80’s gave us some of the greatest movies of all time. Who among us didn’t love the underdog classics like Karate Kid or Rocky III and IV? Were there any better coming of age movies than Sixteen Candles or Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? Has a movie ever made us believe in happily ever after as much as The Princess Bride? And don’t forget about the movie quotes from this decade of cinematic awesomeness! My friends and I still quote lines from Caddyshack, Vacation, and Stripes like we just watched them yesterday (and sometimes we did).

But one movie separates itself from the rest of these 80’s greats. No, it’s not a laugh out loud comedy. And no, it didn’t teach us any real applicable life lessons. In fact, it only gave us one line to quote. And it was, by far, the scariest movie ever made until that point in time. If you grew up during the 80’s, you know that I am referring to the one…the only…Poltergeist!

Steven Spielberg knocked it out of the park with this one. This movie did for scary what Abraham Lincoln’s legacy did for honesty. To this day, I am thankful for 24 hour TV coverage so I don’t have to witness a channel sign off anymore. Because of this, I don’t have to see or hear a screen full of static…or as Poltergeist taught us…a portal to some other demonic world! I can almost promise you that there was a sharp decline in clown dolls sold after this movie was released. And, thanks to Poltergeist, when we bought the lot to build our current house on, I slipped the appraiser a little something extra just to confirm that we were not building on an ancient Indian burial ground. You can’t put a price tag on peace of mind.

No, my parents wouldn’t take me to the theater to see the movie. They gave some weak excuse about a 10-year-old being too young to watch a movie like that. I know…very smothering, right? But my dad changed his tune a year later when Poltergeist had come and gone from the theater and was now playing on HBO. He told me he would allow me to watch it, as long as he was there to supervise. Deal! I invited my good friend, Mike Doherty, over to spend the night and watch the movie we had been hearing about for the better part of a year now.

I popped the popcorn in our fancy, state of the art air popper (this was cutting edge technology in the 80’s). Mike poured some glasses of Pepsi Free and the three of us settled in to enjoy the movie. Over the next couple of hours, I don’t know if I blinked once. I was terrified from beginning to end. At one point, I had to use the bathroom, but was scared to be alone. I looked over at Mike and my dad. Neither one of them looked scared, so I had to display my bravado as well.

The movie mercifully ended and the three of us hung out for a while, talking. To this day, I don’t know what prompted the upcoming proposal from my father. Maybe Mike and I were over the top in our fake indifference to the movie. Or maybe this is just how dads get their kicks on a Friday night. Whatever the reason, my dad offered us the deal of a lifetime. He told us that he would give each of us $100.00 if we were brave enough to go outside and walk around the house one time. That was it! Granted, it was around midnight and the images from Poltergeist were still fresh in our minds. But it was for $100.00! That was a lot of money back then. Heck…it’s a lot of money today! And Mike and I would be together. If a real ghost came after us, I could easily throw Mike into harm’s way and sprint back inside. I discussed the pros and cons of this deal with Mike for a few minutes and then gave our answer. It was an unequivocal NO!  We wanted nothing to do with this deal. Five minutes of fear could have equaled more money than I had ever seen up to that point in my life. And I turned it down. And I regret it to this day.

That’s the thing about regret. It doesn’t come and go like the potential $100.00 did. Regret lingers with us forever. It weighs us down and can actually keep us from venturing out of our comfort zones. Poltergeist and my dad taught me a valuable lesson that day (there’s a sentence I never thought I’d write). Nobody wants to live with regret. If you have a chance to do something different or try something new or to take a leap of faith…do it! It will be the greatest decision you make in your life.

It doesn’t matter if what you do works out or not. You may find you tried something new and your life will be forever changed by it. Or you may find that you took a chance on something and ended up hating it. Either way, you tried something. You did something. You took a risk. You know now if it’s for you or not. You don’t have to live in the world of regret and spend your life wondering…what if?

Sure, I may have taken this motto to the extreme a time or two or ten and done some things I shouldn’t have. You know…the whole permission vs. forgiveness thing. But I would much rather live a life full of mistakes than a life full of regrets. Mistakes help bring us closer to our next success. Regrets keep us grounded in the past.

If you’re living with regrets, it’s OK. We all are to some degree. But that doesn’t mean we have to add to them. If there is something in your life you’ve always wanted to try…Go for it! (another classic 80’s movie quote) There’s no time like the present to step outside of your comfort zone and try something new. Speaking from experience…it’s much more peaceful living with memories than regrets!

And to my dad: I know it’s been more than thirty years, but if the offer still stands, Mike and I have discussed it and we’re ready to take that walk around your house…during the day, of course. The ball is now in your court. We will await your answer.