Reading Wars, Self-Control Myths, and $10,000 Mushroom Trips

Regret Now Vol VI

Well, well, well. It’s time again to talk about regrets, yours and mine, but also to follow up on some the responses to my posts of the past month. Some of my posts resonated with you, some less so. Readers were especially enthusiastic about my hot takes on what I called the self-control industrial complex, the value of reading, and the psychedelics hype bubble. No fights this time and no new enemies, but feelings—those you had in abundance!

Before getting into all this, it’s time to air your regrets. You know the drill.

If you’re new here, here’s the deal. A few months ago I decided to start The Regret Project, where I invited readers to share moments in their lives they wish they could redo, maybe something you have been agonizing about for too long, or maybe something funny and playful. Research suggests that unloading like this can be freeing. If you want to join in, I’ve created a handy anonymous form where you can submit to the project and I will print them here for all to read.

I only have a few regrets left in my submission queue, so if you are enjoying this feature, please consider submitting your own regrets. And, I promise, the regrets are 100% anonymous; I truly have no idea who submits these. It’s like confession without the creepy priest in booth thing. OK, let’s see what we have in store this month.

Our first regret comes from One and Sadly Done.

“I regret delaying having a kid after the pandemic, which means that now we are too old to have a second one. I am an only kid and my parents are aging, I feel very bad that I’m imposing this to another generation.”

I'm so sorry, One and Sadly Done. A close family member of mine lived with similar regret around children, and I witnessed how it lingered. Please be gentle with yourself—you made the best choice possible during an unprecedented crisis. While being an only child brings its challenges, what truly shapes your little one won't be family size but the love and presence you bring to their life. Only children often develop remarkable resourcefulness, independence, and deep connections with parents that siblings sometimes don't experience. That said, I understand this regret deeply. Family planning decisions seem to carry a weight few other choices do, leaving marks on our hearts that time doesn't easily erase.

A quick note before we dive into our second regret: If you're enjoying Regret Now, consider becoming a paid subscriber. You'll get access to the complete archives, future installments of the unedited Regret Now, and occasional subscriber-only posts where I'm even more unfiltered than usual. No pressure, though—I'm genuinely grateful you're reading at all.