I've made some bad decisions in my life. But they're only bad with the benefit of hindsight. And they weren't THAT bad. Yes, I shouldn't have married at 23. I should have taken my time so eliminating the need for divorce and rushing into a relationship at 36 with DP and with my biological clock ticking. That may or may not turn out to have been a mistake.

So I kind of envy my friends who took their time to choose the right person, first time and look like they will have long-lasting marriages with the father of their children.

BUT.

I've reconciled myself to the fact that maybe I'm not destined to have a simple life. But I kind of like having an interesting life. It's led me from the UK to here with two beautiful children and it's led me from a family where no-one finished school to having two degrees under my belt and a third on the way.

I've a long way to go but my life experiences have given me some insight into life and some emotional wisdom I hope. These are valuable things that I hope I can pass on to my girls.

I could also regret not really reaching my potential (yet) career-wise. Instead of looking at how far I should have got given my supreme intelligence , these days I choose to look at how far I've come. I've forgiven myself and acknowledged that my family background and education didn't really give me much of a chance but I've done pretty well with the cards I was dealt. And I still have 20 years to have a go.

I do like the Buddhist philosophy which is that life is full of change and the key is acceptance. So I guess what I'm saying is that I accept that I've made some bad decisions but I've forgiven myself and choose to look to the future.