Regrets — Blog — Healy Chen

Don't be sad about it

Speaking of prices being in an unfathomable stratosphere, Porsche announced today the company is moving further upmarket. Because $130K for a poverty-spec Carrera, and effectively $300K for a GT3, isn’t enough of a barrier to entry. Aspirational? Never mind that. It’s a club you cannot join.

Back in 2019, I was able to buy a then four-year old used 911 GT3. It took a bit of stretching the finances, but it was doable. Fast-forward to 2026, and I cannot do the same with a now four-year old used 911 GT3. And my salary has increased since 2019! Because the new market for Porsches has inflated, the used market has followed right along with it. Middle-class enthusiasts like me are being priced completely out.

At least I have the good fortune to say I’ve owned a 911. Even though that chapter is forever closed, never to be repeated. Do I regret selling my GT3? I guess I do. I’m certainly sad about it from time to time looking back, but it was a necessary move. Other big changes in life necessitated parting ways with the dream car. I was not going to go into constant money worry and chronic debt just for this car hobby. Nope.

I like to look at regret like the Avengers going back in time to “borrow” the infinity stones. The me that kept the GT3 is on another timeline. A branch off this main timeline that I am currently on. The lament ends right when I recognize that the person who would have kept the 911 isn’t me. The person who should have studied abroad, isn’t me. The person who should have started weightlifting in his 20s, isn’t me.

The current me, the main timeline, is made up of the accumulation of regrets and mistakes. There’s no point in wishing for a different choice or outcome, because that Healy would be a completely different person. A Healy that picked up the piano at a young age and was studious with it is living life in another multiverse. Want as I may for this Healy to have had stuck with piano learning when I was young and my fingers lithe, it is just not me.

I have many regrets, but the Healy that didn’t make those mistakes is on a totally different path. There’s no need to be sad about it.

Regrets of the dying

Yesterday, my family went to see my maternal grandfather in the nursing home. He is 93, hugely diabetic, and struggling through his last days. My brother and I were there to pay our last respects, if you will. While I would say that 93 years is a sufficiently long life, the pain that comes with end of life is still a difficult watch. Grandfather could opt out of dialysis and go in a matter of days, but he continues to cling to life. Who can blame him?

The whole time I was there, I kept thinking of Bronnie Ware’s book: The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. I wonder what regrets my grandfather has, if any? Sadly, not a question I can ask, because at this point he doesn’t even recognize who I am. For those wondering, here are the top five regrets, courtesy of Wikipedia:

"I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
"I wish I hadn't worked so hard."
"I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings."
"I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends."
"I wish that I had let myself be happier."

I know one regret I would have: making dumb health choices when I’m young, only for me to suffer later in life. What’s the point of living into the 90s when you’re bed and house-ridden for the final decade plus? I don’t see that as a very good life. This is why I hugely about the three pillars of getting enough sleep, eating correctly, and consistent exercise. Now, when I’m still in my 30s. I want to live a long time, yes, but I want that long time to also be as functional as possible. God willing, of course.

This is why I push my retired parents to be as active as possible, and get enough protein. Let my grandfather be an example of how not to end up during our respective end of days. It’s a tremendous burden on yourself and your loved ones.