Prayer flags and regrets

I'm sitting at the desk in my basement suite, trying to read passages from the BC Law Society Professional Conduct handbook, but I'm more distracted by the rain outside. It's not that the various duties, responsibilities and ethical obligations of the profession don't interest me, quite the contrary, they do, because they form the basis for how I'm supposed to act and make decisions in my professional and personal life, it's just that the rain is really coming down, like it has for most of the spring on the coast and it's really loud.
The other thing that's distracting me, is a string of Nepalese prayer flags that I have hanging from the wall in my room. Rather than being a souvenir from a trip, or having a religious or spiritual meaning to me, the string is a reminder of a regret, which is why I have them in my room and not outside, where culturally, they belong (this opens a pdf doc). The string of flags also ties into my law school experience.
I've been spending quite a bit of time running in, around and up the North Shore mountains recently and the scenery and environment has reminded me how much I enjoy life in the mountains. Talking to Lauren in Davos and seeing her almost daily pictures of the Swiss Alps only reinforces that feeling. However the prayer flags remind me of a lost opportunity to experience the Nepalese Himalaya, arguably the ultimate mountain environment, in a very unique and significant way.
In 2007, I was invited by Jasper Blake and his wonderful family on a three week trek through Nepal to Everest base camp. What made the trip even more special, was that the team was going to help Pippa Blake, Jasper's mother, a kind, spirited and adventurous woman who is wheelchair bound with Multiple Sclerosis, live out her lifelong dream of visiting and trekking in the region with the help of a trail rider .
The team helping out formed the Rise Above Barriers Society and as a group, they would help push, pull, carry, laugh, cry, joke, walk, run, stumble, cough etc... their way through the foothills and up to base camp. Although I know the trek and effort was more challenging than many of them expected, with rugged terrain, lack of mobility, sickness and altitude all taking their toll, they persevered, made it base camp and helped a wonderful woman live out one of her dreams in a surreal setting. The trip was obviously very moving for all involved and has since inspired many other similar adventures. In sharing their journey through slide shows and media, they helped and encouraged disabled people to access the wild and remote places that they likely wouldn't be able to experience without a support network.
Upon his return, along with sharing stories and pictures, Jasper and other members of the team, brought me the string of flags now tacked to my wall.
Despite being honoured at being invited to share in the experience, I regretfully turned down the invitation. It was definitely not an easy decision and I knew what I would likely miss, but I was focused on getting into law school at the time and the trip would have interfered with my academic pursuits, delaying my entry.
Although I was able to get into school, achieving that goal, I can honestly say that I regret missing out on that experience every time I see the Blakes, hear of the region, or look at the prayer flags in my room.
As corny as it is to say, setting and achieving goals inevitably means making hard choices and perhaps some sacrifices along the way, but goals can also blind you to other opportunities, as was the case in this situation. I don't have many regrets, but missing this trip and, more importantly, the opportunity to help a friend is one of them.
So it's a bit ironic that I'm sitting here reading about professional and personal responsibilities, obligations and ethics in a handbook, when all I really need to do is to look at the prayer flags as a reminder of where my greater obligations should lie.