I regret to inform you...

Regret, a word I despise. There's just this negative aura to this vowel+constanant formation that puts me off. Its true form is seen when someone says; I regret to inform you... Ultimate impact. On the contrary it has saved me from reading many depressing emails, as soon as I see the danger thread of words, its a clear ta-ta to my mailbox. Usage in a sentence makes it deadly but recently a write up about the same word used in a very different context left me pondering about the duality of its meaning.
So since I am working in Elder Care, its not a big deal when someone says: what if our client dies in the middle of the contract? Jeez it sounds even more ruthless when inked down. Nevertheless, yes we talk this lingo of in consideration while formatting our customer contract material. We are constantly searching for stimulating material for our elderly. Just recently someone sent me an abstract from some blog. It talked about the 5 biggest regrets of patients/elderly/people suffering from constant illnesses. The first mental picture in my head was; this old man on a ventilator saying I regret... Snap changed my thinking of this word.
If a person on his/her deathbed is concerned with a single word that sums up everything they didn't do, man that's strong for a six letter word. My name is six letters and will define me as an individual when I say my goodbyes but hopefully I'll be remembered as an individual and not a six letter formation. But a word like regret sums up one's entire life desires in the end. People in that abstract said they regretted not expressing what they truly felt, regretted working too hard, regretted acting like others expected them to, regretted lost relationships. All very believable and enlightening for us.
I have this suggestion for anyone who has their sirs and dames living with them. Tell them to pen down all their worries, tensions, disagreements, dislikes, expectations and disappointments on chits and drop them in a box. Every month or two; pick up one chit for them and address it together. Remember it can take ages to tackle some problems, but it'll only take them a second to call it a regret of a lifetime.