Stevico
Just put it down to experience .
We are sure that you did it for the best of reasons.
The difference between being a teenager and an old man who has not led a sheltered life is that when you are the former and think you know everything ( :019: ) you are more than willing to rush in where Angels fear to tread. The upside of that is that unbounding confidence can sometimes pay off handsomely but, if you fail, the pratfall can be vicious. Of course, ..............you have the rest of your life to recover so :D
However, when you are the latter figure, you are so un-nerved by the experiences that you have endured and of the pitfalls that you now know can befall you if you make a hasty or wrong decision , that you are afraid to risk anything and by the time that you make up your mind the opportunity has , more than likely, vanished. The upside in this situation is that you have nothing to look forward to except the pipe and slippers so you have the perfect excuse to do absolutely nothing.
And that is why you see so many elderly grandfathers and grannies contentedly enjoying a puff of the pipe, a comfy fine chair by the fire and a wee secret snifter to end his exciting day. :D