Do you ever think about what your life would’ve looked like if you (or even your parents) made a different decision at any given point? Like in those movies where they show you how the actor’s life will pan out depending on a single decision he/she makes. What could’ve been vs. what is.
For starters, if any of our ancestors didn’t get together and start their families, we wouldn’t be here in this form. Isn’t that wild?! Like if anything went differently in any of their lives, this very moment wouldn’t exist for us, our partners, our children, and even our friends. WILD!
Personally, I think about how if my parents didn’t immigrate to RI, we may not have eventually ended up in GA, I may not have met Vishnu, and everything I have now wouldn’t be.
My next train of thought goes something like this – if my parents decided to stay in RI and not move to GA, my life would definitely not look like it’s current state!
On a more personal level, I almost decided to take a year off before starting college. My parents were very against that, so I didn’t, but had I gone down that path, things would definitely not have panned out as they did.*
Vishnu almost went to an out of state college. In fact, GaTech was a last minute decision on his part. Had he gone to XXX college, I’m 110% convinced we wouldn’t have ended up together.*
Vishnu and I were actually ‘supposed’ to meet a whole year+ earlier than we actually did. He was supposed to be my dance partner in a show, but he decided not to take part because of his class load. I tell him that had we met then, we may not have ended up together.*
A month before I met Vishnu, my parents tried to set me up with someone. We exchanged pictures and everything! Fortunately for Vishnu, my vainness came out and I decided that I didn’t want to pursue any of it any more, so my dad had to call the guy’s dad and make up a BS reason (I think he said I thought the guy was too tall. Ha!). But had I decided to pursue this set-up, I wouldn’t have seen Vishnu as anything other than a friend.
Vishnu’s decision to pursue radiology wasn’t planned. He took a chance on himself and went all in during the match. If he hadn’t, I’m pretty sure we would’ve ended up in Pittsburg, and I would’ve missed out on five years with my amazing Chicago colleagues!
I could go on and on!
I’m not a huge believer in what’s meant to be will be because I think that diminishes the hard stuff people go through. But I do believe there’s some divinity/power/magic to us being where we are. Not sure! Beyond my pay grade, as they say!
*Vishnu thinks that we would’ve ended up together no matter what. Because we were meant to. So sweet but I disagree. One different decision and our lives would have looked very different. But I do believe there’s a divine reason why we are together in the way we came together. Again, who knows!
With all of that said, I’m very thankful for my life and the decisions I’ve (and my parents/ancestors) made. And while it’s interesting to think about what could’ve been, I definitely think it’s more gratifying to find joy in the life that’s unfolding in front of you.
Have a great Tuesday!
