I Thought Things Would Be Different

The other day, a friend was talking about milestones in their life and casually said, “I thought things would be different.”

That one sentence stuck with me.

It sat in the back of my mind for a few days, quietly replaying itself. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized how often I’ve said the same thing to myself—sometimes out loud, sometimes only in my head.

Looking back on my own milestones, there are plenty of moments where I thought things would be different.

My first marriage—I definitely thought that would be different. College didn’t go the way I hoped, and I thought that would be different. My career? Yeah… I thought that would be different too.

I never imagined I’d be in my second marriage, without a degree, working as a truck driver at 32.

Definitely not where I thought I’d be.

But here I am.

And the truth is—I wouldn’t change a thing.

That doesn’t mean the disappointment didn’t hurt. And it doesn’t mean it still doesn’t sometimes.

Different Doesn’t Mean Worse

I came across a quote the other day that put words to something I’ve been feeling for a long time:

“Just because things could have been different, doesn’t mean they would have been better.”

That hit me.

Because it’s easy to romanticize the “what ifs.” It’s easy to imagine a version of life where everything worked out exactly as planned.

But that version of life doesn’t exist.

And even if it did, there’s no guarantee it would have been better—just familiar.

The Life I Have Now

Here’s what I know for sure:

If I were still in my previous marriage, I wouldn’t have met the love of my life. I wouldn’t have the kids I have now. I wouldn’t be living the life that feels right, grounded, and full in a way I didn’t even know I was missing.

If I had pushed through college, I likely would have ended up working as a criminal profiler—something I once thought was my calling. Instead, I’m a truck driver. And oddly enough, I’m happy.

Not “settled” happy. Not “this will do” happy.

But genuinely content.

The life I wake up to now—the noise, the mess, the love—isn’t what I planned. But it’s mine.

Learning to Let Go

There’s another quote that’s followed me through a few seasons of my life:

“Many times I thought it was the end of my world, but as time goes on, you learn to accept things that just weren’t meant to be and move on to better things. And here I am at it again, creating a whole new world for myself. So just remember, sometimes things get the best of you—but it isn’t the end. Only time can help you.”

I’ve had moments where I truly thought something ending meant everything was over. In reality, it was just a door closing so another one could open.

And sometimes those doors don’t open right away. Sometimes there’s a hallway first. Sometimes there’s a long walk where nothing makes sense.

But eventually… things do.

If You’re Feeling This Too

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Yeah… I thought things would be different too,” you’re not alone.

Different doesn’t mean failed. Different doesn’t mean broken. Different doesn’t mean you missed your chance.

Sometimes different just means your story took a better route than the one you planned.

Different didn’t ruin my story. It wrote a better one…