Has anyone's life ever turned out the way it was imagined?

Yes. For me, it’s aging. As a younger man many years ago, I knew everyone would grow old, including me. But never had I felt good about that. Then I wake up one day and it’s here. I could still smell my new shoes in high-school, my college text-books. I was right, aging sucks.

Nope. For me it’s much better [till now] than everything I dreamed. I hope it will stay on the current path.

Things for me seem to be turning out as planned, but it’s taking a lot longer than I had expected. I thought that at 31, I’d have all the letters after my name and be teaching. Instead, I’m just starting on the PhD. I thought I’d be married by now. Instead, I’m waiting for the rings to come in the mail (hopefully this week).

But you know what? I’m okay with it. A lot of my friends who are about the same age either are stuck in a rut doing something they don’t like, having spent time and money earning degrees that don’t interest them anymore. I’m feeling pretty okay about being a little late to the party; at least I’m going to the right party.

I once thought that I would have remain in the Navy and captain my own ship. Politics prevented that.

No, not mine, but I like the way it has turned out, and I am along for the ride.

My life turned out wildly different than I had planned/envisioned/thought I would have to do/dreamed of. My feet were set on a very traditional path at birth that I kept wandering off of, was able to get out of some ‘pre-programmed” activities by sheer cussedness (I was a serious trial to my mother) but was unable to resist the pressure enough to fulfill some of my dreams.
After all is said and done, I am a happy person with a good life, satisfied with some of my choices, delighted with others, and doing well not to regret still others.
And I am still a serious trial to my mother.

Few kids have the ability to be realistic about the future and ever fewer have to wisdom to imagine all the twists and turns that will arise.

I very much doubt that many, if any, people’s lives have gone exactly according to plan. Mine sure hasn’t!

Not mine. Not after I gave up the idea of going into politics and dropped out of law school.

Things are turning out well even if not as I imagined in my childhood.

I never wanted to be trapped by pregnancy- I have no children.

I never wanted to be trapped by marriage- I’ve only married who I repally really really wanted, no circumstances to pressure me or appeal to me.

I wanted to be an artist- I am an artist and for times in my life, I’ve made money by it and can do so again with a bit of planning.

I wanted to live an active life that spans the rugged and the fine- I’ve got a partner who enjoys and wants to live the same, with me.

I wanted to be loved for me and not what I produce or give in terms of connections or things- I’ve been extremely fortunate to be loved by incredible people who’ve wanted no benefit of me other than my company.

Far from it!!!!!!!

No. It couldn’t have turned out more different. That’s not a bad thing.

My life is better than I could have imagined growing up.

Growing up I didn’t know most people had actual walls in their houses. Or, that the power usually stayed on.

Anyone’s life? I think so, yes. I think the phenomenon of having lots of choices and the potential for wildly unexpected changes of direction is fairly recent and is a characteristic of an affluent, educated, technology-rich society. In traditional culture, your life is apt to be pretty much mapped out for you: following in the footsteps of your same-sex parent, becoming a farmer, shopkeeper, craftsman, whatever, if you were a boy, and a wife, mother, and housekeeper if you were a girl. We take it for granted that we can break out of that mold, but our great-grandparents might not have.