AIBU to ask what happened to you in your life that you never thought would?

[Flyinga]

Good, bad, ugly etc.

divorced
Big shock, always pictured a happy household with dc’s. Now it’s just me and ddog.

Great thread! Has got me thinking...

I never had a preconceived idea or vision of where I saw myself as a child/teenager. I kinda stumbled along wherever life took me with a small dollop of ambition.

I'm very grateful to be happily married, with children and a career.
If anything, the level I've got to in my career has surprised me. I would never have seen myself in the industry I am in (male dominated) or at the senior management level that I am at now given that I started at the lowest entry level when I joined and worked my way up. I'm proud of that.

I would never have imagined myself as a runner. I was not overly sporty as a kid. I recently did my first half marathon and have signed up to full marathon later this year.

My career however comes with sacrifice - in recent years there's an increase in stress and pressures which are a constant struggle. I try hard to reduce the impact to family life and suffer guilt when it comes to the kids and being a full time working parent. Running helps!

I'm not so close to my siblings or my parents. Distance is a minor factor and we just don't have much in common. It's something I struggle with.

Bad: losing sibling
Good: never thought someone would find me attractive enough to marry me! Had children, planned, but wouldn't have expected it when I was younger.

I went back to the country my parents fled from, and became quite a high up figure in law and order - exactly the type of person they were escaping from.
Got married. No idea why I did that.

And widowed in my 40s. Not to the crappy husband though.

Pretty much all of it

Good: never thought I'd be married, never thought I'd live abroad, never thought I'd have kids, never thought I'd have a well paying job, never thought I'd have dogs

Bad: Never thought I'd have such a strained relationship with my parents.

Neutral: Always thought I'd wind up working in the arts, but I only managed it for about a year.

My mam took her own life at the age of 83. l still can't quite believe it.

Bad: seeing my mum living in a nursing home after a huge stroke. No recovery possible.
Good: the enormous love for DS.

Having my first child at 17 and alone, after that everything pretty much went the way I expected it to unfortunately. Don't get me wrong we have a nice life but I do envy people who have better, which in turn makes me feel ashamed for not being greatful enough for what we have because there are people a lot worse off than us.

Never thought I'd get divorced or face being on my own for the rest of my life. Now kids are leaving for college its very hard.

Never thought I'd be so successful at work.

Never thought I would marry an English man and live in UK.
Never thought that man would cheat on me.And that I stayed with him....So far
Never thought I would only have jobs , not a career.
Never thought I would end up with so few friends.
Never thought that the reason the love of my life and I couldn't work it out was because he was gay.

@Bouledeneige
Well you might not be!

Being a victim of domestic violence-I could never understand why women put up with it -until I did

Positive note -I now do a job I love, progressed faster than I could ever imagine and now train people with the same passion to do the same job

I feel very fulfilled

Having a total hip replacement aged 42, never thought that would happen...

I got fat. And old. Didn't see that one coming.

Thank you meandwine. I'm just gloomy about it - I'm very overweight, mid 50s, don't feel attractive, and never meet nice available men.

Oops I replied as someone else. Ended up with two different names online and on my phone app after the change to the login system!

Mountainash

I got to your post and stopped. Exactly the inspiring story I needed to hear today- thank you for sharing 😊

Never thought I'd get married as I genuinely wasn't bothered despite being with an ex for 6 years. Met my husband online (never thought I'd do online dating either!) and knew on first date that I would marry him. So I was a stupidly happy 40 year old bride

Never thought I'd get broody and confess to being secretly a teeny bit dismissive of friends who did when it hit I was like 'bloody hell!' but I think a lot to do with DH. Didn't conceive but we're about to adopt and yes another tick on the list!

Sadder ones...

Never thought I'd lose my mum and teenage sister to tragic deaths within 2 years of each other

Never thought I'd be the victim of domestic violence ( ex not DH!)

Never thought I'd lose a job I loved because a more senior manager lied to me and manipulated a situation that I should never have been placed in.

I do not think this is a negative thread but rather a chance to remember that we have no idea what's ahead of us, and all we can do is make the most of today, and appreciate the present...
I have lost many friends, to cancer , anorexia and brain haemorrhage. Apart from the loss, I have lost those people who have known me for ever and knew my history. I can't meet up with them and reminisce about old times.
I never believed I would have a daughter with mental health issues. Instead of the self-confident successful life she was meant to have, I have had to rescue her from distress and self-harm, covered in her own blood, and watch her being ignored by A & E staff & mental health services.

Good : I give thanks that she is still alive.

She has made me a more understanding person and manager and when people say they have a perfect life.... I wonder... xxx

Being a SAHM, I never ever contemplated that could possibly happen. Having said that how bored and frustrated I would feel was not a surprise.

I never thought ID be one of the first to have kids outta my group of friends. I was the last one to get a bf, last one to lose my virginity yet be the second in my group of 20 close friends to have a child. I honestly thought others would get there first... one of the ones I thought for sure was my best friend but she’s living the child free lif3. I was 5th in the year group to have a child. 3 of them having kids at 16 and another at 18,I was 19 when I had my boy, wouldn’t change him for the world though, just wouldn’t have envisioned having kids till i was like 30 😂

I never thought I would be past it in my early 40’s.

I never thought I would, early 20’s, marry an infertile man, spend £40,000 (bank loans, credit cards, re mortgage) on fertility treatment to have one very lonely (4 lost babies) ASD/ADHD child who wanted desperately to have siblings, but who is a very, very, very difficult child, have a husband with failing health and life limiting condition, end up with my own chronic limiting health conditions and feel- mid 40’s- terrified of getting much older because, even working part time now is a struggle,and I can’t even manage to push the hoover around most days.

I miss the confidence I had in my youth and the health I had up to my mid 30’s.

I never thought I would get to the point that I thought life was shit.

I got the daughter I always wanted.

I never thought I'd have any other job. Nursing was my passion I gave every part of me too it