What If?

I've been thinking. What if my family had never moved to Texas from Minnesota? What if I didn't go to UT for college? What if I didn't go to UT-H for medical school? Looking back on that sequence of questions, it seems almost as though one decision led to another. I mean, if my family had never made that initial move, would I still be a medical student in Texas today? Hell, would I even be a medical student to begin with? Sure, I do have other family here in Texas, so I suppose I could envision a scenario where I came to Texas to be close to family. But who knows? I guess when it comes down to it, my real question is: Is there really such a thing as fate? Am I really at a place that I'm "supposed" to be?

Don't get me wrong, I feel like each of the aforementioned decisions has led to the formation of really great relationships with people, and I certainly wouldn't trade those relationships or the experiences I've had, but I still wonder about what relationships and experiences I have missed out on, had I chosen an alternate path. Am I even missing out on anything? Would life be better? Worse? The same? It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"I've always believed that life is divided into two parts: 'what is' and 'what should be'. And that, with a lot of effort, some hard work, and maybe a little luck, there are moments in your life when the two parts touch. When 'what is' and 'what should be' are the same...I can't help but think that this is one of those times." - Ed Stevens, "Ed"

Maybe when "what is" and "what should be" are the same, you just know, and there is no question about "what could be". But does anyone really achieve that level of certainty in their lives? I dunno, maybe I've just been watching too much FlashForward, haha. If anyone still reads this blog, I'd like to hear your thoughts.