Letting go of the "supposed to's"?

Having just had my 45th birthday (which I really don't like telling you all) I've been doing some reading and thinking about what I have accomplished and what I still want to accomplish. I've also been talking to my kids as they get older about their lives. My oldest son will be a freshman in high school this fall and is starting to think about college.

In thinking and talking, one thing that struck me is my allegiance to the what I was always "supposed" to do. I was supposed to take AP classes in high school, play sports and get into a good college. There I was "supposed" to also get good grade and get either into graduate school or a good job. I chose law school where I was "supposed" to get good grade and ultimately a good job. Along the way I was "supposed" to get married and have kids. I was also "supposed" to quit my job to stay home with those kids, which I did for a while before the 2008 crash required me to go back to work.

Would I change any of that? So deeply engrained was the idea that the steps I took were the only ones open to me, that I don't even ever thought there was another option. I certainly wouldn't have considered any other paths. Also, society has changed immensely since I graduated, especially from a technology standpoint. The idea of being a professional blogger or something similar just didn't exist. Today I see opportunities that I could never have imagined.

Am I unhappy with my choices? I don't think so. I love my family and while I don't always love my job, I do very well at it and it allows me to provide for my families future. Maybe the things you are "supposed" to do aren't so bad?