"I love the irony of this oft-quoted and misunderstood saying:

'Man Plans, and God Laughs.'

This statement is used to diminish the role that free-will has upon our lives — that we cannot defeat the universe’s scripts. The irony is that while our higher powers have to approve our scripts/outlines, we wrote them. I wonder what goes on in the Executive Producer’s lounge as Zoroaster and Vishnu and Shiva and Rama and Kali and Kama and the rest of the heads of our tribes negotiate the interplay of their charges’ life spans.

I think Steinbeck said it better in Of Mice and Men,

'The best-laid plans of mice and men oft go astray'"

That's all from one of my long ones that I don't think you've read. I might change some parts of it had I written it today as opposed to almost three years ago, especially the reference to karmic debt, but in any event, I imagine some of it will resonate with you and you might enjoy the writing: https://medium.com/illumination-curated/life-is-school-for-the-soul-9b081dbe8453