That unexpected call from the recruiter intimating that you've landed the job even after (you thought) you bombed the interview, a break up text from someone out of the blue you thought you'd spend the rest of your life with, yeah, life often has a life of its own. It knocks you down when you're least expecting it, and pulls you up when you've lost all hope. So, how does one deal with such vagaries? Well, more often than not, one really can't, so the best way forward is to concentrate on the present versus planning for the scenarios that may never pan out, and deal with the situation only after it presents itself, because speaking from personal experience, one might think that they've cushioned themselves from the worst, and yet will find life going one up on them with a "Here, hold my beer!".