word choice - How do you say "If only things were different"?

Context: Bob is angry that event X happened today. A series of unfortunate events throughout his life led up to this crappy day, and thus he thinks to himself, "if only things were different". How do I translate this line when 'things' refer to 'basically everything bad that has ever happened' and is so vague and all-encompassing that even Bob doesn't know what specific things he's referring to?

thingsさえこんなんじゃなかったら

Answer

"If only~~." is often translated as 「～でさえあればなあ。」「～でありさえすればなあ。」「～さえすればなあ。」 or 「～ばいいのに(なあ)。」「～たらなあ。」, etc.

For example...

• 彼が間に合って来さえすればなあ。If only he comes in time. (Genius E-J Dictionary)


• 彼女がもう少し早く来てさえいればなあ。If only she had come earlier. (Genius E-J / J-E Dictionary)


• タバコがやめられさえすればなあ。If only I could stop smoking! (Lexis E-J Dictionary)

I think your sentence can translate to something like...

"If only things were different."
lit. 「事態/状況が違ってさえいればなあ。」

⇒ or more naturally...
「こんなこと* に(さえ)ならなければなあ。」 or 「こんなこと* に(さえ)ならなかったらなあ。」

_{*The 「こと」 is used in the sense of 「[事態]{じたい}」("things" or "situation"), as in 「困ったことになった」「まずいことになった」「大変なことになった」(lit. "Became bad/difficult situation." → "Things became bad / went wrong." "We're in trouble.")}