Do we have a health care system that is held together by anything other than a lick, a prayer, and the sacrifices of some seriously overworked nurses and other medical professionals? No.
Do we have common sense, reality-based laws that aren't archaic and rooted in norms from a society that doesn't exist anymore and truthfully may never really have existed? Also no.
Do we have anything resembling a functional or even up-to-date infrastructure system? Three for three, still no.
Do we have the ability to have cannabis and 5 boxes of cereal delivered to my house at 2:47 AM on a Tuesday? This is 'Murika - f*ck yeah we do! (in a lot of places - restrictions apply.)
Reddit user Leon2778 asked:
"Americans of Reddit, what's a good thing about living in America?"
People around the world still hold onto ideas about what America really is. Let's hear it from the Americans themselves, shall we?
Spoiler Alert: there are cats in America and the streets are not, in fact, lined with cheese. Feivel and his whole singing family lied to us all.
Natural Diversity
Grizzly Adams 70S GIFGiphy"I like the diversity of the landscape & natural world."
"I’ve been to mountains & deserts & mountains in deserts."
"Been to the ocean with a sandy beach, to lakes with sandy beaches, to lakes with rocky beaches."
"Been to the woods & to forests."
"I’ve seen so many different native plants, all kinds of animals, & bugs. It’s pretty damn cool."
- ghosts-go-boo
"Some people say Americas greatest idea was national parks."
"Yah it’s highly commercialized, but it has preserved some awesome nature and in the US we have some of the most amazing and diverse national parks."
"We have forests with trees so big you can drive through, crazy arched rock structures you can drive through, hundred foot tall sand dunes, beautiful Jurassic park style steep mountains, arctic wonderlands, giant canyons, and so many more amazing forests mountains waterfalls deserts and so much more."
- Pristine-Ad-469
"National and state parks."
"National parks are beloved destinations for both citizens and visitors from around the world, even more people visit the state parks."
"With sweeping vistas, stunning forests and incredible wildlife, amazing hiking and camping adventure, parks are one of the brightest jewels of America."
- SuvenPan
"I’m Mexican and I live in the USA. There are plenty of national parks in Mexico too, but they all get filled with houses."
"There’s no real authority stopping anyone from building their house on a national park unless it’s one that brings in the dough, like the monarch butterfly sanctuary. The US does a great job of protecting its landscape."
- youburyitidigitup
As An Outsider
"Not American but I’ve lived in the US for 15 years. As an outsider:"
"Closets. I love all the built-in closets. I was never a wardrobe fan."
"Separate laundry areas."
"That most housing is detached. On the one hand it does mean a huge reliance on cars. On the other hand I never ever hear my neighbors."
"Accessibility of toilets is a heck of a lot better than any other country I have visited. During the day I can usually rely on finding a Target or Starbucks or something. Even if I have to buy something to use it they’re easier to find than in Europe."
"The casual way everyone dresses. My fashion-conscious friend is appalled but especially as a parent I appreciate that I can dash out in my pjs if I really, really need to."
"Convenience. Every time I visit my family now I forget that not all shops are open until 9/10 pm."
"I also live in Washington state currently and have developed a deep love for all the coffee stands around here."
- anyaplaysfates
Access
Style Swag GIF by Pose FXGiphy"Wheelchair accessibility."
"As someone who uses a wheelchair for all ambulation, I can say the US has a leg up on that compared to the other countries that I have been to."
- hisamsmith
"I've had multiple European friends visit me here in the US and each one, at some point in the trip, commented that one of the big differences they noticed from their home countries was that the ADA was shockingly effective compared to its equivalents elsewhere."
"Almost every public building had ramps, elevators, etc. as needed."
"Obviously it's not like other countries all dislike people with disabilities--just the fact that we did it on such a large scale seems representative of the same kind of inclusiveness that people are also talking about in the comments about American citizenship."
- darkshiines
Turning Right
"With a few exceptions, we can treat red lights as a stop sign if we are turning right."
- SmartAlec105
"As Jeremy Clarkson said 'It's America's only contribution to the western world.' "
- N8_Smith
"I can always spot the tourists when they're just sitting waiting at a red to make a right turn."
- [reddit]
"Not gonna lie, visiting Florida made me hate that rule because I always felt like I'm about to be run over any minute by someone without any patience in a pick up truck bigger than the local Starbucks."
- Night_the_Noivern
"First time I visited Europe and rented a car, I was turning right on red every time."
"No harm caused as far as I could tell. I legitimately didn't know you couldn't do that."
- IAMAdot2
Just Wear Whatever
"I can wear what I want."
"Sure I have strict parents at the age of about to be 21. But coming from the middle east, most people in America don't realize the blessing we have here to be able to wear shorts or jeans or tank tops."
- DarkenedProdigy
"True, I guess Americans just have to deal with the societal taboos of doing so in the Bible Belt and not any violent consequences. Purity culture still exists here but it is less extreme for the most part."
- carissadraws
"I feel this. I love wearing shorts and cropped/tanktops, especially on a hot summer day, to walk around like nobody's business."
"If I do it in my conservative country, shame and all types of degradations will be blessed upon me and my mom will cry while pulling out all sorts of dramatic scenes."
- [reddit]
Opportunity
"I was very young when my parents and I immigrated here, and I have far more opportunities here than I would in India. So I’m very thankful for that."
- sunsetskye_
"I was almost born in Mexico. Since then I’ve visited often and appreciate what I have in the states."
"In Mexico if you aren’t wealthy it’s gonna be an impossible task to become a professional. People in the states take for granted what they have."
- Occhrome
"Completely agree!"
"My parents moved to Canada from Serbia for better opportunities. When I was 14 we moved from Canada to the US."
"I’ll never forget visiting my family back in Serbia and noticing how well educated everyone is, but then they end up having to work retail or manual labor jobs because there just aren’t opportunities there like there are here."
"I think it’s a bit better now that we have remote jobs as a possibility but it’s not like in the US where any ordinary bloke can own a company with a bit of ambition and some paperwork."
"Truly amazing!"
- wrong_world_666
Talk That Talk
buzzfeed video news GIF by NowThis Giphy"I can talk sh*t about the president and not get arrested and disappeared. So that's pretty nice."
- Its_All_True
"Talking sh*t about the president is pretty much a national pastime, even when you generally agree with them."
- Sad-Frosting-8793
"Criticizing our 'leaders' for their bull is essential to the American experience."
"We have a large amount of Somali migrants in my area, they would come in to buy weed and always enjoyed our raucous talks about how our public servants abuse their power on the backs of the common person."
"Turns out hating ridiculous power structures is something everyone who smokes weed in any place hates with a passion."
"Seeing Somali couples go on libertarian rants with you makes you shed a tear of American ideals like no other experience. Open them borders and let some f*cking freedom ring yoz."
- jpz1194
Too Nice?
"The people here are actually very nice. There are a few turds that make us look bad, but most people are friendly and helpful."
- Actuaryba
"Was going to say the same. There are some jerks, but most people here are really sociable. At the very least, not rude."
"Knew a friend (here for school) from Finland. Had to keep telling him not to be suspicious when somebody holds the door open for you, or strikes up a conversation in line at the grocery store, or whatever."
"He said he was having culture shock because people were being 'too friendly' and he thought they might have some ulterior motive for it. He got over it."
- atx00
"Friend of mine is from Germany and said he had a similar experience when he went on a business trip here once. Now, though, he loves such trips because he really likes the culture here."
- Drakmanka
We're Open
"Everything is open, all the time."
"I realized how nice this is when I lived in Europe and stuff is closed on Sunday and at 5-6pm every day."
- mam630
"Funny, I moved to the US and the one thing I really miss from back home is that Sundays have a special Sunday feeling."
"Not sure how to describe it. Everyone is off, everything is closed. It's like, you have no option but to relax, it's out of your control, it's imposed rest."
"In the US, the closest feeling to that is snow days."
- deepuw
"Vegas local here. Wanna have a burger and a beer at 3am on a Tuesday? Done."
- EnricoPalazz0
"That's what I was going to answer with. If I want to go buy a big screen tv and a large milkshake at 3 a.m., I can."
- Trentorio
So much space
step brothers bedroom GIFGiphy"Honestly, if I had to pick the #1 thing I'd say the open space."
" The USA has so much open space that we've carved off enormous parts of the continent to permanently be just open space. The US National Park system is the crown gem of the nation."
-McFeely_Smackup
"US needs to preserve even more spaces like this"
-ZhouCang
"I'm not from the US, but from an outsider's perspective I'd have to agree with this. Your national parks are absolutely outstanding and I cannot wait to visit them."
-ExoticOracle
"Capital W Wilderness areas are the crown gem of the nation. The wilderness act is the single coolest piece of legislation ever written. And I mean that in a littoral sense. The writing is so distinct and poetic."
-orowitzzzz
Free pet pets
"You can go to humane society and pet cats for free!!"
-Cats_are_happiness_2
"Which is a GODSEND for people with allergies. I don't want a cat, I want to interact with a cat juuust until I explode."
-AbeliaGG
"My local shelter encourages people to come down to pet and play with the animals! One of my coworkers goes down for an hour a few days per week to love on the kitties, because she can't have one. They adore her for it."
-EducationalAd232
"I volunteer at a NJ rescue affiliated with PetSmart charities. I feed and play with the cats once a week and then enjoy seeing them go home on Adoption Day. I have 2 cats of my own, so I’m not tempted to bring one home with me."
-Excellent_Ambition43
Accessible tech
"How inexpensive tech is"
-Arndt3002
"And how available it is. I have coworkers from other parts of the world who stock up like crazy when they're in the US."
-magster823
"Looking at American online stores as a European makes my mouth water seeing the price of things over there."
-Jackfille1
Free-Soda-om
Fast Food Drinks GIF by jjjjjohnGiphy"Free refills."
-Proper-Emu1558
"And free bathrooms! It seems so awful to me that in some places abroad you have to pay to use a public toilet or risk soiling yourself if you can’t cough up the cash."
-TeHNyboR
"They can take my 88oz of carbonated water and syrup from my cold dead hands."
-QuinceDaPence
"Nevermind that. It’s the free ice water that just appears at your table at every restaurant."
-toastemino
"I had a friend visit from Europe and they would absolutely not believe me when I said they could go up and refill their soda cup. Absolutely thought I was condoning theft and they insisted they could pay for another cup"
-Zeddrocks
Go to the store whenever
"Our grocery stores stay open really late. On the east coast, it's until 11 or 12 at night. On the west, it's 24 hours in some places. This is, in all seriousness, the thing I love most about my country."
"A close second place is our gorgeous national parks. But I don't go to a national park every week. I go to a grocery store."
-ThatDismalGiraffe
"I don't even have to go to the grocery store if I don't want to, I can just get everything delivered in a few hours!!!"
-Spooky_Tree
"I’m in the south and we had several 24hr grocery stores it was really convenient but because of Covid they close at 11pm, hoping it changes. Love the national parks as well."
-MiaLba
What to eat?
homer simpson mess GIFGiphy"I'm not American, but when I was there it was undoubtedly the food. At no given point was I more than a ten minute walk from good food. Contrary to what Reddit would have you believe, it's not all fast food either(though Whataburger is insanely good)."
"There's a lot of good little places to eat and you're never far from one."
-ravingdante
"And if you live in a decent sized city and/or metropolitan area, you can choose from among at least a dozen different countries' cuisines"
"Sure it might be Americanized to some extent, but that kind of variety is always appreciated"
-striped_frog
"and even in Nowheresville, Midwest, you still have like 5 different nearby options for international food, often owned and made by people of that nationality."
-wanttotalktopeople
Get with the program
"AC during the summer"
-I2eN0
"Yeah the fact that other countries who totally have the infrastructure to have AC just... Don't. Blows my mind."
-finallymakingareddit
"Omg yes 😭 I was in Japan for the 2018 heat wave and the lack of AC was HORRIBLE. It was well above 100°F with insane humidity and even at night, it was still uncomfortably hot."
"I'm from northeast Ohio and was so not used to that heat let alone that heat without AC in many of the buildings. I have no idea how people there cope with that."
-fillmorecounty
"Yeah I visited family in Spain a couple summers ago and let’s just say I’ll never make the mistake of visiting in the summer again. It was an insufferable heat that was impossible to get away from. My friend and I, who I traveled with, ended up not even really seeing much because the heat took away our desire to leave the house."
"That being said, I spend a summer abroad in England and that at least wasn’t too bad except for a couple days of heat wave where I didn’t leave my room and just had fans on me."
-I2eN0
"Ice in drinks. We really value ice."
-CaptainoftheStella
"I was so surprised about the lack of ice in drinks in Europe."
-nvdagirl
"England is a barbaric place without ice. I asked a server for a side of ice and he came back with a cube."
-MorallyCorruptBae
"When in Europe I ask for a FULL glass of ice and then also my beverage. Because if you ask for extra you get 2 cubes."
-lyzipoo
"10000%. It is such a nice luxury that cold drinks are by far the norm."
-ruffsnap
"This. You don’t realize how much you need it until you go abroad and it’s f**king summer and they hand you a lukewarm bottle of water for like four euros"
-yramaro
Alright fam, what American freedoms are you in the mood to celebrate?
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Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.