The world is a pretty big place, but certain coincidences can make it seem mighty small.
Whether you end up running into the same person at different places, or happen to see someone you went to high school with 20 years later in a completely different part of the world, sometimes Earth seems like a pretty small place.
Reddit user Palehant asked:
"What was your best 'it's a small world' moment?"
Neighbors
When a neighbor of mine when I was a kid moved from Italy to Argentina, but we both ended up in the same dorm when we arrived to University in the UK...
Military Life
Had a best friend in California 3-5th grade. I moved and lost contact.
My freshman year of high school I moved to JAPAN and he was one of the first people I ran into. Became best friends again.
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Missed Connections
One of the best? My current manager knew my brother who has a different last name then me. She was talking to me about a time in high school where a guy was terrible to her, I asked who... it was my brother.
I've also met my S/O about 5 times before truly meeting her. She danced with my sister's best friend.
She was friends with my step dad's youngest brother. She went to private school with a really good friend of mine who I played soccer with.
She was friends with a girl I had a huge crush on all of middle school. I didn't truly meet her until my sophomore year.
Keeping Up With The Joneses
My daughter and I went on a weekend trip to Chicago. Our neighbors went to Chicago the same weekend.
My daughter said "Maybe we will see the Jones in Chicago." I laughed and explained that there are millions of people in Chicago.
We ran into the Jones in Chicago.
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Cameo
A few years ago, I went camping with a friend, her family and some family friends. Got talking to a few girls there about hobbies we had when we were younger, and discovered that me and another girl had both been majorettes when we were little.
She had some old videos on her ipod, so we decided to watch them. In one, she collected an award for coming 2nd place in a competition, but for some reason her dad had kept filming after she'd gone back to her seat.
Lowe and behold, my name gets called, and you can see a little 6 year old me wander past to collect it.
Pure fluke, 10 years later, a considerable distance away from where we both grew up.
All In The Family
I tutored Woman A in Biology for about 4-5 months in 2005.
Hooked up with Woman B about a year later in 2006.
Hooked up with Woman C about a year later in 2007.
Woman C then introduced me to her mom who turned out to be Woman A and they told me that I "might" know their aunt who turned out to be Woman B.
Small town life.
Layover
Middle Europe inhabitant. I met a girl on internet randomly from Baltic states like 3 years or so ago. We have been chatting ever since, planned some meets but never got the chance to make them work since we both are high school students.
This summer, I was travelling and my flight went from Germany to Finland (no direct flights). I was hanging out in the airport and hear a familiar voice from endless calls say my name.
Lo' and behold, the girl I chatted with for so long stood in front of me. We haven't planned to meet or anything. She traveled to Turkey and had a plane here as well. We had a great time talking and laughing at that the world is, indeed, a small place.
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From Down Under
I traveled from Australia to the US and the first person I ran into was a guy from my work.
Us Australians are just absolutely everywhere at all times.
He just wanted to know if you got those reports done before you left.
Online
I was playing Left For Dead 2 online in my college dorm and one of the guys that I was playing against was going to the same university, staying in the same dorm, on the same floor, like 8 doors down the hall.
We poked our heads out into the hallway and said hi, then went back to our game and never spoke again. Sometimes I don't believe it actually happened.
A couple of years ago, I was playing Rust a day or two before Christmas.
Joined a random server, quite quiet, maybe 20 people online. Got speaking to some dudes. Usual stuff 'where you from? etc... Scotland, ok me too! City? No way!' Then same town... same area of the town...
Guy literally lived around the corner from me.
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Czech Yourself
I was in an island in Malaysia (I’m from Indonesia). I hung out with fellow solo travelers from all over the world, Poland, Egypt, France, Algeria, Italia, US, Czech, and many more.
I talked to this girl from Czech, I told her that I have a friend in Prague and visit him every now and then.
Turned out she’s friends with my friend’s colleague, and she lives on the street next to my friend...
- hellotyo
Well Read
Bought a book called Illywacker by Peter Carey at the WHSmiths in Victoria Station in 1993, read it, sold it to a second hand bookshop in Eastbourne a few weeks later.
2003, living in Dallas, got talking to a girl on a flight who was reading a book, told her about the book, we talked on email a few times but things petered out.
Few weeks later she orders Illywacker used on Amazon, shows up, my name is written on the inside cover.
Been together ever since. And we still have the book.
- cbohno
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DNA
Me and my siblings all have different dads, (our mom didn’t hide this from us and was honest about our family history, which I appreciate) and one Christmas we decided to take DNA tests.
Several months later one of my siblings found out they had a sister with an almost identical first and last name to mine. After some research, we figured out they went to the same high school, at the same time.
- sniffmynips
The Early Bird
I live in Cambodia, one Saturday arranged to meet some friends at a bar we didn't ever usually go to, I ended up getting there a lot earlier and as I walked in I banged straight into a guy who was leaving.
Was one of my old best friends from my old home town, who I'd lost touch with over a decade before. Last I knew he was in Mexico and I was living in London at that time and had come to visit Cambodia for a couple of weeks.
A surreal experience and had I not got there 15 mins before I was due to we wouldn't have crossed paths.
- bongpros
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There is a website where you can get people to house-sit for you when you are on holiday (useful if you have animals). A lovely Australian couple came and house sat for us for two weeks.
On our return we got chatting and I mentioned I had an Australian cousin. He lived on the east coast whereas they lived on the west coast.
But then it transpired they had also house-sat for my cousin two years earlier...
- flounderbout
So back in 3rd grade I met this kid that we shall call Ben. Well, Ben was born in Japan and moved to the U.S. around the time I switched schools. So, me and this kid were good friends up until about 6th grade to when he moved to Germany.
Well back in like August or July of 2019 I joined a group post on Xbox for an rp thing on Minecraft. Well me and this guy that everyone called Chance became good friends.
Then me and Chance were playing some game together when he was talking about living in the USA and moving to Germany so I asked him some questions and come to find out it was Ben.
I got reunited with my old friend from my childhood over an Xbox group post and didn't realize it was him until months later.
- Ivarthegreat95
My family and I spent our holiday in Hong Kong and my friend went on a school trip there around the same time. I joked that we might see each other there.
Then we bumped into each other. Twice. Once in a theme park and the other in the train a few days later.
Bear in mind that we didn’t know about each other’s itinerary so it was a complete coincidence on both times.
- mostlikelytocry
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Small Town
While in the military, I was reassigned to a base in a different part of the country.
Not long after arriving, my wife ran into an old friend from high school, who, as it turned out, had also recently been stationed there.
They both came from a small town of only about 3,000 people.
- itsallalittleblurry
Secret Superpower
I have a superpower of sorts, to attract people I know.
Take me anywhere and there is a 90% chance we will run into someone I know. It can be anyone, from anywhere, at any time.
So I have a ton of "it's a small world" moments. People from work, from volunteer shifts I've worked, from school, anywhere.
Well, it's not a superpower to me, anyway. I consider it a blessing and a curse.
- geico_fire
It really is a small world, isn't it?
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.