Top Stories

People Share Their Best 'You Picked On The Wrong Person' Experiences

Why can't we all just get along? Why do people have to act a fool or try to belittle others with violence?

That is why is can be so delicious to watch a bully or just an ignorant dude get a good comeuppance. Now I don't advocate for violence but, a quick thumping to knock the shoulder chip off or cause to fall from that pedestal they think they're on is sometimes necessary.


Far too many people believe they are invincible so they just act any kind of way to anybody. And every once in a while they meet their match, or they meet their rhetorical "maker." And they cry. And it's beautiful.

Redditor u/ZPM89 wanted to know about the time people made that bad decision to come for someone they should've just ignored, by asking:

What happened when you saw someone pick on the wrong person?

High school is a rough time for many. And bullying doesn't seem to have slowed down. I remember some awful bullies in my school days. And one of the best day was when this one evil kid decided to try and throw this science kid across the room. That science kid knew martial arts. One of them limped to the principal. Guess who?

The Pick Up

lio rush sport GIF by WWEGiphy

"Saw a little person bodyslam someone who was about a foot taller than him into for picking on him in high school."

- Send_Derps

Stay on the field boys...

"During high school the wrestling team and football team shared the weight room where you work out. Some of the football players started picking on the soon to be state champions younger brother. We found out that day that football players while strong can't get out of wrestling holds that make you a human pretzel."

- Zkenny13

My Buddy

"Watched a guy at a bar pick a fight with a buddy of mine. My buddy is pretty chubby and honestly soft spoken until he gets a few drinks but wouldn't say much to offend anyone. So the fight began and nobody told the other guy that my buddy has been teaching Taekwondo for years. The fight was over very fast."

- treetreestwigbranch

Ragdoll...

"Back in 2019, my family and I decided to go on a road trip up the east coast. One night, we decided to stop in Fort Bragg, NC. While there, we elected to head to this small bar to get some dinner before calling it a night. Upon arriving, I notice there's this one really loud dude who's trying to flirt with every single girl that walked into the bar. Anyways, there's this one lady that he's really bugging, and you can visibly tell that she's uncomfortable but he's not stopping."

"That lady then decides to go sit down next to this really quiet bunch of dudes in the corner. Upon noticing the company these men were giving her, he walks up to them and starts losing it. He yells a ton of obscenities and tries to show off the fact that he was a Ranger or something, but these dudes just ignore him. Eventually, he gives up and just grabs the girl's arm."

"At that exact moment, one of the men stands up, grabs that dudes arm, flips him like a ragdoll onto the ground, and pins his arm to the ground. They have a quick chat about niceties before letting him go and that dude is promptly ushered out of the restaurant. Later found out, they were special forces of some type!"

- Renoux_Venture

"gifted"

nerds GIFGiphy

"6th grade, bully decides to pick on the class nerd one more time by pushing his books from his desk to the floor."

"Class nerd grabs a pencil and stabs him directly in the shoulder. The look on the bully's face was pure confusion as the pencil protruded from his shoulder. The nerd was suspended and missed a big overnight trip for our "gifted" kids class, but I like to think he never regretted it."

- reflectrofluid

See there, think before you act. An act like a person not a savage. And maybe get a therapist. Or least takes some deep breaths.

J got it...

mma fighter GIF by K_TcH1Giphy

"An incident on the street of our town, too long to explain and not relevant anyway, but a bully of a man grabbed hold of my arms but he didn't realise my six foot son was nearby. J appeared out of nowhere, lifted yer man up by the lapels of his jacket, roared into his face "get your f*****g hands off my mam" and HURLED him across the pavement."

- Rosieapples

Chad looking guy...

"I was at a Machine Gun Kelly concert a few weeks ago in general admission. We made friends with some people next to us; a dad who took his 14 year old daughter and her friend to the show. He was a really nice guy and his daughter was so excited to be at her first ever concert. 2 minutes after the show starts, a fight breaks out right next to us. We quickly realize it's the dad we met, fighting some late twenties Chad looking guy."

"It lasted only a couple of minutes— we watched as Chad ripped the dad's shirt in half off of him, only for the dad to then clock him so hard in the face that he fell to the ground and scurried away. We later found out from our new friend that the Chad guy had come up to his daughter from the crowd and started touching her inappropriately. He finished out the concert with his daughter, shirtless. It was awesome. lol"

- Odd-Sandwich-3111

People Break Down The Strangest Rules Their Parents Enforced Growing Up | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

The rules we follow growing up are often rooted in culture and circumstance, but that doesn't mean they always make sense for the world we live in. Or at lea...

Oh Lou...

"A buddy of mine got a job at a steel mill after graduating with a degree in chemical engineering (the job wasn't related to his degree). While working there, he made a friend, a guy named Lou, whose job it was to stand on a platform over a vessel of molten steel and use a long heavy rod to bash through the cooling steel crust on the top (please forgive my terminology, I don't know the trade)."

"Lou was an unassuming man, about 5'8", bald and not particularly imposing. But he was crazy strong and tough because of the job, among other things. One night, they went for a beer after work and were standing at the bar drinking and chatting. Some drunk a-hole bumps into Lou and gets aggressive. This guy throws a punch and connects on the side of Lou's head."

"Without setting down his beer, Lou grabs him by the front of his shirt with one hand, lifts him off the floor and seats him on the bar. Lou lets him go and quietly says, "I'm going to give you a chance to reconsider." The guy sobers up really fast and says, "Thank you. Please accept my apology." Lou let him get down off the bar, at which point he turned around to the barkeeper, paid his tab, Lou's, and my buddy's, then quietly left, still looking shaken."

- Scutifur

Lady Cop

ronda rousey ufc GIFGiphy

"Was standing in line to get poutine in Montreal. Some drunk dude started harassing a bouncer then a police woman came and he started to get physical with her. She flipped him over on his back and handcuffed him. Amazing!"

- sids99

Forks Out

"The local sheriff's grandson was a bully and would hide behind his grandpa's name. One day during lunch period in high school, he decided to steal a couple books from a nerdy-looking kid I didn't know. Kid immediately saw through it and demanded his stuff back. Bully said he'd have the kid arrested on false accusation charges."

"Kid grabs a fork from someone's lunch tray and drives it into the bully's leg. Bully screams and lurches out of the chair, dropping the books from under his loose-fitting shirt as he does so. Kid picks up his stuff and goes back to eating like nothing happened."

- Lentra888

Middle School

"This is personal. Me and a friend would walk home from middle school. I was in 8th grade and he was in 7th. There was a 9th grader that walked the same route. He was 5 inches taller and 30 pounds bigger than me. He would pick on us all the time. Throw us down. Punch. Spit."

DON'T MESS WITH HUNGRY PEOPLE!!

"Due to covid, Mcdonald's has had an unusually long line. A gang member thought he could cut the line and throw up his gang sign out the window to the long line of people he just cut in front of. The person behind him (small framed dude with his kid in the car) is furious, gets out of his car to confront the gang member. Gang member also jumps out and starts to square up to this scrawny dude."

"Thinking he is the most dominant of the pair, the gang member laughs and tells him to "F**k off before you get hurt". Within 2 seconds, the scrawny dude throws 3 jabs as quick as lightning and drops the gang member on the spot, jumps in the gang members car, drives it onto the road and parks it, gets out and throws the keys over a fence, gets back in his own car and proceeds to stay in line until he receives his order. As he's driving out, the gang member has half come to and boots the man's car as he drives past."

"Annoyed (I'm guessing because his child is in the car) this dude gets out and drops the fool again. Jumps in his car and drives off. Moments later, the gang member comes to again and realises his car is parked on the road. He walks up to it and before he reaches his car, somebody screamed out to him "Your keys are over that fence". By that time, foods ready and we out. Moral of the story, DON'T MESS WITH HUNGRY PEOPLE!!"

- BlaccMonk

SuperGirl

Wonder Woman Vintage GIFGiphy

"When I was in middle school one time I saw this boy creepily sneaking up on a girl and he grabbed her butt. She spun around smacked him in the face with her purse and started kicking him in the nads. He freaked out and ran off. Never saw him mess with a girl again."

- Little_BabyBirdie20

Megajock...

"When I was in HS, 40 years ago, a megajock started harassing, and basically stalking, a girl I knew from a previous activity. She was dating a man who had relatives in the Mafia, and some of them paid him a little visit and while they didn't do anything to him beyond warn him what they could do to him if he kept it up, he got the message and left her alone."

- notthesedays

Big mistake...

"One of my friends went to an inner city comprehensive school in a rough part of a big city in the north of England. One of the bullies at the school was known for being a sadistic prick that picked on anybody. One morning some new students arrived at the school, and it was apparent they were of gypsy origin."

"The bully made an incredibly derogatory comment about people from gypsy origin. Big mistake. One of the girls of gypsy origin charged at the bully and literally just pummelled him to the ground, then just started savagely beating him. She was landing punches left right and centre, and literally going at him like a wild animal."

"She would not stop! It took 3-4 teachers to get her off him, and even then she was still trying to go for him so they had to get him out of the room. She was screaming all sorts of obscenities at him and saying that he better look over his shoulder as he's a marked man. The bully had to change school and house, according to my friend."

- thunderfart_99

Have a night night...

Giphy

"I was dating a woman who's about 5'10 and while not really aggressive, you don't want to mess with her."

"Apparently someone grabbed her butt while she was in line at a bar, she turned around and knocked the guy to the ground with one punch. An hour or two later, a cop showed up, asked her what happened and said "Thank you, just wanted to double-check the facts. Have a night night."

- MikeyTMNTGOAT

Good Day Sir

"When I was 10 or so my grandparents and I were driving back home to Canada from their condo in Florida. We were coming through the Detroit/Windsor border crossing and stopped just before the border at a Walmart. Some dude rudely tried to shove past us into the store. My grandfather tapped him on the shoulder and told him to apologize to his wife and grandson for being ignorant and inconsiderate."

"This guy was 30 or so if I had to guess, at the time.my grandfather was 61. The guy shoved my grandpa, and then miraculously he was on the ground out like a light. My grandfather waited until he woke from his nap, got the apology, and then bought me ice cream and a hot wheels car. Good day."

- CognitiveRedaction

"okay that's cool, thanks bro"

"My husband. 7th grade, middle school (ugh) - his family moved and he had to start at a new school. The "alpha male" of the school went up to him his first week there and just socked him in the face out of nowhere - to this day my husband has no idea why, he hadn't even looked at him - he thinks the guy was like trying to assert his dominance, show him who was in charge at that school or whatever lol."

"Anyhow, guy throws a hard punch, husband didn't go down, didn't even flinch. He just laughed at him, said something like "okay that's cool, thanks bro" and walked off laughing. This is not how it went down with the other boys "alpha" dude tried to intimidate, and it made him look really stupid and like a fool in front of all the other kids lolol."

"Husband's best friend that he met there is the one who told me this, bc he saw it happen and it made quite the impression on everyone. I thought that was cool AF how my husband basically took this douchebag down and humiliated him without having to lift a finger lol. He's still the chillest dude. :)"

- Maximum-Barracuda-27

Out Cold

finn balor fainting GIF by WWEGiphy

"The girl in my high school who had a black belt in grade 9. Very few people knew this, but one guy must have heard a rumor or something and harassed the crap of her."

"All the dumb jokes you can imagine if you were picking on someone for being in karate. Screaming HI-Yah, and fake karate chops… He was warned that she could kick his butt and he asked her to prove it. So one day she did. She knocked that boy out cold. It was fantastic."

- YVRkeeper

Go forth with kindness. Nobody likes a bully or a fool. When you lead with violence, karma will find you. Please let me be there!

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

People Share The Best Advice For Someone Starting Their First Job

Reddit user CampDreamy asked: 'What advice would you give someone starting their first job?''

man holding book on road during daytime
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Starting your first job is always nerve-wracking. The start of anything new usually is. That's why it's helpful to get some advice.

Before I started my first job, a friend of mine told me that there were a lot of things I should be willing to do in order to become indispensable, but one thing I should never do is give up lunch.

Even if it's a busy day and everyone is working through lunch, take five minutes to buy something at the deli next door or pop something in the microwave. You will not do your best work if you do not eat a meal.

I was very glad to get that advice, and it was something I always followed.

I also followed my own personal rule of writing down the process to do anything at work, even if it was as simple as where to look for a particular file. Anytime I thought 'oh, I'll remember,' I ended up having to ask again. It's always better to write it down so you not only know how to do it, but are the one that people come to when they need to know how to do it.

I'm not the only one that has good advice for someone starting their first job. Redditors are full of advice and are ready to share.

It all started when Redditor CampDreamy asked:

"What advice would you give someone starting their first job?"

Think Positive

"95% of success is showing up on-time and not having a bad attitude."

– Firebolt164

"There’s a quote that goes something like: you don’t need an advanced degree to show up on time, work hard, and have a positive attitude."

"I basically used this as my mantra as I built my career (and still do)."

– tyrannosean

"This has been my experience in my first ~5 years of employment. Being someone that people enjoy interacting with, sticking to deadlines, and broadly trying to make lives easier rather than harder will get you pretty close to the top, and it’s a lot easier than working overtime every day."

– 2catsinatrenchcoat

"Yep, when I was younger I always thought that just showing up on time, being a decent person to work with, and doing a good job were the bare minimum that everyone did....I learned later that this will put you above approximately 90% of your co-workers."

– raoulduke212

Sound Advice

"Poop on company time."

– 1320Fastback

"Well, sh*t."

– CampDreamy

"Boss makes a dollar, I make a dime. That's why I poop on company time."

– mrselfdestruct066

Everyone Makes Mistakes

"Don't worry about f**king up. You're going to f**k up. We all f**k up. Constantly."

"Learn from it when you f**k it up so you do it better next time and you'll be the best employee in any job."

– MaximumZer0

"And when (not if) you f**k up, own up to it, and do your best to fix it. It's way easier to fix a mistake when it first happens than 3 weeks or even hours down the line. This applies to basically any field."

– super5aj123

Gossip Girl

"Listen to gossip if you want, but never spread it."

– GamerMomLife

"Yep. I worked in a private pool snack bar kitchen last summer, and nearly all of my coworkers were high school girls. The amount of sh*t they talked on each other was insane, but I just tried my best to not get involved. It never became anything other than sh*t-talking, but it's just a good idea in general to keep your head down."

– super5aj123

"I work in a kitchen with majority middle-aged women, and it's simular to what you described."

– DeadStar800

Do It All

"If they tell you to sweep, just sweep. You still make the same amount. Unless you’re an MD or something else, in that case you’re f**ked!"

– PublicEnema11

"A programmer consultant I knew in the 90s lived by the motto "it all pays the same.""

"You want him to spend his $50/hr time doing things that an unpaid intern could handle? Sounds like an easy day."

– Cacafuego

(Don't) Let It Burn, Burn, Burn

"Don’t burn bridges if you quit or get fired."

– kbrown423

""Never cut what you can untie.""

"- Robert Frost"

– sophistt_

It's All Public

"Assume everybody in the company plus clients will read every email you send."

– CouchieWouchie

"Yeah this is genuinely a great rule that will save your @ss. Write every email as if it will be read by the whole org."

– FrungyLeague

"Also speak as though anything you say is being recorded."

– squished_frog

Protect Yourself

"Document EVERYTHING. Every time punch. Every direction from your supervisor."

– DejectedDonut

"Do this if you are working outside your duties/responsibilities as well, or directed to do things. You want a paper trail of why you did what you did if something screwy happens."

"Ideally, the work place should concentrate on policy, protocol, training, engineering and admin controls and such... but well stuff isnt always ideal."

– Zech08

Work Friends

"You're going to feel tempted to make strong relationships with your coworkers - but remember that you shouldn't share with anyone what you wouldn't want known by everyone. You may think you can trust someone, but you should have a bit of caution."

"A lot of work relationships feel a bit like a friendship, but they are not. If they move on, or you do, it is rare that you will stay in touch. Accept it for what it is."

– Mobtor

Education

"Take advantage of tuition reimbursement to get degrees/certifications that will benefit your career and don't worry about "owing" the company for it."

"Many industries have pretty generous tuition reimbursement programs where they cover your school but you owe them time after they cut those checks. A typical program might have a requirement that if you leave the company you need to pay back anything they had paid out in the last two years."

"The thing is that you want to leverage that degree for a salary jump and the current company won't give it to you because they have you "locked" in now, right?"

"So you interview for your next job and when that company gives you an offer you explain that you're on the hook for the tuition reimbursement at your old company "and since you will be getting the benefit of that education I will need a signing bonus to cover my financial obligation to my current employer.""

"Keep in mind that the signing bonus will be taxable income so you need to shoot for an amount that will have taxes taken out and leave what you need to pay back the tuition."

"I've known too many people who didn't get a degree that could have really helped them but they didn't want to be "on the hook" to their employer. I even know one guy who spent close to $30k out of his own pocket to get a master's degree because he didn't want to "be stuck here" when he was done."

– tacknosaddle

The Little Moments Matter

"Don’t miss any major life events (or the major life events of close family/friends) for work. You might feel pressure from your employer not to take the time off."

"The family/friends will still be around for many years, the first job probably won’t."

– mxxiestorc

Learn To Save

"Pension! Pension! Pension!"

"Put as much as you can afford to into your pension. Retirement might seem a lifetime away but the sooner you save for it the sooner you can achieve it."

– Grayzo

Money, Money, Money

"Pack a lunch! Eating out can put a huge dent in your paycheck!"

– awileycat

"Can't stress this enough. For the price of eating out unhealthy food for 1 day you can usually pack healthier lunch for 2-3 days."

– QuantumExileMusic

Oh, yes! I found out about that last one the hard way...and still haven't learned!

An hourglass with blue sand sits among a field of rocks
Photo by Aron Visuals

Just the other evening, I was walking home, and I barely survived.

I tripped on a dead tree branch.

The next thing I knew, I was flying in the air and landing on my back.

My belongings were strewn about.

And my to-go burger was dead.

A simple walk.

A simple dead branch.

And almost lights out.

Redditor Typical_XJW wanted to hear about the times people eluded death, so they asked:

"How did you almost die?"

Don't even get me started on any and every car ride.

We're always moments from the end on highways.

Back in the Day...

Hunger Games Student GIFGiphy

"Almost drowned when I was 5 or 6, been hospitalized twice for sepsis between 2016 and 2019, and had a stroke this year. I'm 29."

ChristmasKid88

On the Disk

"MRSA infection in the disk on my lower spine between L5 and S1. Showed up two days after a cortisone shot but the hospital said it was from something else. Was in hospital 25 days multiple emergency surgeries."

EatA**FromBack

"I worked for a doctor who did these in-house and other procedures, and it 100% made me not trust medical facilities, cleanliness, and sterilization procedures. Had about twenty patients all come down with the same gut infection, 'coincidentally,' the same patients who came in for endoscopy procedures the same day."

dimlylit_

Saved

"Saving a younger friend from drowning, he panicked and almost took me out."

loztriforce

"Had that happen with a younger cousin when we were kids. His brother and I went to save him, he climbed on both of us and pushed us under. Lifeguard didn’t even see us until he pulled younger cousin out of the water, then we popped up gasping for air."

coffeejunki

Shucked

"16-year-old farm kid me, stepdad told me to go pick up a load of corn seed for planting. I had gone with him many times before, and driven the truck (full ton dually diesel) and hauled light stuff with it. Nobody told me how different it is to haul 10,000 lbs of seed on a big flatbed trailer on gravel. I had a lot of common sense and was driving slowly and carefully."

"Still… 10,000+ lbs pushed me down a gravel hill skidding, praying to god I stopped before the stop sign at the T intersection to a busy highway. I came to a grinding halt JUST as the front of the truck crossed the plane where the gravel turned to asphalt. A semi was coming from one direction and regular cars from the other. I shudder thinking about what if on that one. Don’t let untrained kids tow potentially deadly, heavy trailers, with zero training."

datnetcoder

Finding Tracks

College Sports Sport GIF by Sealed With A GIFGiphy

"Was backwoods camping in Yellowstone and if I hadn’t considered for 30 seconds if I REALLY needed to get up and go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I would have walked out of my tent headfirst into a brown bear, which I heard before leaving and found tracks of next to my tent in the morning. Spookiest moment of my life in hindsight."

danvo5

Bears are a no go for me.

Camping is an even bigger HECK NO!!

Several Strikes

Reassuring Jimmy Fallon GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonGiphy

"Twice. 1. Woke up to my apartment on fire."

"2. Hit head-on by a drunk driver on a small bus, just after everyone got off bus exploded."

lizard_king0000

Oh Barb

"Lmao okay, so I was getting my teeth cleaned, and I got nitrous oxide because I have so many exposed roots. Well, my hygienist at the time was this lovely lady from Minnesota. Kinda flaky, but super sweet, and talked about her family all the time. So I'm in the chair and she hooks up my mask, and away we go. I actually fell asleep! Except not so much."

"Turns out Barb had forgotten to turn the oxygen on and had been feeding me straight nitrous. She only noticed because I started gasping for air while unconscious. So that's how I almost died at the dentist. I never saw Barb again, but I tell you, that was the best nap of my life!"

CharismaticAlbino

Climb Up

"I was snorkeling. I had my other stuff stored on a rock by the water, about 3 meters high. When I got out, I decided to climb straight up. Almost at the top, the rock I was hoisting myself up on came off and I fell back first onto the coral. If a friendly wave hadn’t come in, I would have broken my back, at least."

Yugan-Dali

Blood Loss

"I was diagnosed with a rare fatal blood disorder from birth, doctors projected I’d live till about 6 and then die from massive blood loss. As this was the mid-90s, they tested the idea of using stem cells from my sibling's umbilical cord; administering the first successful stem cell transplant from a sibling donor and I’m still here to tell the tale!"

Material_Cry1697

These were some tremendously close calls.

Do you have any near-death experiences to share? Let us know in the comment below.

Paper heart ripped in half
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash

When it comes to the dating scene, most of us have a pretty low opinion of people who choose to cheat on their partners, not to mention serial cheaters.

But that doesn't seem to stop some people from doing the deed.

Curious, Redditor miaah214 asked:

"People who have cheated before, why did you do it?"

Revenge Cheat

"He cheated first, and I was young, petty, and thought revenge would make me feel better."

- Witch_on_a_moped

Immature and Selfish

"Unbridled ego, unsatisfying regular sex life, and a girl who threw herself at me."

"I was an idi*t, I acted like an a**hole, and I will regret it for the rest of my life."

"It was a hard truth to face. It was a dark time in my life where my ego and my immaturity caused me to hurt several people I loved."

"Fortunately, I learned from it, and while I can't take back the pain I caused, at least now I know that I am 100% capable of being an a**hole and so can choose not to be one."

- Seba_King

Insecurity

"Insecurity. I was always on the lookout for someone who would make me feel more desirable than the last. It was a serious youthful lack of judgment."

"Once I grew up emotionally, I realized what a piece of s**t I was and the hurt I caused. Hard to live with, to be honest."

- Penfold_for_PM

Just Desire

"100% pure lust. That’s it. I’m not proud of it."

- mydepressingpoems

Lots of Options

"Willing partners. It was amazing how many times when I did have a steady girlfriend that I would suddenly get propositioned by random women or worse yet, my girlfriend's friends or sisters."

"Too many times to be a fluke."

"It was like they figured if you are in a relationship, you're worth pursuing."

"But when I was single, most times I couldn't get a woman's attention."

"So it was an ego boost, but ultimately, I decided to be a better person, and I met a person who I truly thought was 'the one.'"

"And to a certain extent I did, it just didn't last through no fault of my own."

- Patient-Quarter-1684

In Need of Validation

"When you grow up being in turn neglected and told you're not good enough, validation is like a drug, and intimacy is the ultimate validation."

"Sooooo much therapy to undo this."

- RowhammerBitflip

"This. I’m just recently realizing how I didn’t receive enough attention and validation from my parents and how much it’s influenced my choices. Meeting someone and having them be into me physically is the easiest validation boost I can find."

"People who grew up with parents actually interested in them and with an instilled sense of self-confidence don’t know how good they have it."

"I don’t inherently feel important or relevant so I’m always looking for someone to tell me otherwise."

- tellitothemoon

The Thrill of It

"Because I was a f**king a**hole 20-year-old who only thought of himself and getting some action. The high of it."

"I'm 37 now. No cheating since then."

- Temporary_Fault6402

The Real Joy

"My ex was done in the bedroom and even said they were no longer interested in me physically or sexually."

"I should have left at that point, but with kids and the financial hit of divorce, I just looked to fulfill that need."

"I later divorced, and it was a big financial hit, but oh my god, what a relief it was getting out. Getting out of an abusive relationship is where the true pleasure comes from."

- loomdog1

In Need of Attention

"My partner cheated on me shortly after I had his baby. I wanted to leave, but I convinced myself to stay. The logistics of having a baby and 24-hour care are challenging on your own. He refused to have sex with me."

"At some point, someone got me in a weak spot. Somewhere between exhaustion, low self-esteem, and the sheer opportunity of having an orgasm were too strong for me. I’m deeply ashamed."

"Shortly after I picked myself up, the relationship ended. I should have left sooner."

"Someone telling you that you are beautiful, talented, and special after being invisible can feel like a drug. I don’t expect sympathy from anyone for my actions. But I do have a lot of sympathy for others now."

- throwawaythrowyellow

The Easier Option

"Because I chose a cowardly and easy path. Instead of going to therapy and ending my toxic relationship, I cheated on them with someone who I had convinced myself I was in love with and loved me."

"As it turns out, breaking up with someone is a lot less harmful to everyone involved than cheating."

- dodongosbongos

Devastating Choices

"Not me, but a guy friend cheated and the reason he gave was that he loved his fiancée but they had very different sex drives."

"He also said that when he brought it up to her (the difference in their sex drives and the problems it would cause) she begged him not to leave and insisted it wouldn’t be an issue."

"He told her it already WAS an issue and, as a last resort, she said she would understand if SOME DAY he felt the need to look elsewhere…just as long as she never found out."

"The girl admitted to saying all this but explained that she would have said anything for them to stay together in that moment, she didn’t think he’d actually be 'f**ked up enough to cheat' and she never imagined he would do it so soon."

- Dramiotic

The Perfect Combination

"A perfect storm of poor impulse control, untreated mental illness, and boredom."

"People on the moral high ground will tell you not to cheat for reasons like morality and integrity; from the moral low ground, I can tell you that the lifelong guilt, shame, and remorse are not worth it."

- LowCarbBeesechussy

Emotionally Done

"Because the relationship was done and I was already moving on emotionally. I just didn't care about her enough to care whether she was hurt or not. Honestly, in hindsight, I have zero idea why we were still together. It DID make the eventual breakup a lot messier."

"I was young and it taught me an important lesson. If you're done, just be done and leave. There's no point in dragging it out. If you're ready to start looking for another relationship, start by ending the relationship you're already in."

- codefyre

Ready to Make Up for It

"I had a perceived lack of affection. I felt ugly and disgusting and like I was just an emotional tampon."

"I would never do it again. In therapy, I learned a lot about the reasons I did what I did and in all honesty, if she would even entertain the idea of trying again, I’d spend every day making up for it and making sure she felt more love then can be imagined."

"I’m currently fulfilling into the man I know I can be. I just wish it took a more positive trigger in order to start that for me."

- Anthonys455

Let's end it -- the article, that is -- on a lighter note.

The Worst Kind of Cheating

"My wife wasn’t around. The house was empty."

"I couldn’t wait for her to get home, so I watched the next episode without her knowing."

"Honey, if you’re reading this… I’m so sorry."

- six6sickx

"You're a monster."

- Efficient_Ad_8367

It's so hard to imagine what's going on inside someone else's head or why they might choose to do the things that they do, especially if it's something we don't agree with.

It's at least heartening to see that many of these Redditors used these experiences as learning opportunities and have since gone on to treat the most treasured people in their lives a little differently.

Smartphone showing a lighting switch app
Moritz Kindler/Unsplash

Making yourself feel at home takes work but not as much as you think.

Homeowners, for example, are apprehensive about renovations because of how much costs.

Even tenants renting a home can feel like they're stuck in a situation where they don't feel comfortable because of minor inconveniences they think requires major solutions to fix.

Cut to this Reddit thread, where the ideas for affordable home improvement options were shared that may make you wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Curious to hear some tips from strangers online, Redditor Super_dupa2 asked:

"What small upgrade made a huge difference at your house?"

We tend to overcomplicate things when solutions can be simplified.

Taking Charge

"Methodically buying phone chargers with long enough cables to not have to ever move one again."

– ihadtowalkhere

"I am a pretty mellow dad (benign neglect parenting style for 5 kids) but I have two rules. Nobody messes with my bedside charger and nobody steals my two pillows."

"So, as such, I make many, long chargers available for everybody. It costs me a fortune:)"

– nicktam2010

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

"Blackout curtains for sleeping. Such a game changer."

– blehbleh1122

"And they keeps my bedroom cooler."

– BunjaminFrnklin

"Insulated blackout curtains make a 10f difference in my living room on hot days."

– TryUsingScience

A Cool Idea

"Attic heat exhaust fan. Our attic used to get up to 140F on the hottest days, and on those days our ceilings were hot to the touch. The whole house was consequently uncomfortable. Now the attic fan is thermostatically controlled to 90 degrees, and the whole house is cooler."

– jermleeds

"I added a passive whirly bird that does the same thing. Heat rises and escapes before it can accumulate to those extreme levels. It also happens to be clear acrylic so now there's always light up there too which helps keep away any vermin.

– cantwejustplaynice

No major bathroom renovations are required to make tenants happy.

No More Slamming

"Soft close cabinets and toilet seats."

– AreWeCowabunga

"We have a soft close toilet seat at our home and every time I'm at a hotel, I completely forget that they aren't usually soft close and the slam startles me 😂"

– PinkHamster08

Nozzle Upgrades Can Do The Trick

"A better shower. If you can't redo the whole bathroom, just replace the head. This also works if you rent, just keep the old one in a box, so you can bring the nice one to your next house."

– maartenvanheek

"I'm a renter and I finally installed a better shower head this year, after just using the default head in all my apartments for almost 20 years. 10/10, highly recommend."

– Am_I_a_Guinea_Pig

Perfect Welcoming Gesture

"My wife and I own a smallish apartment complex . One of the things we do every time a new tenant arrives is replace the toilet seat. I learned that trick from my parents who had about a dozen single-family rentals. It's amazing the goodwill you receive from a tenant simplify giving them a new toilet seat. We actually put the box behind the toilet so they know it's new."

– YouInternational2152

It's electrifying!

Think Smart

"Smart outlets for Christmas lights, both inside and outside. I have them scheduled to turn on at sunset and turn off at midnight."

– Revolutionary-Try746

"Smart outlets are one of my favorite purchases. During Halloween and Christmas, we’re using multiple outlets for inflatables, house lights, and tree lights. The smart outlets allow you to have everything synced so they all turn in at the same time."

– cppadam

Things Are Looking Bright

"Replaced dated lighting fixtures - fixtures are now properly grounded, the interior looks more updated, and there is more/better light."

– SnooCauliflowers9981

Energy Conservation Option

"Motion activated light switch for the laundry room. Never have to worry about turning off the light when leaving with an arm full of clothing."

– AmazingAsian

Creating an environment can make a huge difference.

Source Lighting For The Win

"Lighting can absolutely make a huge difference in the way you feel in your room. Get some shoulder height (when you are sitting) lamps for your living room. You will notice a shift in how much more relaxed you feel when you use those instead of the overheads."

– ShoesAreTheWorst

Home Art Gallery

"Spending a day mounting my artwork. It felt so much more like my home after that."

– GinGimlet

"Every time I've moved, I put that off for way too long, then finally break down and do it and the house feels so much better to be in."

– Triolion

One major upgrade was our VE hybrid tech water boiler and warmer we got from Japan.

The Zojirushi kitchen appliance uses VE, or vacuum electric, technology for very minimal electricity to maintain the water temperature at a constant 195° so we always have hot water at the touch of a button.

There's no more time wasted boiling hot water over the stove every time we want tea or the occasional instant cup noodles.

Game changer.