The shower. Your bed. A warm and comfy position on the couch. What do all of these things have in common? Once you get into them, you don't wanna get out.
Easy to enter, difficult to leave. Once you are in, you are in. And getting out isn't going to be the cakewalk that you want it to be. You are gonna have to do some work to get yourself away.
Redditor SingleFunction223 asked:
"What’s a place that is easy to enter, but difficult to leave?"
Love Your Elders
"Your grandparents' house. My grandpa has been gone since 1989 but I still remember what he would say as soon as we would get ready to gather our things to leave."
"He would say 'What’s your hurry? What’s your hurry?' I can almost hear him. I still miss him."-Traditional-Worth295
Human Maze
"My wife and son went to a corn maze that had a trivia question posted at every decision point. Based on your answer, the sign directed you which path to take."
"They were stuck in there for hours! They tried multiple answers at some point. Eventually, they could see the edge of the maze and they just busted out the side."-badwhiskey63
Oh My Gosh, How Are You?
"The store when your mom sees one of her friends and starts talking" - OwnerOfABrainCell
Excuse Me, Clear Out
"Apparently my house if you are a moth."-Midnight_grizz
"I open the door, point to it, and ask them repeatedly to leave. This works a surprising amount of the time."
"My mates didn’t believe me till New Years Day, then they all just stared at me after 4 flies left the house. I don’t know why they leave when I ask, but they do. Have you tried asking them?"-keytherz
We've All Been There, And Never Allowed To Leave
"Apparently malls in my dreams."
"Whenever I enter 1 in my dreams, I Instantly know I'm fucked. Only hope is finding someone familiar or conscious (idk why all the people in my malls are just black blobs)" - Duck_with_a_Sandal
Everyone, Remember Where We Parked!
"A large parking lot. 20 mins to find your car followed by a maze to find your way out." - jujublackkkk
Can We Go Already?
"A friend of your moms house. “Time to go!” Twenty minutes later, their still saying their good byes" - Fnaf_and_anime_weeb
These things will wrap you in their warm embrace and never let you go....ever.
It's A Downhill Trajectory
"Poverty."-flossgoat2
"Plenty of people don’t realise how flimsy it all is. One or two mistakes and you can find yourself in a financial situation that’s going to take years to escape."-ElMothMan
"In the US, it doesn’t even have to be a mistake. Just get sick or injured enough, and you could have done everything right for decades. It’ll all be wiped out in months."-asianpeterson
The Furniture Void
"Furniture stores, but--There are a few tricks to IKEA. For one, you can enter from the register side and directly go into the area where you pick up your boxes."
"Ideal if you already know what you're getting as you can skip the showroom maze."
"Secondly, the employees have to get around easily too, so even when you do go into the showroom, look around a bit."
"There are shortcuts everywhere. They're not marked very well as the company wants you to walk past everything, but they're there."-NMe84
The Descent
"Underwater caves (specifically without cave training/gear). The water is air clear, so it's very inviting. Super easy to go just a bit too far."
"Once you're in, there are a lot of ways to die. You can take a turn down a side passage without realizing it, stir up the bottom with poor technique, have a light failure without proper backups, stay too long and not reserve enough gas for exit, get stuck, have an unfixable reg failure without redundancy, etc."
"Lots of really experienced open water divers have kicked the bucket in caves. Sometimes they were right near the exit, they just didn't have the training or gear to get there."
"Cave diving is awesome, but you have to be prepared for it, and your PADI DM cert will just make you more confident as you swim to your death."-helodriver87
Welcome To The Hotel California
"I’ve dealt with a lot of addicts in my family. The only thing that I’ve ever seen get them on the right path is nearly dying or being told they’ll die if they continue."
"It doesn’t matter how much they harm their loved ones. It doesn’t matter how much strain they put on all of those around them."
"It doesn’t matter to them that they scare the f**k out of their little brother. It’s sickening. Don’t do meth."-JustinWendell
Even if you want to exit these things, it's going to be a fight to get away for real and for true.
They Got You, They Have You
"The Marine Corps"
"Good luck getting that TRS done when it’s only offered on another base. Or final physical. Even if you get all that done you gotta deal with admin and pray they don’t lose your paperwork." - justarandomguy61
The USA Making Life Easy As Usual
"Mexico, if you're entering from the United States."
"Seriously, you can just walk into Mexico whenever you want, but leaving you have to wait in a very long line and get your passport checked and sometimes your car/bags searched even if you got nothing illegal going on..."
"I love Mexico, but man, going back into the States is always a hassle lol."-miss_noodle02
You Don't Know What To Do
"Any kind of abusive relationship, especially if you’re young and don’t have much experience." - awake-but-dreamin
The Benefits Are Too Good To Walk Away From
"An easy great-paying job, but at the end of the day it sucks your soul away and changes you as a person." - offspring3000
American Horror Story: Nobody Believes You
"Notoriously, mental institutions. Once you've convinced someone you're a psychopath, it's nearly impossible to convince the staff otherwise."-SemKleeven
"Wasn't there an actor who spent some time in s psychiatric hospital for a little bit, and the crew had to get him out because they wouldn't let him go?"-SturfandTings
"Brad Pitt, read this on Quora just the other day."-Moistery_Machine
Volunteer Your Time Or Your Life?
"Any kind of volunteering. For me it is teaching children's church. Once you start there is no easy exit. Girl scout leader, flag football coach, company birthday planner .. idk .. just about any volunteer gig."-henriettaroxs
"Can confirm, I volunteered at a youth house and the number of volunteers kept dropping, I couldn't abandon it or otherwise it would have to cease their operations. It wore me down and dragged my mental state down with it."-TradesSexForFood
It's not always a bad thing that something can enrapture you so easily once you are in it, but exercise caution and agency when approaching any of these things.
Otherwise you might just find that you've let a ton of time go by stuck in it--and what good is a life stuck in anything?
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Inevitably, not everybody in the world is going to like each other. People are so specific and cut from such specific molds, that it's far too easy to run across someone who makes you absolutely crazy.
Traits grind on each other, get under each other's skin, and in general make life quite a bit more difficult than if everyone could just swallow their pride to get along. Sadly, that's not the case on planet Earth.
Redditor New-Good-3363 asked:
"What type of people annoy you?"
Here were some of those answers.
They Annoy Us All
"People who talk your ear off but won't let you get through one sentence without interrupting."- Yawnmon92
There Is A Way To Be Wrong!
"People who won't admit they're wrong even when they obviously are."- Dracodyck
We Live In A Society
"People who are inconsiderate, like littering or not picking up their dog’s poop."- Caseylightning
"There is absolutely zero excuse for littering. I hate seeing trash in my apartment parking lot. Not like there's a shortage of trash cans. So gross."- Totum_Dependeat
These are the kind of people that ruin your day before it even starts.
You've Been To The Moon, I've Been There Twice
"A colleague, when my father passed away suddenly and I was in worst emotional state and of my life, literally told me he buried 2 sets of parents because he was adopted."
"How is that gonna help me, Sir?"- Commercial_Quarter_6
C-c-c-combo!
"People who interrupt others while talking."
"I get that a conversation has give and take and that some interruption is normal, but people who cut you off at every opportunity are the worst."
"They also tend to be one-uppers..."- HRMqueenofeverything
Users
"People who call you up and vent to you, want you to be there for them for whatever they need."
"But when the time comes for you to need a shoulder to cry on, for them to be there for you, they give you nothing of the sort."
"Can’t stand people like that. I stay as far away from people like that as I possibly can."- tspofcharity
MYOB
"The ones that will just not f**k off."
"They have to be in everyone's business."
"They have try and find people doing something wrong."
"They have nag and whine."
"Just f**k off and mind your own business."
"I don't want your help, I don't want your attention."
"I want you to shut up and stay away from me."- 2Nafishsammich
And also, they seem to crop up everywhere, because nobody on earth can get away from these people.
Protagonist Syndrome
"People who think they’re the main characters of life."
"I was sat in a takeout waiting for my food and there was a guy with his feet up on the chairs talking loudly on the phone and swearing."
"And when he got his food he started eating it right then and there and was burping loudly and muttering to himself."
"I get embarrassed if I think other people can hear my headphones on the bus."- Thursday_the_20th
Phantom Helpers
"Those who proclaim to be the type that are ALWAYS willing to be there/help but then when the time comes are no where to be found and are blatantly ghosting you."
"Then after said task/event is complete, they decide to start chatting you up/pretending like they didn't do anything."
"I don't know if theres a specific word for that (maybe a 'flake') but it's that type of person I truly despise the most."- 3p1ctamp0n
"When I listen to someone talk for an extended amount of time, I finally get to tell my story, they immediately pick up their phone and stop listening -_-"
"Also, people who make loud noises all the time."
"Chewing, talking loud on the phone, using speaker phone for private conversations, etc etc..."- Small-Jellyfish-1776
Omg Soooooo Sorry
"I have a roommate that just doesn't give a sh*t but she is so apologetic."
"Sorry this sorry that it won't happen again I promise."
"It always does."
"She never cleaned any part of house since she moved in."
"She throws random parties without telling anyone beforehand."
"And me and other roommates often work early in the morning."
"We complained to landlord bunch of times."
"But landlord is too soft to throw her out so she will stay unfortunately."- Crazyshark22
Definitely NOT Cut From The Same Cloth
"As a black person, white people who interact with me as if they studied and trained themselves with flash cards containing black stereotypes."
"lmfao like come on bruh…"- TripleKookieKookie
Inability To Grow Up...
"People who still behave like middle school bullies, well into their 40s, 50s, or even 60s in age."- Lilith_28
But Enough About Me, What Do YOU Think Of Me...
"People who are always attempting to relate to your problem or attempt to divert it to another thing."
"For example whenever someone comments or responds 'BuT wHaT aBoUt StRaIgHt PrIdE!' On a post or convo about LGBTQ+ pride."
"It really pisses me off."
"Dude it’s about someone else so stop trying to make it about you."- Revolutionary_Pop_55
Take It Down A Notch Or Two...
"People who are very over the top and bubbly."
"I’m a chill person so if you have a very loud personality it automatically annoys me."- Yes_Imthatbitch973
Posers
"People who act ghetto to fit in."
"It’s not a good look in itself."- Wooden_Albatross8005
Narcissists
"People who are narcissistic and are purposefully rude to other people because of it."
"It's always annoyed me when people label themselves as 'confident' when in reality they are just self-centered."
"I also really don't like when someone doesn't own up to doing something wrong and blames it on someone else."- retrotaco111
There's A Time And A Place
"The people who bring politics into everything."
"'Excuse me Minecraft YouTuber what do you think about the election?'"- IfailedartschooI
Well You Didn't Know Either!!!
"The type of people that ask you a question that you don’t know the answer to and then get annoyed because you didn’t know the answer."- Lostqueen6
Some People Are Allergic...
"The idiots who bring dogs to the working place."
"Leave the dog at home or let it find a good home."- DisastrousAR
These types of people ruin the day to day pleasures of life for everybody else. Nobody wants to be that person.
And if you do know these people, maybe it's time to run away as fast as you can.
Being one with nature also means being one with all nature has to offer. Sometimes, that's more of a curse than a blessing.
Nature is vast and fascinating, and as such, much of it remains unknown.
Encounters with the unknown are not the most desirable outcome of a trip that is supposed to be fun.
It can, in fact, taint the experience.
A Redditorwhose username has been deletedasked:
"Whats the creepiest thing thats happened when you were camping or alone?"
Here were some of those answers.
Leaves And Screams
"Solo camping for the first time, in tent struggling to sleep and all of a sudden hear what sounds like a demon screaming and beating it’s chest. Then another one. Then another one…"
"Turns out koalas make fkn bloodcurdlingly horrible noises at night." -hahaswans
A Simple Trip To The Loo
"I was on a roadtrip by myself and stopped to camp in a small national park in New South Wales. It was off peak so I thought I was completely alone there."
"I found out I wasn't alone when a car came slowly past my camp from further inside the park. It drove around the corner and then about 5 mins later came back slowly driving back into the park again."
"I was pretty weirded out and I wasn't sure if I should leave or not. About 2 hours later after dark the car did another slow creepy drive by of my camp."
"This time I watched it to see where it was going through my binoculars. I saw it stop by the toilet block and realised it was just somebody too lazy to walk to the toilet and they were driving slowly not to disturb me! Sometimes I have too much imagination for my own good lol." -4tehlulz
Hey All You Cool Cats And Kittens
"Once camping in a safari in Africa on the open wild lions protecting from the rain leaned on my tent to sleep under the small canopy."
"I could literally hear them breathing inches away from me and see the tent move as they did. To make it worse I had diarrhea and needed desperately to go. It lasted the whole night."
"We were so close even my fart could trigger them. I honestly thought I’d either have a heart attack or be eaten. Wife woke up in the am completely oblivious. Worst night of my life."-No-Wifi2077
These experiences were so harrowing, they might make you rethink camping at all.
Awooo Awoooooo
"I got a job in another city after six months of unemployment. My sister lived there and said I could stay in her guest bedroom in the basement while they were away in California. Her house was on the very northwest tip of the city and it was January and bitterly cold."
"The very first night I was there I woke up at 1:30am to the sounds of children screaming and wailing. It was so eerie and frightening that I never wandered upstairs to investigate. I just laid there and covered my ears for thirty minutes before it either died down or I fell asleep."
"The next day my sister texted from Disneyland. I asked her if there were kids in her neighborhood who wandered around at night scaring the neighbours. She laughed and said I’d met the local coyotes."-tangcameo
Just A Baby, Go Back To Sleep
"I lived in a tent for a couple summers. One night while sleeping in my hammock I heard an animal sound near by. It was pitch black so I cant see it."
"I’m trying to guess what it is by the sounds it’s making. Not a deer, too fast for a raccoons, doesnt sound like one of my drunken friends. There are bears and coyotes in my area."
"It gets really close to me then I don’t hear it moving for awhile. I think I hear it breathing but maybe not. After a minute I turn in my headlamp and its right next to me and it immediately jumps on to my hammock!"
"It was my buddy’s black lab. He didn’t close the door to his van all the way and he got out. Spent the night cuddled in my hammock."-DannyLameJokes
Will The Sky Fall?
"This happened in the Finland State Forest in Northern Minnesota over the month of August in 2013. I was a fairly fit 34 year old male and have been doing 5-10 trips a year since I was 18. The state forests in MN allow you to disperse camp (camp anywhere you want) as long as you follow 'Leave no trace' principals and aren't on the side major roads."
"I mostly backpack solo since I love the feeling being completely alone in a natural setting. Since there are no clear places to set up a tent, I typically sleeping a backpacking hammock (tarp, hammock, quilt). This particular trip, I was about 4 hiking hours off the road making my own way through an area that I have been wanting to explore for a while."
"It was starting to get late in the day and I decided to set up in this nice maple forest area that wasn't too far from a nice clearing with an overlook. Ever year I read stories about trees falling on people and killing them while they sleep. so I like maples since they don't have as many trees with dead tops (widow makers) as you find in a Birch or Pine forest."
"I don't usually have a fire when I disperse camp since there isn't a fire ring and it's a bit of a hassle most of the time. I do gather materials to make a fire should I need one in an emergency though. After eating my dinner, hanging my food, and going to the bathroom, I decide it's time to read a bit on my kindle and fall asleep."
"After a couple hours of sleep, I find my self awake with a sense of unease. I am a pretty light sleeper when I camp solo, so I wasn't too alarmed by this, but then I hear loud footfalls in the woods and realized this is why my body woke me up. It sounds like a person walking through the leaves, but it honestly could be any animal making its way through the woods."
"After about 30 seconds, the footfalls stop and I then hear a massive creak and a thump from a tree being knocked over and hitting the ground. Ok, that's a bit odd...probably a bear doing what bears do. Then I hear the footfalls again and they are getting closer to where I am sleeping in my hammock. Silence again...followed by another tree being pushed over."
"F**k. I'm debating do get out and try to scare this thing away or just stay quiet and hope it moves on. It's a cloudy night and it dark as it can get. I can't even see my hand in front of my face. I don't want to put my headlamp on and draw it's attention my way."
"There is nothing but silence for what seems like forever. Then I hear more footfalls...getting closer still....groaning tree....whump on the ground. I could feel the tree hit the ground this time. I'm not going to die in my hammock and this thing knows I'm over here. So I hop out and start screaming as loud as I could scream."
"I throw rocks into the woods and make an unholy racket. I hear something run away from me and then it was gone. I decided I needed to let my adrenaline subside, so I started my emergency fire and ate a quick snack. Sunrise was only 3 hours away, but I wasn't going to stick around after that."
"So I tore down my kit and set off towards my car via my GPS. I arrived at my car mid morning and felt paranoid that I was being followed the entire time I hiked back. As I was driving home, I was reflecting on how I specifically chose an area far away from any noticeable dead trees and how bizarre it was to have three trees fall like that."
"It was probably a bear rubbing down it's itchy back...my imagination told me it was a bigfoot and it was messing with me. I still solo backpack, but the experience still puts me on edge on when I am alone in my hammock at night."-outrushoutdoors
Oh...Hey Stranger...
"Back in 2010, my brother, cousin, their girlfriends, and myself were driving out to eastern Washington to camp in the middle of nowhere. We had been driving for several hours, guys in the front car and ladies in a second rear car, and it was just past sunset by the time we made it to the turn off to go down into the canyon."
"As we turned off the main road, something really weird caught my eye and I made some comment like 'Wow that was really weird...' and my cousin turns around wide eyed asking if I saw something too."
"My mind was kind of registering it still and realized I saw what looked like some eerily human like shape standing at the bend in the turn with ragged clothes, and a bloodstained shirt. My cousin confirmed he saw it too and my brother who was driving was getting creeped out and asked us to drop the subject because he didn't see anything."
"We drop it because yeah, no wreckage around and we probably just saw a weird road sign. So anyway we drive the last 20 minutes down into this valley and pull up to our remote spot and start unpacking the car."
"When the girlfriends get out of their car, they ask us if we saw the creepy expressionless figure that looked like it had a bloody ragged shirt on staring at our cars as we passed them to go down into the canyon..."-BroboticRobot
Any one of these happening even once is enough for a lifetime of trauma.
The Woman In White
"My extended family went on a big camping trip together as a last vacation for my grandpa before he passed away. My older brother and I (about 15 and 13) shared a tent. The camp was set up in a small clearing in the woods but nearby there was this really large open field with waist high grass."
"My brother and I had our tent closer to this field so we could see out into it, while still nestled in the trees. We were well away from any town, and there were no houses or whatnot nearby."
"In the middle of the night I had a VERY creepy dream and sat straight up. For a moment I just caught my breath and tried to calm down, but then noticed my older brother sitting up as well. He asked what happened and I told him I had a weird dream, he said he had one as well and described my EXACT dream."
"We both dreamed we were watching out the tent window while a woman walked out into the middle of the field and with a very piercing voice sang a song that started beautiful but became creepier and creepier as she slowly turned to first face our tent, and then begin approaching it."
"We both woke up when she got close enough to see her face, which was screwed up and looked pissed. He even described exactly what she was wearing and everything. We opened the tent window and checked out but nothing was out there."
"We still weren't able to sleep and the next morning we moved our tent to the opposite side of the camp. It's engraved on my mind and I'm sure I will never be able to forget it. I don't really believe in ghosts but I have no clue what happened to us out there."-AnEsteemedCactus
How To Save A Life
"Went camping with my family once. Around 2 am everyone was asleep but I woke up because someone was trying to open my tent which i had a lock on it inside. I waited to see what this person will try to do and they kept trying to unzip the tent but nothing so they went to the next tent and I took my flashlight and a knife I had."
"Peeked outside and saw this lady who looked like she was beaten and she looked like she was desperately trying to hide. I called my dad and he got out with everyone to see what the commotion was. This lady was terrified and told us her and her boyfriend were down the road when someone ambushed them and attacked them."
"She stabbed one and ran away while her boyfriend was probably dead. She saw our campsite and ran for it to try to hide because they might be looking for her. I gave her my tent and we called the cops and they took her in for questioning. We did find out later her story was real when they found her boyfriend a few days later. The guys who did it were still at large."-odagled86
Ghostly Radio Waves
"Was much younger adult, lived in a duplex w/vaulted ceiling. Mylar balloon was up in the peak of the ceiling from some occasion (too long ago to remember)."
"It was around 1 am, I was totally alone in the duplex, working on a hobby. No tv, radios or anything on, all quiet. For just a few seconds I heard a sound like a radio playing, coming from the general direction of the balloon."
"Too brief to really grasp what was actually playing. Neighbor was always quiet, and the sound was at the far side of the duplex, away from his unit. Weird as hell."-cclay6482
SOLO
"Solo camp in the woods well away any road or track. I woke up to find that someone had made a cup of tea at my fire. There was a cup with the dregs of white tea sitting by the fire. I drink it black. The most British scary-woods-stalker ever." ~ Magnus_40
"Didn’t happen to me, but not long ago (maybe 3 months ago) I was camping and awoke to a family near me whose child had been abducted in deadset middle of the night. Major search operation underwent, and after 3 weeks or so (I think) the child was found alive and well. Needless to say, will never camp at that spot again." ~ Useful-Distribution5
Asleep...
"Wish I knew. I used to sleepwalk when I was younger but only really found out the first year I went away for summer camp. I would shower at night and go to bed clean, but wake up with mud completely caked up to my knees and no clue." ~ Pocket76
In the Wild
"Large wild animals walking through the camp at night. Northern California meant mountain lion or bear. Either way, not something I wanna tangle with." ~ shigogaboo
"I lived in Northern California for 2 years and got slightly nervous when I saw a sign warning about mountain lions in the park I always went too. I'm from New Jersey where we don't have to worry about animals like that." ~ BloodAngel85
When I Sleep
"Cop told me I couldn't sleep where I was sleeping, hassled me a bit, told me I had to sleep in my car. Next morning I find out it was because multiple people had been murdered in the area while sleeping outside, alone. I think it was a serial killer at that."
"Edit: found the long winded write up I did before, so if you're bored here you go: https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/7qkg8k/comment/dsryr01/"
Edit 2: another creepy run in I had while alone I posted about years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsNotMeet/comments/64m4zw/car_broke_down_on_the_side_of_the_road/"
"Amazing I'm alive lol. Enjoy!" ~ Infamous_Lunchbox
A Quarry
"Back in 2002, I camped out in a mountain quarry during a science club caving trip. I woke up as dawn was approaching to some very loud screams/moans which came from the far back of the quarry. Everyone was accounted for yet no one woke up to this but me. I was terrified so I just laid there until I dozed back off to sleep. Once everyone was up I asked if anyone heard what I heard and no one else did. Perhaps it was some strange animal but I really have no idea." ~ kimmytwoshoes
Blair witch project
"Days after seeing 'Blair witch project,' I went backpacking in Michigan on north manitou. 3rd night in, I was falling asleep when a couple chipmunks came outta of nowhere being all crazy and one ended up going under my tent. Just imagine being half asleep, in the woods, and that happens." ~ Gluten_maximus
Let me Sleep...
"I used to be an insomniac. I used to see things that weren't there. Before I knew it was due to sleep deprivation, I saw lots of scary things and I wasn't sure if I was going crazy or haunted. I saw a woman walk into my kids room and vanish. Things would start changing shape like reality was rippling. It was frightening at the time." ~ Meimnot555
The Baby
"I found a baby. Or it found me rather. I was car camping at a campground outside of LA. Middle of the night I'm chilling solo by the fire several beers deep when a baby waddles out of a bush and heads right for the fire. I jump up and grab him. I didn't hear anyone looking for their kid so I just start yelling out towards the other camp sites if anyone lost a child. Some idiot way down the road goes oh yeah that's mine. doesn't even walk over to me! I carried his kid down to their camp stunned." ~ jbnarch25
Dumfries & Galloway
"I was a teenager camping with some friends in the countryside in Dumfries & Galloway. We pitched our tents in a flat area on moorland. We were just kind of sitting around, the sun was still up and visibility was good. I saw something moving in my peripheral vision and turned to look, thinking it might be a hare or something."
"It was a small man, wearing old fashioned clothes, stood only around 3 feet or so in height and looked pretty angry. Almost as soon as I looked at him, he vanished. It turns out all of us (four people) had seen the little man and seen him disappear." ~ CoelHen2021
Will these stories have you sitting bolt upright in your tent, shivering from the potential spookies and scaries waiting just out of eyeline in the night?
Or is there no being on this plane or the next who could ever temper your love for camping?
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Life is lived by spending money. That is the way we have created our lives, and now that is the way we must live them.
You have to spend money on everything.
For housing, for food, for transportation.
It is literally impossible to live without it.
Sometimes it can feel like we're drowning in bills only to have an unforeseen expense crop up and do far more damage.
Redditor PhantomBaka asked:
"Whats criminally overpriced to you?"
Here were some of those answers.
Twenty Eight Dollar Salad
"F**king salads. Man it's so frustrating, sometimes I just want something light and it costs me more than 6 hamburgers."-toddmflong
"I just ate at a restaurant this evening that offered a Caesar salad for $15. The chicken was $6 extra."-A_Very_Living_Me
Seems Important
"Epi-Pens. This, a thousand times this. I have 4 kids, each needed pens for school, and they couldn't share of course, and pens only came in sets of two."
"So a single $35 pen turned into $3200 because pens were $400 each, and each had to be bought in pairs, and I had to have a specific prescription for each kid. F**king stupid."
"Got the doctor to prescribe a vial of epi and a filter needle (glass vials need filter needles) and the single script cost about $16. Gave to the school nurse. Done. Oh, and the vial didn't 'expire' in 1 year."-ericzhill
Noms Will Break You
"Concessions at sporting events in the US. Our taxes pay for the stadiums. Then the public has to buy tickets to get in. Then when we finally get inside, they are gonna charge $14 for a $3 beer."-ArminTanz
"I remember a coworker told me a story of a baseball game he went to. After buying tickets and beer/food, they sat down and it started to rain."
"It was raining too bad to keep going so they called the game. He said that was $50 down the drain."-superzenki
Are you seeing things here that you immediately roll your eyes at?
Can't Get Out Easy
"Death. Even with no funeral/service/etc - there will be a cost for cremation, burial, etc that your next of kin will need to deal with/pay for. Your will needs to state what you want done, and plans made to fund it."
"My dad passed away earlier this year, and even with no funeral, service, etc (per his request) I still had to pay over $3000 just days after he passed to have his body dealt with, and another $600 for someone to dig a hole at the pre-purchased cemetery plot."
"(His requests were similar to my mom’s when she passed away about 7 years ago, so I wasn’t surprised by the cost - but it’s definitely difficult to put so much money into basic post-death/funeral care.)"-whiteink-13
D'uhhmerican Insurance
"For a family of four it can cost you $1,400 a month to HAVE THE PRIVILEGE of paying the first $12,000 of all your medical bills YOURSELF before insurance kicks in and covers 70-80%. Like, WTF…"
"Doing the math: you pay $28,800 per year BEFORE insurance kicks in…"-CURCANCHA
The Biggest Scam
"Texas Instruments Calculators. Honestly. You have all the necessary software available for you as free or at worst cheap apps on any smartphone."
"I understand you cannot obviously use your phone on exams, but at intro levels, you want to know the graphs of the simpler functions, at least in the appropriate bounds."
"In more advanced levels, the kind of assessment that requires you to use a graphing calculator could easily be done differently, resorting to a computer or a phone."
"The technology might be amazing, but I haven't used my graphing calculator since high school, and I do lots of maths on the daily."-FroggyWatcher
I Just Wanna Play WoW
"Graphics cards is the reason why I bought my first prebuilt. I have always built my own computers, because traditionally it was cheaper for better parts, and it was usually easier to swap out parts if something failed."
"This past year I tried to upgrade my computer as it was finally starting to struggle with new games. After a few weeks experiencing the graphic card sh*tshow, I finally just went ahead and bought a whole pre-built via Costco that had a 3080."
"It was more money than I wanted to pay and the computer is way beefier than what I needed, but after seeing scalper prices and realizing I’ll probably be spending who knows how many months playing the graphic card lottery, I actually feel like I came out ahead."-kamikaze_puppy
The worst part of spending all this money is there's no way to STOP spending it.
Kontakte
"College textbooks - They can cost hundreds of dollars, and professors will publish new ones all the time to force students to get the newest version instead of reusing an older one."-terminat323
"I’m just finished an online program and bought all of the books since I was responsible for teaching myself the material. I went onto my college’s bookstore site and tried to have them buy the books back that I didn’t want."
"They offered 15$ for a textbook over 150$. 15 f**king dollars."-emmma9321
Trauma Often Equals No Money For Therapy
"I tried to get a trauma therapist recently and the one I was recommended charges $200 an hour and doesn’t accept insurance. That in itself is traumatic."
"While we’re here, two things I can recommend from someone who has been in the system for 16+ years and just recently received a correct diagnosis of narcolepsy."
"-Advocate for and get a medical work up if you can before attending therapy. Even if your PCP or psychiatrist just tries to send you to therapy without any testing, keep fighting for it, especially if you have chronic symptoms like depression."
"Many symptoms related to underlying medical conditions can mimic psychiatric conditions. It’s really dangerous to sit in therapy for years without adequate medical testing to make sure you don’t need medical treatment first."
"Also, don’t take meds from a psychiatrist who doesn’t order labs first or gives you a hard time about ordering labs or a sleep study."
"The best psychiatrists should ask for these right away and help you advocate getting them. Out of the long list of doctors I have worked with, only one ordered a sleep study and labs. And she saved my life.
"-For those who have had terrible experiences within therapy, check out the Very Bad Therapy podcast. It’s a podcast that gives a platform to those who have been harmed by therapists and different therapeutic models. It helped me to not feel so alone."-ThisNerdyGirl
The "No Calorie" Diet
"It costs money to be poor. God I hated being poor so much. My old boss asked me if I was working out since I had lost like 15 pounds but the reality of it was I couldn’t afford food."
"We had snacks in the office that accounted for probably 75% of my daily caloric intake. I was going further and further into debt just to keep the bills paid, and for many months could only make the minimum payment on my credit card so the interest was also killing me."
"So glad I’m in a better, debt free position now and have the ability to help out those less fortunate than myself."-FILTER_OUT_T_D
These things are things we have to live with in order to survive, but the truth is, there might be a better way.
As we all navigate these things, and how to stay on top of an ever-more-expensive world, the best thing we can do is rely on each other for tips and tricks on how to make this mess of a life just that much more easy.
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Working in the medical profession simply builds a whole lot of heartache. Doctors watch, day after day, as some of their patients fall ill, only to never recover.
It's a part of the job to break gentle news both to the patients and to their families that their loved one is most likely not going to make it. Having to tell someone they're dying, and force them to deal with their own mortality, brings up a special kind of hell.
Some people have had to develop coping mechanisms to get through it.
Redditor roblixepic asked:
"Doctors of Reddit, how do you tell a patient that they're dying?"
Here were some of those answers.
Compassion Goes The Distance
"My dad’s surgeon discovered what he called 'cement' in his abdomen from cancer that had spread so aggressively that it damaged his colon and required emergency surgery. I asked the doctor while waiting for my dad to wake up if it was terminal."
"The incredible man told me he was not God and could not declare certainties. He said other patients with similar onset had anywhere from a few months to five years. He told me could not tell the future but suggested we discuss care options with my dad."
"I asked his opinion if we should tell my dad right away or give him time to recover from surgery. I’ll never forget his response: 'In my experience, patients know when their bodies are giving up. He will know before you or I do.'”
"My dad had almost 3 years after that conversation. When his body was finally giving out, he asked my mom to take him to the hospital, and for the only time ever in his adult life, he left the house without shoes. My mom said he must have realized he wouldn’t be walking back into the house."
"That was almost 9 years ago. Cancer sucks. But some of my dad’s doctors were incredible and compassionate, and the ICU nurses were amazing."-OlderAndTired
Simple And Direct
"If you’re an amazing doctor like my dads doctor was, you say, 'I gave it my last shot, buddy. I gotta turn you over to hospice now but know I don’t want to.'”
"And he had a tear in his eye. He’d been my dads doctor for a long time (and a few other relatives, actually. This guy had been our end of life a few times-no fault of his own though!). I’ll always remember his compassion in that moment. It was simple, direct and caring."-MonsoonMermaid
Clarity
"ER Doctor: Sit down with the patient and family. Introduce myself. Explain clearly in layman's terms what has been found on the scan/lab/test etc. and the accompanying poor prognosis."
"I then pause because reactions vary considerably here. Some people cry, some people are frozen with shock, many in between."
"After patient/family has had their reaction I ask what (if any) questions they have for me and reassure them I will be in the ER until whatever hour (end of my shift) to help them or provide clarity."-Fancyphones123
Eloquently Frank
"I heard a neurologist tell a brain cancer patient once: 'Some illness have cures, and others treatment. We have reached the end of all possible treatments with respect to your wishes. What life you have left depends on will and time.'”-CriticalCareTaker
Here's The Plan
"In the US, we have an agreed upon guide at my institutions surrounding end of life care. Here's what we do, if the patient is lucid:"
- Initiating the conversation.
- Clarifying prognosis
- Identifying end of life goals
- Developing a treatment plan
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1495357/
"Actual conversations and details are tailored to the situation, patient, and culture."–thewaybaseballgo
These unimaginable situations are a daily occurrence for some people.
It's Important To Find The Pain Source
"I'd had scans and tests done for unknown stomach pain. The doctor came in and told me the results were back and the news was not good. Explained that I had a cancerous tumor on my bowel that had ruptured and spread to other organs."
"That it had spread too much and couldn't be cut out and chemo wouldn't make it fully go away. He told me unfortunately it was terminal and he reassured me that they would do all they could to give me more time and make me comfortable. At this point I began bawling my eyes out and crying 'my children, my poor children.'"
"He was compassionate towards me and gave me time to process it. Then came back later to explain things in greater detail once the shock had worn down a bit. There's no easy way to hear your dying in your 30s but he did an ok job."-SquelchingNoises
Undivided Attention
"There are actually pretty structured and formulaic ways to do it, but each person ultimately has their own style. Step one: hand your pager and cell phone off to someone else or silence it."
"Two: walk in, very clear introduction of your name, role, etc. if meeting them. Sit down, and don’t let anyone between you and the door. Ask the name and relation of anyone in the room. Ask if they prefer having someone else in the room (or FaceTime now because of Covid)"
"Three: ask what they know or have heard (I had patients outright say 'I know I am dying.' Or 'Everything is fine right?'). Ask what their understanding of that diagnosis is."
"Three: Warning shot and brief pause. 'Unfortunately, I have bad news.' Or 'I know we were hoping for X, but I’m sorry to have to tell you it isn’t what we were hoping for.' Pause. Let the patient panic, then they start listening again.
"Four: Be very clear, very direct when possible, and absolutely honest. Pause. At this point, I usually want to word vomit or backtrack but you cannot do that. The pause is awkward but they are thinking a million things. They will want to cling to, 'but this is curable right?!!'”
"At this point I ask if they want me to explain, give them a moment, call someone, etc. After I’ve explained, I ask them what their understanding was of what I just told them. Go from there."
"Finish by having clear plan for what happens next (oncology appointment, chaplain, etc.) and how to contact with questions. That’s my mental checklist. It’s a process."-ConEffe10
It's Not Easier For Vets
"Different perspective here, as I treat animals vs people, and thus I'm not explaining it to the patient itself."
"I usually tell people that we've reached the limit of what is possible and fair as far as curative treatment goes, and outline what they can expect as far as progression of disease and palliative care options."
"And, as I'm treating in a realm where this is a legal option, I also discuss what euthanasia entails and discuss at what point it will be warranted."-Moctor_Drignall
The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most
"We knew my mum was dying and that she didn’t have long. It was one of her nurses on the ward, clocking off her shift just before 2 days off. She knew she wouldn’t see her again."
"She hugged me, and hugged my mum, and told her that it had been a pleasure to care for her. We stepped outside and cried together and it was in that moment I knew. She passed the next morning, about 12 hours later."-juneradar
Being Straightforward
"Hospice and Palliative care doc here Do it every day I work. I do it with straightforwardness and honestly and compassion. I tell them most of my patients say they aren't afraid to die but are afraid of suffering along the way. Most agree this is how they feel. And I get to assure them me and my teams entire career is committed to making sure that they do not suffer emotionally, spiritually or physically."-Idontsuckcompletely
These Conspiracy Theories Are Easy to Debunk | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
There are some bizarre conspiracy theories out there. Like Australia isn't actually real... seriously? Any conspiracy theory that requires many people to kee...And it never gets easier, despite its frequency.
It Becomes The Process
"Not a doctor but a nurse. My last job I was the one you didn't want to come talk to you and I got oddly good at it."
"You tell them straight and make sure they understand exactly what you are saying because denial can be a hell of a thing. You don't joke. You be human and be upset too as that gives them permission to break down too."
"You listen and stay as long as they need but not so long that you annoy them. Answer any questions as best you can but don't give false hope. More than anything, be straightforward and be honest. That goes a long way."-rhett342
What An Awful Moment In Time
"They wouldn't tell my Dad. He took me and his sister in to see a CT scan and it looked like he swallowed golf balls the cancer (pancreatic) was everywhere."
"Dad asked about surgery and chemo and the Doctor just said it wasn't really an option. I spent the last two weeks watching Dad get worse and worse. He couldn't sleep, couldn't eat and couldn't get comfortable."
"We managed to get him into hospice the last few days where his girlfriend wouldn't stay in the room with him so I would only leave to grab food from the vending machine."
"I had to tell her he passed. She thought he was getting better. Wouldn't wish pancreatic cancer on anyone."-Auferstehen78
How To Take Care
"It's never easy. You have to be sincere, make sure you don't give false hope but you have the have the people skill. Trying and say something like 'we have exhausted all resources' or 'we have tried all angles,' because it should be true and coming from the heart."
"Be polite and sensitive, not all the way, but to them and the family. Say you're sorry and that you'll try the best to make their time worth. Allow visits as much as you can, send them home, if allowed."
"Make sure you talk to their families and let them know they fought to the end, even if it's not true. Treat the family as you would like to be treated, as the family. It sucks but it's the least to do."-eat_the_canvas
No Lying
"‘I’m not going to lie to you, I don’t lie to my patients. And although this is the first time we are meeting, you are my patient today. You are dying. We will do everything we can to assist you and keep you comfortable. Do you have any questions for me?’ My friend shook his head no. ‘Ok, then, the nurse will be in shortly to….’"
"Doctor left the room and I followed him out as I had questions. My friend was in the last stages of lung cancer that had spread. He passed within three hours. I had so much respect for that doctor. He gave it to us straight, but his voice was full of compassion." – friendofjay
An Observer Weighs In
"Not a DR but saw this on 24 hours in A&E and the person seemed to take it really well…"
“I’m afraid that you are really ill, in fact you are the illest person in Wales right now. We have tried XYZ but unfortunately they haven’t worked, we are going to keep trying whatever we can but there’s a high chance that you may die, so we are going to try and help you with being as comfortable as possible. We have your family here who are going to be by your side, I think it would be a good idea to say your goodbyes. I’m really sorry there isn’t more I can do”
"It was beautiful and the DR was calm, cool but also very moved and clearly very sad."-Hour-Cow-4348
Putting It Bluntly
"i took my mom to the ER in september cause she couldn’t move the right side of her body. they immediately took her into a CT scan and a white coat doctor walked in 30 minutes later, leaned on the counter in front of my moms bed and said 'we found 3 tumors and we think you have cancer”' i don’t remember much after that cause i was in shock and crying, but he basically outlined everything that would be happening from then on and then left the room. she did have cancer and she died a month later"–straightupgong
Being in a profession dealing with people's lives is an upsetting occurrence, and you have difficult things and situations to navigate almost on the daily.
Developing a system might spare you some of the more acute pain of doing the unthinkable.
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Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.