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It seems like sex is the ultimate gift when we discuss the ideas of the pleasure principle. But sex is not the end all be all. I know, you're shocked. Don't get me wrong, I like sex, but... I have had better experiences while shopping. Or winning an award.
Sometimes it's all the simple things in life that bring about the most joy.
Redditor u/oooliveoil wanted to hear about how everyone has indulged in G rated joy, by asking:
What was the greatest pleasure you ever felt?
Two names... Madonna and Adele. Have you ever been to either of their concerts? It's life-changing, I promise. The tears, the laughter, the euphoria... the pleasure, it was all there.
Toasted
"I had a dream that I was a toaster. I "woke" with a feeling of anticipation. Then I made toast with pure concentration. Afterwards I was entirely fulfilled, having accomplished the ultimate purpose of my existence."
Through the Nose
"This one is kind of gross FYI - I got surgery to fix a broken nose so I could breath better, this involved having my nose packed with packing (essentially tampons) for a few weeks. It wasn't the removal of the packing that was amazing, it was the first time I blew my nose shortly after."
"It felt like a 1/2 cup of mucus was pulled directly from my brain and there was a golf ball sized result in the tissue - the best feeling I ever experienced was directly after that where breathing through my nose was so incredibly easy I felt like a superhuman who conditioned in the Andes for months of something, I laughed with excitement."
Anamolies...
"I have an extremely rare (maybe 100 in the US) genetic anomaly that makes susceptible to growing GI tract and other cancers. I just had my 45th surgery (my younger sister has had 70). It's not the anesthesia I enjoy, but the pre anesthesia drugs they give you in the waiting bed, while under warmed up blankets. Hours of near bliss and conscious to enjoy it. Gotta look at the sunny side, right?"
I'm Wet
"The greatest nonsexual pleasure I've ever felt was 32 years ago. I was swimming with friends in the Pacific Ocean at Balboa Park in California. I got wiped out by a huge wave. My friends helped me out of the water, and I went and laid on the grass underneath palm trees looking up at the clear blue sky. A feeling of peace just washed over my body. I've never felt that kind of thing again."
Unclogged
"Had sinus surgery and removing the internal splints after about a week being clogged up was probably the best thing in the world."
- IrlCakal
Reliving physical pain is an ultimate pleasure. There is nothing like the relieving of a throbbing limb. And clearing up a sinus can be life changing. Tell me more...
Warming...
"Putting my feet on or near my radiator after coming home from a cold day."
"I AM THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE!!"
"I had a small project go wrong. As I went to fix one part, a sub-part messed up. So I had to step back to work on that. Then a sub-sub-part messed up. I took another step back. What I expected to take 20 minutes took 4ish hours. But 3.5 hours in, I thought there was no way it would work out at all. When I got it all fixed, I did the Billy Madison I AM THE SMARTEST MAN ALIVE!!! I've been riding that high for a few weeks now."
People Explain Which Conspiracy Theories They Believe Are 100% True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Hey Lobster...
"A pretty rich school mate treated us to a fancy restaurant for their birthday and they served us lobster ravioli for a starter. I can't explain the freaking explosion of joy and palette pleasure as I ate something like that for the first time. I don't know if it was the lobster itself, or the sauce. No meal has ever come close to how good that was. I can still remember it vividly 12 years later. Silly, but that's it."
125 Pages...
"After consulting 3 high powered attorneys about my fiancé's citizenship case, and being told they wouldn't take it bc it was impossible to win, I, a layperson spent a week, night and day, studying the law and putting together 125 pages document, received in the mail that he won the case and got his citizenship in the US."
- psychick
Day Off
"When school's cancelled for the day and you're half-asleep and overhear your mother tell your sister not to wake you up because school's out. Used to leave a smile on my face before snuggling back into my covers."
Best Ever
"Probably when I began to go to the gym. The first day was very rough because I have never went to a gym before, so I was really tired. When I got home I just took a hot shower, I let myself fell into my bed and man... I fell asleep like in 5 seconds, bro I reeeeeally slept well that night. The best sleep I've ever had."
Let it Go
"When a multi-day, vomit-inducing migraine finally lets go. I swear the brain gets flooded with good chemicals after that and you feel better than normal."
- sindk
"This should be the top comment. I lay on the bathroom floor convinced I was going to just... die. The pain just takes you to another place. Waking up the next morning feeling "normal" again was the best."
"flying"
"Wake induced lucid dreaming and flying in said dream. Never felt anything more pleasurable before."
"I used to be a competitive swimmer and was a lifeguard for the better part of 6 years. I used to have dreams of "flying" at the bottom of the crystal clear ocean. I still remember the sensation, the controlled breathing, my arms outstretched just gliding along."
Manga...
"Watching people enjoy food I cooked. It never gets old."
"Oh yeah, as someone who has cooked in fine dining and it turns into an industrial feeling with out any flair or individuality is being put in the dish, when I get the opportunity to cook one of my own dishes were I have experimented and perfected it, this is such a satisfying event. I love doing this for someone, expanding there flavor palate, it's a chef's dream. Our food is our art and self expression."
"And it saved me a lot of money, and created way better experiences when I've cooked for the SO on say their bday or Valentine's day. It always seems to mean a lot to them, a lot more than some over priced dinner where I have 0 control over the outcome of the dish. At least I know when I prepare it they will love it. Because I love them and I show this through food."
I Got It!
"Getting a job offer (of your dream job) days after rounds of interview and assessments."
- ermermss
"Try months with several failed assessments, interviews, and majority of your emails being rejection emails. After almost 9 months after graduation and going ham on apps, got 3 all in one day. Biggest relief I've ever had."
"Getting a job after months of unemployment was what pulled me of rock bottom. Helped great with getting over my depression. I'll never forget those days and be grateful for it."
Merry Christmas
"It was Christmas Eve day and I was eating a pomegranate when one of the seeds became firmly lodged between molars. I tried floss and dental picks and toothpicks and the harder I worked to get it out the more firmly lodged it became. I knew I was facing being stuck with that seed between my teeth until after New years if I couldn't find someone to help."
"I called every single dentist in the phone book and finally a receptionist actually answered the phone and said they would be there until 4:00 and yes they could fit me in, and getting that pomegranate out between my molars was the best Christmas present ever."
"Spiritual State"
"This is weird, but the day I decided 100% to quit my toxic, full time job and retake my life even knowing I had no fall back. Driving two hours from my girl's house with the windows down, on a summer night with a warm breeze tussling my hair like getting a headpat by an angel, "Spiritual State" by Nujabes playing."
"This overwhelming feeling of sincerity and resolve took me over. Everything was on point. It wasn't a blast of pleasure you get when you do something cool like jumping off a 15 ft waterfall, but more of a glaze over of goodness and self care. Like my world opening up again."
The Run
"Sitting down for the first time after completing my first Marathon... I swear that feeling was better than any orgasm. It almost made me cry."
- liaotown
Pushed Magic
"I once had a massage where I could feel what I can only describe as strings of stress being pushed out of my back. I could actually feel these things being ungrouped and pushed out of my shoulder blades. I still try and get massages when I can but have never felt that since. It was a magical moment."
That is a good list of fabulousness. Except the gym, I hate the gym. That is not a happy place, for me. Endorphins be damned.
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We may not like it, but getting older is pretty inevitable.
With age may come wisdom, but it also comes with lots of responsibilities.
And some days, we're just over it.
Redditor brick_layer asked:
"What tasks are you tired of doing as an adult?"
Decisions, Decisions
"Deciding what to make for dinner."
- PortiaEss
"I would eat people kibble if it tasted good. Bachelor Chow (just add beer) needs to be a real thing."
- chaos8803
Hi, Ho, Hi, Ho
"Going to work and acting like a functional person."
- ovelanimimerkki
"Yep, I hate trying to work when I'm not emotionally stable or just exhausted. And you literally can't tell anyone or they tell you to go get a coffee which just makes the week go downhill over time."
- gg_ff_42069
Manners
"Being polite to other adults who don't deserve it."
- 25_-a
"Also known as the 'I am too old for this sh*t' phase of life."
- Zintao
Cleaning
"Cleaning the fridge. 🤢 when I find something way in the back that’s been forgotten."
- joydobson
"I finally cleaned out ours today because it was trash day, and the husband isn’t home to argue with me about how that sauce from 2015 is 'still good!!' 🤨 Now I have an empty fridge with just the bare essentials. Worth it."
- Grizelda_Gunderson
Circle of Life
"Working. Paying bills. Getting up early. Doing stuff."
- guyfromcroswell
"Agreed. Such a mundane cycle indeed."
- Emotional_Ratio_3251
Is Naked So Bad?
"Laundry grrrrr."
- FewPizza7880
"I tend to put the laundry in, hear it beep, forget about it for 6 hours then remember it needs to dry."
- marvel_is_wow
Traffic
"Anticipating the morons on the roads that change lanes without signaling."
"Or merging into 70mph traffic while doing 45..."
- haveyouseenthebridge
"Or being stuck behind those people as we're merging, I get pissed. Like speed up to the flow of traffic, being behind them merging puts me in danger too."
- Nigel_IncubatorJones
Maintenance
"Buying a house is an endless list of shit that needs fixing or improving."
- muffbiscuits
"This is one of the many reasons I bought a condo. The majority of the maintenance is somebody else’s problem. I haven’t cut grass, raked leaves or shoveled snow in almost a decade."
‐ yogaballcactus
Teeth
"Brushing my teeth. It's annoying."
- scottevil110"
"I feel this deep. It’s flossing for me."
- brick_layer
"Wait until you're in your 60s and all of a sudden the perfect teeth that never even had a cavity now all of a sudden have tiny cracks and need porcelain crowns and you have constant pain and Delta Dental only covers cleanings and x-rays and a single crown is like $1500 and they're telling you that you need four and you think, well, we don't really need two cars, I could sell my old Subaru."
- Nobody_Wins_13
Alarming
"Waking up to an alarm clock."
"I've been waking up to an alarm clock almost every day since 1985, and I'm fucking tired of it."
"I want to wake up when I'm done sleeping."
"I don't want to wake up and find that I've slept through/turned off my alarm(s) yet again, and have to choose between packing a lunch and taking a shower."
- thisbuttonsucks
What part of adulthood are you tired of?
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I would love to know how people don't fear death.
I mean, it's the end. Life will be over. That kind of sucks.
Yet there are people who find tranquility in it.
Can you teach the rest of us?
Redditor deensuk wanted to hear from everyone who has a calmness about the heading to the afterlife. They asked:
"People who are not scared of death, why?"
I have a constant fear of death. I wanna perfect the ending of "Death Becomes Her" so I can live forever.
Before
"I'm not scared of death because of working in health care I was around it so much. I AM scared of what leads to death, however."
Full-Mulberry5020
Why now?
"Why should I be scared now of something that's only going to happen at the end of my life?"
User Deleted
"I did this cult thing called the landmark forum and I actually did like their “meaning of life”: the meaning of life is that there is no meaning. Life is empty and meaningless. There is no answer."
"Life is what you make of it and every persons answer is equally valid because there is no meaning to life. Life exists as, basically, an accident, we are all here by complete accident, there’s no great mystery, it’s all biology and you are 100% free to make life about whatever it is you want."
Conservative_HalfWit
Death and I are good friends...
"I was very sick as a child. Spent ages 7-20 in and out of hospital due to kidney issues. Lost a kidney at 28. Almost died during the surgery to removed the dead kidney due to blood loss. Had 5 surgeries back to back during the next 2 years. Twice they had difficulties bringing me out of anesthesia."
"Found my favorite aunt dead in her bed when I was 22. Watched my best friend die from a brain tumor at 30. Death has been a constant force in my life. Sometimes just on the edges waiting, sometimes unexpected staring me in the face. I'm not afraid because it's always been there. I now work in healthcare. Death and I are good friends."
Tiny_Teach_5466
No Worries
"Because it's coming for us all, sooner or later. So there's no point in worrying about it. I am much more concerned about day to day minutiae. The Lars von Trier film Melancholia starring Kirstin Dunst portrayed this perfectly. If there was an asteroid hurtling towards the earth, I'd probably be more preoccupied with worrying about whether I left the back light on or not."
Giallo_submarine
It's Over
"Because no one has ever made it out alive, and I was dead for an eternity before I was alive, and didn't suffer the slightest inconvenience because of it."
MarshallApplewhiteDo
I never thought about the before much. I hope the before is quick.
The Effects
"I hope that when my times comes it will be merciful. My uncle had a stroke, he is paralyzed. My grandmother is 91, but is losing all her memories of her life. Death does not scare me, what could be left of me before I die is what terrifies me."
M1ssy_M3
No Terror
"It’s like when the writer Nabokov said that he saw a picture one time, a picture of before he was born. It was a picture of his mother, his brother and sister that were older than him, but he had not been born yet. He said that when he saw that picture there was no terror in him, even though he was looking at a picture where he didn’t exist."
im_on-the_can
state of nonexistence...
"I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of dying. Death is just the state of nonexistence I experienced before I was born. I don't remember it because I didn't exist yet. Death will be the same way. I just don't want the transition to be marked by pain and sorrow at things left unfinished. I want it to be quick, painless, and with me surrounded by love."
Wazula42
I'm Gone...
"Because once I die, I won't know it. I won't miss people or regret things or feel pain or sadness about anything. I might fear being sick and slowly dying, just having to live with the knowledge that it's all going to end and this is the last time I'll ever see the people I love or taste good food or hear good music. That sounds almost unbearable. But death isn't even a thing, it's just having done something (died)."
"It's like virginity, it's a made-up state of being that just says whether or not you've experienced a specific occurrence. Once I die, I'm gone. My corpse will be the empty wrapper I used to be in, just garbage to be disposed of in whatever way makes my survivors feel better. I'll be switched off. If I don't worry about what the light feels after the bulb burns out, why would I be afraid of being dead?"
SallyHeap
At Peace
"I’m scared now because I have young kids. Once my kids are old enough to be on their own I imagine the fear will subside and I’ll have a more relaxed approach."
User Deleted
Some very interesting perspectives. May it all calm peacefully and with great mercy for us all.
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Dating and the search for love and companionship... What a nightmare.
This journey plays out nothing like in the movies.
Every Prince or Princess (or everything in BTW) seems to have a touch of the psycho.
The things people say during what should be simple dinner conversation can leave a dining partner aghast.
Like... do you hear you?
Redditor detroit_michigldan wanted to discuss all the best ways to crash and burn when trying to make a romantic connection. They asked:
"You're on a date and it's going really great. What can another person say to ruin it completely?"
I once had a guy ask me if I was willing to follow him into the woods, depending on the price of the meal.
Yeah. No steak is worth that.
Plans After...
"Thanks for the ride but I have a date with someone else, I figured you wouldn't drive me if you knew I was going on a date with someone else and I really needed a ride."
"Online dating, talked to her for a while, finally got the courage to ask her out and then she said that as we got there."
iareyours
Mirror Image
“'You look just like my wife!'”
catalinachild
"I did have a guy tell me I reminded him of his son. I don’t believe English has a word to adequately describe my feelings at that time."
UnicornMagicRainbow
"That would definitely do it."
chaotica78
Third Wheel
"'Hope you don't mind if my mother joins us.'"
ofsquire
"Actually had a girl do this on a first date because she had anxiety issues. Honestly wasn’t bad except that 90% of the time she was silent and her mom talked over her."
"I didn’t mind that much and wouldn’t have minded trying again when she was more comfortable except that she was let go at the company we worked at and she deleted her social media profiles and she never responded on her number. Ah well."
Seightx
Liar
"'Hey bro aren't you gay? I made out with you last night.'"
"Random dude I've never seen before in front of my (f) date."
JHXC16
Was he lying though?
Filter Issues
"'You looked better on Tinder.'"
waqasnaseem07
"Isn’t it basic knowledge that everybody looks slightly worse than the worst picture you can find?"
no_user_ID_found
The Past
"'My ex used to do that too.'"
xxIvyOF
"Yep. I’ve definitely had two otherwise-decent-guy date-situations sour because the ex-comparisons just would not stop flowing. No woman wants to be seen as interchangeable—I’m not here to perfectly fill that ex-sized hole in your life. Focusing on the present moment and a future we could build together is a courtesy we need to grant each other in earliest dates of dating."
LarkScarlett
Powerless
"'I'm an alpha, you cant handle my top energy.'"
Midnightgay28
"I actually left a dude in the middle of dinner, in part, for saying this. I ordered an Uber under the table while pretending to listen to him. Went to the bathroom, and never came back. That was when I was young. Now I’d just say, 'How about we enjoy this meal in silence, before we head our separate ways.'”
UnicornMagicRainbow
Mommy...
"'Mother says I should be back by 9.'"
"Saying 'mother says' just feels weird."
bunnyrut
"That gives me Norman Bates vibes."
Werewolf_lover20
"'Mother says alligators are aggressive because they have an overabundance of teeth, but lack a toothbrush.'"
sodaextraiceplease
Obvs...
"'If you were going to be murdered, what method would you prefer. Purely hypothetical. Obvs.'"
Specific_Tap7296
If it looks anything like a Dateline NBC episode... RUN!
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Despite the advancement of technology rendering people left to their own devices–literally–to entertain them, there are some leisurely activities that will never go out of style.
Or so you would think.
Do people still knit to pass the time? Are people actively collecting stamps?
It depends on who's asking.
Curious to hear about hobby trends, Redditor gizehgizeh asked:
"What are once popular hobbies that are slowly dying these days?"

Before we've become conditioned to living on our phones, these activities used to keep people occupied.
Before Texting, There Was This
"Letter writing."
– littlekingMT
Literal And Tangible Joy
"Well the internet killed pen pals for sure. I do remember I had a Japanese girl for a penpal maybe back in 2007 or so. I honestly don't remember how it started, pretty sure some website, but that was a fun experience. But now I can just straight up talk to foreign people real time, lol. But yea getting a physical letter that someone took the time to write and mail still is hard to beat feelings wise."
– skyburnsred
Model Trains
"When I was growing up, every town had a model train store in it. Now I have one in region and everything else has to be bought online."
– Hairy_Effective1172
Pretty Rocks
"Don’t see anyone playing marbles anymore, I had an awesome collection in school."
– sheeple85
"I had some marbles as a kid in the 90s. My grandma got them for me and I had no idea what I was supposed to do with them. I always imagined them as a thing kids in the 40s played with."
– Ryoukugan
People Were Moving Canvases
"Paintball has been dying a slow death since 2006. Sad, really."
– hobo_recycler
Before the general population began hating clutter, collecting was once a "thing."
Precious Coins
"Coin collecting... I'm a silver/gold nut and I'm always hunting for precious metal coins. whenever I go into a shop they get all excited because 'no one under 70 collects coins anymore.'"
– ThatFishySmell99
Post It
"Stamp collecting."
– spooky_scully_mulder
"Collecting in general, really. Of course there are still prominent collectors but it's slipped more into enthusiast and niche territory than being a popular hobby that you might expect anyone to have."
– iuytrefdgh436yujhe2
What A Gem
"Rockhounding was immensely popular back in the 1950's and 1960's. Personally, I think it's a fascinating and fulfilling hobby, but when I go to a meeting at a rock and gem club, I'm usually the youngest one in the room by several decades."
– filthy_lucre
People once enjoyed making things.
Admiring The View
"Stained glass. I learned how to make it from my old man, and my junior high art class teacher also taught it. Very few artisans are still around."
– brobeanzhitler
Metal Vocation
"Black smithing."
– kenworth117
"I bought a forge to try. It’s insanely hard work, and crazy expensive. I still haven’t finished a piece."
– DSentvalue
Scrapbooking
"Yeah. I'm watching the arts and crafts stores around me completely uninstalling their racks for specialty paper. Now the only thing they have is mega packs of repeating colors/images. To boot all the inclusions like papercraft/die-cut things, washi tape, scissors, stickers, etc have gotten so expensive I would rather go buy $5 bags at value village to get an assortment of things versus buying anything new. I really, really miss yard sales for the same reasons."
– Phantasmai
I envy people who have jobs that are basically their hobbies.
Not everyone gets paid doing what they actually enjoy and have a profound level of passion for.
If they do, kudos to them.
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