This year has handed the entire world situations many of us never thought we would have to deal with. Humans are adaptable, though, so we just keep right on ticking, doing what it takes to get by and trying out best to help others get by too.
For a lot of people, that meant doing things they never thought they'd do - . But that makes sense - we're not the same people we were last before 2020 2020'ed at us, for better or worse.
Check out what these people got up to this year.
Best Decision I've Ever Made
leaving audrey tautou GIFGiphyGhosted my job with no new job lined up.
My supervisor sexually harassed me over 3 years. I finally reported it towards the end of last year and felt completely alienated from my co-workers. He got fired after the investigation, but even afterwards there were constant rumors and an extremely toxic work environment.
At the end of January I just walked out at the end of the day and never went back. It was the best decision I've ever made.
That Pretty Much Sums Up 2020
I tripped over and fell face first in fresh cowpat.
It was even more 2020 as it happened in front of a lady with her two daughters, who were laughing hysterically. It was full coverage.
The pat was so fresh my face sunk in far too easily.
It Started With 10
I started doing pushups. Like... a lot of them.
It started in April with 10 pushups every hour throughout the work day. Then 15, then 20. Eventually, I dropped the time down to 30 minutes. For the past several months, I've been doing over 1500 pushups a week.
I haven't gained a significant amount of mass (still wear the same shirt size) but my arms/chest are considerably more defined than they used to be. Particularly the triceps- I can flex them and things actually happen haha. Never would have thought that would be a thing.
I definitely feel stronger though.
The Fry That Broke The Camels Back
Have a mental breakdown in my car because of a missing side of fries.
If it makes you feel any better, a lot of us get to that point. Things pile up and pile up and pile up, and when there's nowhere for that stress and anxiety to go, it manifests in weird ways.
I started crying in a cracker barrel because they kept me waiting for 45 minutes for a takeout order that I'd placed online. It wasn't because of the cracker barrel, it was because I spent the year dealing with a ton of medical and personal issues.
The cracker barrel was just the tiny little feather that caused the entire house of cards to collapse.
I relate and hear you. I started crying hysterically one day because I hit my foot on the curb wrong while out on a walk.
Then I was embarrassed picturing a neighbor seeing that. Then I cried harder.
Going for walks is literally all I have to do, and it was such a stupid literal misstep that made me acutely aware of how bored, overworked, underwhelmed, anxious, sad, and lonely I am
- abqkat
That New Butthole Feeling
Mr Bean Thumbs Up GIFGiphyHad bowel surgery, also had my hole reconstructed 👌 didn't sh*t for a month. Can't beat that new butthole feeling.
All is well now, can honestly say it was the most uncomfortable experience of my life but sometimes you just gotta deal with the shit to get the sugar, made full recovery and my quality of life is 99% better.
1 or 2 Cups Of Rice To Survive
This year was tough. My mom, sister and I have to eat two meals per day and limit 1 to 2 cups of rice everyday to survive the night.
I got laid off and just got hired this month. Unfortunately, salary will be given mid January. I'm still finding ways to make Christmas special for mamita and sister.
We do not have programs like food pantries in the Philippines. We got help months earlier during the peak of the pandemic. Unfortunately, they stopped because infections are getting lighter in the city. It sucks to be poor, but we have less reasons to complain.
I Thought I Broke My Feet
Lost a ton of weight, got in really good shape, resting heart rate is currently at 40.
I was pretty fat back in March. Now I run 3 miles and lift 6 days a week. Able to crank out a 3 mile in 25ish min. My 1 mile time is at 7:20 flat.
Pretty proud of myself, considering I would sweat and get winded just from walking across a parking lot before. I for real, honestly, thought I broke bones in my feet in the beginning. It was a huge shock to my skeleton.
I just powered through and switched up cardio when the pain was too intense to run and did cycling or stair-stepper instead.
Also, it totally cured my sleep apnea! I no longer snore and I sleep like a damn baby through the night, every night.
Woundmates
Have to sign a lease on my own place after me and significant other split up. 2020 hasn't failed to disappoint.
On the bright side, it'll give me time to self reflect and make personal growth changes mentally and physically. I'm sure the ex will just carry on repressing his childhood issues with his food addiction and filling voids with inanimate objects instead of seeking the therapy he desperately needs.
This year certainly has reminded me that no matter how hard you try to suggest personal changes, you cannot make someone want to make changes, but I most definitely won't take the blame for the problems that stemmed from that neglect.
My ex is still loved dearly, and will certainly miss his company, but in essence, we were both miserable, tired of each other's shit and woundmates rather than soulmates.
Thanks for reading my long ass rant.
I'll Be Alright
Bought a new car. I wasn't even planning on it that day when I woke up. Took my car in for a minor repair to find out there was major work needed totaling $6400.
Couldn't justify spending that on a 9 year old car with 125,000 miles on the clock. I was upset at losing that car.
Best car I ever had. Old reliable. Comfy seat like a well worn recliner and the best damn stereo I'd ever heard. Still, the new one makes up for it... panoramic sunroof, 8 speaker Infinity sound system, huge infotainment system, turbo engine, heated AND cooled seats, and a heated steering wheel. I think I'll be alright.
- CABGX4
A Gnarly-Looking Skinned Knee
I learned how to roller-skate.
It's a small thing, but I'm an adult who had never tried it before. I had always thought it looked so cool when I was younger, but I was way too scared of falling and hurting myself. I was a bit of a baby for a long time.
I spent this summer under lockdown in my driveway with my best friend who's been in roller derby since she was a kid, who helped me from just standing up without falling to zooming down the empty streets together.
It's been absolutely amazing, I now take every opportunity on a nice day to spend at least an hour roller-skating. Me from not even a year ago wouldn't have believed I'd ever learn how to do something like this.
It's never too late to learn a skill, even a small or "childish" one. If you've always wanted to learn how to roller-skate, it's more than possible to learn in two months. At the very least, it's worth it just for the elation you feel at every small triumph, and the satisfaction of a really gnarly-looking skinned knee.
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Redditor H5N1BirdFlu wanted to discuss the moments in life that left us haunted and shook, so they asked:
"What is the creepiest or most unexplained event that you have ever experienced?"
I've seen so much creepiness I wouldn't know where to begin.
Deal
Walter White Wink GIF by Breaking BadGiphy"One car from one direction, and another car from the other direction stopped in front of my house. Both drivers got out and one gave the other a briefcase. Now that I am older I am guessing it was some kind of drug deal or something but at the time I found it very weird."
yapastaocho
'The Entertainer'
"We had a little copper music box that would start playing on its own. It was a man sitting at a player-piano and it would play 'The Entertainer' song. Now, I know that music boxes and such can spring (for lack of a better word) forward and play a few notes, but this thing would act like someone had wound it up and would play for a minute or two completely at random."
MercuryCrest
He?
"Me and and someone I used to know in high school way back when met to catch up. We were talking about our views on religion at some park. When we were walking back to our cars some guy said he had overheard us. We interacted a little and then went to our cars. I told her how awkward I felt knowing he overheard everything. She looked at me and said, 'He?'”
"After some comparing notes we realized we’d seen and heard entirely different people. She’d seen an elderly woman. I’d seen a middle aged man. Only problem is we only talked to the one person."
AccomplishedAuthor53
Overnight
"I usually go hiking and stay in the forest overnight, sleeping in a bivy and sometimes under a tarp. Now it's important to say I'm based in Europe. So no wild animals to be afraid of because usually they just boot it as soon as they notice you."
"So one winter night I'm sleeping under my tarp which connects to the ground on one side. It's in an area where there were fierce battles in the forrest on the border between Germany and Belgium in WWII."
"I hear something walking in the leaves, which is normal. There are always deer and ferral pigs on and about. But this time it comes closer and closer until I hear it right on the other side of my tarp and it starts growling. Its a noise I gad never heard and for a moment I was frozen trying to figure out what it might be and what to do."
"But I just decided to yell back and that did the trick. The animal walked a few steps and then turned back to growl once more before finally retreating."
"Let's put it this way, I didn't sleep for a while after that. I looked up the noise and think it was a badger."
Forest_Walkin
Devoured
Episode 4 Abc GIF by The BachelorGiphy"My family used to raise cattle. One morning I came out to check on them and I found one of the heifers had been more or less completely devoured."
"This same cow was perfectly fine the day before. There was nothing left but some hide, bones, and intestines. Thing is none of the predators that are in my area would be able to kill and eat an entire cow within the course of one night. Much less leave so little behind."
Aussieshepman
Poor cows. They live a rough life.
The Night Before
Get Out Omg GIF by Get Out MovieGiphy"When I was a kid, we lived in a kinda rural area. One night we came home late from an Uncle's house and there was a car parked up the road from our house with the headlights on."
"My mom suggested to my dad that we go see if they need help, he said no, so we went inside. Next morning police knocked on the door, a cyclist had spotted a body in the ditch exactly where the car was parked the night before."
Tpeest
Documents
"I have had a strange thing happen recently. I was waiting for my tax documents to come in so I could do my taxes. I had three documents that I put on my bedside table until I had the time."
"I decided to do it the other day and I couldn't find one of them. I tore the house apart, quizzed my husband (who swore he never touched it), checked the garbage, etc. I had resigned myself to the fact I would have to request another one, when it arrived in the mail."
"It was the same one, exact same information. I was really confused but grateful. I checked into it, it was not sent twice as far as the office could tell me."
"I don't know what to think. I KNOW I had that document because I had done some calculations with it. It's been itching at me like crazy."
monitormonkey
About 30 Feet
"A few months ago I was sitting in my living room on the couch, watching tv with a family member late at night. We have a high ceiling with a couple of rectangular windows at the very top of the wall just under where it meets the ceiling. The windows are so high (about 30 feet) we really only have them for natural lighting."
"So on the night in question, a green laser beam suddenly shown down through one of the windows, seemingly scanned the entire living room before stopping and pointing the beam right next to my family member for about 10 seconds and then disappearing entirely. It had to be either a drone or from some sort of flying aircraft. I live in a relatively secluded place which made the situation all the more unsettling."
0friday
Find Her
"Pretty sure I witnessed a kidnapping once and it still lives rent free in my head (the woman lost her slipper when she was trying to get away and i took a picture of it that i still have for some reason). I did indeed report it to police right after I saw it occur but they were pretty blasé about it and I never ended up being able to determine what they did to investigate."
ergaster8213
From Behind
the exorcist shadow GIFGiphy"I was in Jr High and had really long hair. I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and almost tripped on a shoe on the floor. I bent down to move it and it felt like someone grabbed my entire pony tail and yanked it. I also could not sleep facing the wall for the longest time because it always felt like someone or something was right there behind me."
cheeseburgerphone182
Never face the wall. Life lesson.
These were some harrowing experiences, and we're glad these Redditors made it out to tell the story.
Do you have any similar experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
Redditor NeedSomeSparkInLife wanted to know who would be willing to share, so they asked:
"What makes you not want to be intimate with your SO?"
I'm an easily turned off person.
So it doesn't take much.
Desire
Bored Season 5 GIF by The OfficeGiphy"Taking a moment to realize I'm the only one that makes sexual advances in the relationship. Makes me not want it. People think men only want sex for face value but a lot of men actually want the feeling of being desired more so."
Relative-Hour-9359
Anger Issues
"I've always heard of fighting then having sex after. Fighting has always made me not want it. The last thing I want to do when someone pisses me off is have sex with them. What made it worse is she always wanted to when we were arguing which made the argument worse when I refused."
DaMoonRulez_1
"I think you're supposed to resolve your fight, realize that you care for each other a lot, move past it, then have the passion because of that. Not fight right into sex."
Ksp-or-GTFO
Take a Shower
"My ex and I were together for nearly 7 years, but his hygiene never improved, so we stopped being intimate like, 3 years before I finally broke up with him. He showered only once a week, but he worked in kitchens, so he was sweaty and greasy all the time."
"He had an infected tooth, so he constantly had bad breath, but he refused to visit a dentist, even when he had the money to afford dental work. He stopped working out within the first year of us being together, which sucked because he would get jealous if I went to the gym by myself or with my girlfriends, but he refused to come with me."
GreenChorizo
Sober Time
"Personally, the only issue I have is my SO's drinking. He just becomes an unattractive person when he's drunk. It's one thing if we're both out socializing and drinking together occasionally, but he drinks almost every day, sitting on the couch in front of the TV and to the point of sloppy drunkenness way too often. His face changes, his posture changes, his personality changes... I just get so turned off."
WeptSiren3113
Hang Up
Art Hello GIF by LINDSEY L33Giphy"When they are glued to their phones non stop! Put that s**t down and look at me before we go to bed!"
Palmwine
"I really dislike this too. Makes me feel alone in the relationship."
RealBrownPerson
No phones in bed. Hard rule for many of us to follow.
Step Back
Be Quiet Go Away GIF by Ryn DeanGiphy"When I make a move, and then get the feeling she's not really in the mood/would only do it to please me. I want us both to have a good time, not only me. So when she seems not into it, I take a step back."
Level-Plate8372
Calm Down
"To be brutally honest, her anxiety and insecurity makes sex such a hassle. She doesn’t believe anything I say about wanting her, she can almost never relax during sex, she doesn’t take time to enjoy it, and if God forbid I have any trouble finishing, she takes it more personally than anything, which of course puts more pressure on me to finish, which then makes it almost impossible."
Ben_Franklinstein
When at Wal-Mart
"When they’ve done something really nasty/unkind that day. Cruelty is the most ugly thing a person can show, in my eyes. I had a boyfriend that I went to Wal-Mart with and he ended up flipping off and storming right past the sweet little old man that checks the receipts at the door."
"It was partially about how I used to check receipts and I remembered how I felt when people treated me like that- but I also remember the look on the little old man’s face and just how disgusted I was with my partner being so nasty about it."
"I couldn’t touch him after that and I got grossed out when he touched me. And then I started to notice how he was nasty to other people as well. It eventually led to our break up."
spxdergirl
33 Years In
"My husband used to dislike his job - he’d come home and do nothing but bi**h. After awhile, I just gave up trying to cheer him up with sex - you can only try so long. So, we had a long dry spell - like, whatever you think a dry spell would be, it’s longer. When someone is constantly annoyed, well, it’s hard to feel amorous."
"Anyway, he early retired (54) like a month before Covid kicked in and by autumn that year, well, let’s just say we’re back to what we were like when we first met. He’s not pissed off all the time. (I’m retired as well, and let’s just say, afternoon nookie is such a perk, as is morning nookie and 3am nookie because you can sleep in!) I’m glad we stayed together. Going on 33 years and we’re just so happy."
NicInNS
Rage
Angry Inside Out GIF by Disney PixarGiphy"Feeling angry. I hate feeling angry. I don't like being around other people when angry. So I'll go for a walk, a drive etc, and just clear my head."
jackfaire
It seems like "dead bed," as some folks call it, can stem from many things, from mood, attraction, hygiene, and more.
Do you have anything to add to this list? Let us know in the comments.