Getting that coveted position at work or being named valedictorian are wonderful accomplishments.
But while those achievements are nothing to scoff at, there are other moments in life outside the workplace or classroom worthy of praise.
A pat on the back for a job well done was sometimes more satisfying than a plaque on the wall for some of these people when Redditor Inevitable_jalapeno asked:
"What is your biggest non-academic, non work-related accomplishment?"
You might find some of these relatable.
Coming to the aid of those in their time of need or while in distress have got to be one of life's biggest accomplishments.
Stepping Up After Tragedy
"Adopted my little sister (16) when I was 21 after my father murdered my mother helped her finish school and kept a room over her head till she was old enough to move out on her own."
Passed Out And Saved
"When I was a kid, I saw a guy passed out drunk on the side of the road. Neither of my parents noticed, so I said something. We went back and my dad went to check on him. It was around 20 degrees Farenheit out and he was wearing a thin jacket and pajama pants. My dad (who is a paramedic) told me I quite possibly saved his life that night."
Lady In Distress
"Saved a lady from drowning at the Outer Banks about 10 years ago."
Upright Citizen
"I was driving down a two lane road one night and saw an upside down electric wheelchair. I thought to myself 'that's an expensive thing to trash' and then I saw an arm reach up. The poor guy couldn't talk and only had one working limb. He was cursing downy the road and caught the edge and flipped. His chair was too heavy and the landscape wasn't conducive for me to flip it alone. I called the ambulance which was 20+ min out and tried to flag passing cars down. No one stopped for about 10 minutes (~ 60 or so cars). Finally a truck stopped and the guy was able to help me flip him back up."
Animal Lover
"I saved over 100 cats in my lifetime and I feel happy thinking about it."
These laudable achievements make one feel as if they've arrived.
A Mouthful
"I ate a triple burrito in one sitting ten years ago, for which I won a t-shirt. I still wear the shirt from time to time."
Strawberry's My Jam
"Not that exciting, but I'm still pretty proud: winning a blue ribbon at a state fair for my strawberry jam. My husband loves to brag about it, and it makes me feel pretty special when he does."
People Break Down The Creepiest Research Holes They've Ever Fallen Down | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Season 6 Pats Self On Back GIF by Friends
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Music To My Ears
"My old band got played on a local radio station a few times."
– circa319
"The same thing for my band too. The university radio station liked us so much, they recorded one of our songs for a local music CD."
Magical Garden
"Growing veggies and herbs without killing them. And making pickles/jams/infused butter with the results. So that's pretty cool I guess."
Power Of Healing
"My stroke recovery. I can walk, use my left hand and I can cook again. Things aren't perfect but considering that I couldn't pick my head off of the pillow the day after last Christmas I am doing fantastic."
Impressive Play
"running the table at pool where after the other person broke and i sank every single one of my balls and the eight ball in one turn (i'm not usually good at pool). a stranger came up to me said it was one of the greatest things he's ever seen. I think about this often lol."
– fetanose
Taking care of yourself is an accomplishment that can be more rewarding than any trophy.
Growing A Backbone
"I stood up for myself with my family and set boundaries. Then I actually kept them."
"I had a very abusive and traumatic childhood. Standing up for myself when I was a child always resulted in pain of some kind. This was a huge step for me."
Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
"Probably not the biggest but I flat out slapped this random man on the street after he grabbed my a** .My hand shook for almost the rest of the day but I was so proud of myself!"
– Kali_B
It's never too late to discover one's own hidden capabilities or talents and getting recognized for them.
Stranger In A Strange Land
"I moved to a foreign country where I knew only 1 person and didn't speak the language and managed to independently make it and now I call it home."
– mejok
Getting Crafty
"Taught myself to crochet. I'm not terrible at it."
"Me too! Go us. I particularly love chunky yarn - the projects finish faster that way haha."
Amateur Artist
"An artist at a major animation studio saw my fanart and shared it on their Tumblr, they commented on how funny they thought it was. That was years ago but it felt great."
Published
"I briefly became a published comic book author as a side hustle. My first issue sold out at a retailer level across the globe on day one. Super proud of that."
Throughout my musical theater performing career, I've been what's known as a swing. Swings are essentially an understudy for most of the male ensembles in a show and I would go on at any given time at a moment's notice to cover an injured performer or someone who called out sick.
That meant I had to know – in some cases – up to nine ensemble tracks and be able to integrate myself into the show seamlessly.
For every time I did not get shoved by a fellow performer for being in the wrong place on stage or missing a costume change, I gave myself a huge pat on the back by the curtain call.
And then I would go home and enjoy a glass or two of well-earned vino to calm my nerves from safely finishing the performance unscathed.
The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
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"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
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"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
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"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
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"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
Every now and then, a friend of ours might say something, or we might overhear a complete stranger say something that makes us stop in our tracks.
More often than not, what we can't believe we just heard is something so ridiculous, we can't help but put the person who said it in their place.
Other times, however, what we just heard might have stunned us silent because of how shockingly clever it was.
Resulting in our not wanting to scold or yell at someone, but rather give them a handshake.
Redditor SubmergingOriginal was curious to hear the sharpest and wittiest things they've ever heard, from friends and strangers alike, leading them to ask:
"Enough with the dumbest; what is the wittiest thing you've ever heard someone say?"
Don't Give Me So Much Credit...
'I was on a team at work that was on a project working insane overtime."
"One night after an 80-90 hour week, we were all sitting around the table trying to finish up so we could go home."
"Around 11, my buddy's wife called, dubious about the hours he'd been keeping."
"We heard her through the line - 'are you cheating on me?'"
"Exasperated, he looked at our boss, then replied 'honey, if I was cheating on you, I would have been home by now'."- lionbatcher
Eternal Optimism...
"Asked a blind guy if he'd been blind his whole life."
"He said 'Not yet'."- Feeling_Mode_6465
Free time Isn't The Only Thing He Has On His Hands...
"My brother got a vasectomy and when the doctor was releasing him and giving him instructions (with the nurse listening in), one of the orders was to 'come back and have a follow-up appointment after you’ve ejaculated 30 times'.”
"Without missing a beat my brother asked 'what time do you open tomorrow?'”
"The nurse couldn’t keep it together after hearing that."- UtahUtopia
Awkward Season 8 GIF by The Office
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Double Whammy!
"My pal uses the phrase 'he doesn’t look strong enough to carry information' and it cracks me up every time."
"Calling someone stupid and weak in one fell swoop."- JennyW93
Can't Hide Your DNA...
'Whenever I jokingly insult my mum, she says 'that must be where you get it from'."
"She cracked the code."
"I can never offend her without offending myself."- JennyW93
Self-Sufficient!
"My brother was a line cook at a New Orleans restaurant."
"My mom was in town, staying at a fancy hotel, and he stopped by after work, still wearing his kitchen whites."
"He was reading a newspaper in the lobby waiting for her to come down when the shocked lobby manager sputtered at him, 'MAY I HELP YOU!?!?'
"He answered, 'thanks, but I know how to read',” and went back to his paper."- jobrody
Morph Current Affairs GIF by Aardman Animations
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A Miracle!
"My brother-in-law’s comment."
"The entire family went out for my mother’s 80th birthday and after the meal we all went to a local park, largely occupied by the elderly, to rest."
"My mother needed crutches at this point, and they were resting against her bench."
"My 10-year-old niece, who looked like every starving waif image from Dickens, grabbed the crutches and started hobbling round the park."
"All the OAPs were following her progress with looks of pity until my brother ran up behind her, and kicked away the crutches."
"There was an audible gasp from round the park and then my niece picked the crutches back up and started chasing my brother, clearly intending to hit him."
"In the confused silence my brother-in-law’s voice rang out 'Praise be! She can walk again!'"
"We still think this was the highlight of the birthday celebrations."- DdraigGwyn
Still Legal, Whichever Way You Cut It...
"I picked up my pleasantly tipsy boyfriend from a nightclub."
"We were stopped by the Police for a random breath test."
"They asked me my age, and I said, 33."
"My bf blurted out '33? You told me you were 22'."
"Police just laughed and let me go."- Aggravating-Corgi379
Music Video Police GIF by Andrew W. K.
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A Bit Too On The Nose?
"Business law class in college years ago, talking about the issues that black Americans had before the Civil Rights."
"Amendment, trying to travel through the south with the discrimination so rampant, trying to find restaurants to serve them and decent lodgings."
"My instructor was posing a hypothetical: 'So you pull up out front of this place, you're exhausted from driving for hours, and you see the sign out front says 'Ku Klux Klan Motel'."
"'What would you expect to find there?'"
"Without missing a beat, from the back of the room came this gem: "'Extra sheets in every room?'"- NedsAtomicDB
Not Yet, Anyway...
"I was working with my friend and his dad."
"My friend (26) heard an ice cream truck near where we were working."
"He asked his dad if he could have a couple dollars."
"His dad asked, 'what for?'"
"My friend told his dad that there was an ice cream truck in the neighborhood, and that they were playing music."
"My friends dad told him "'They don't charge anything to listen to the music'."- tatersalad1234567890
Words Escape You In The Literal "Heat" Of The Moment...
"A friend of mine is a teacher and her husband is known for his wit."
"She told this story to him:"
"One day at school a kid took the hall pass and returned reeking like smoke."
"She asked the kid if he’d been smoking and he denied it over and over."
"She was about to send him to the office when she noticed smoke coming from somewhere."
"She told the kid and he realized that he didn’t put his cig out completely and it was burning in his pants pocket."
"The kid noticed and frantically tried to put it out and someone finally poured water on it."
"Her husband sat listening to this with a weird look on his face."
"She asked him what was wrong."
“'What’s wrong???'"
"'This was probably the only chance you’ll have in your life to say literally, ‘liar,liar, pants on fire’ and you missed your chance'."- Luder714
On Fire No GIF by PEEKASSO
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Amazing What You Might Say A Few Drinks In...
"When I went to a renaissance faire once, I went to a beer tent and ordered a Newcastle Brown Ale (seemed the most fitting for the surroundings)."
"The beer wench, without skipping a beat, said, 'Everyone wants a Newcastle - no one wants to remodel!'"- jayhof52
Read The Room People!
"My dad wiped out when skiing down a mountain and lost a ski."
"After a few minutes of hunting for it, he gives up, slings the one remaining ski over a shoulder and starts walking down the mountain in his ski boots."
"About half-way down, another skier stops and goes 'Gee! Did you lose a ski?'"
"My dad instantly replied 'No, I was out for a walk and found one!'"- PeterJoAl
There's a reason your mother always told you to "use your words".
As clever remarks can have a much more lasting effect on people than a push or shove.