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Heartbroken Single People Reveal Their Most Depressing And Terrible Break-Up Stories

Heartbroken Single People Reveal Their Most Depressing And Terrible Break-Up Stories

Heartbroken Single People Reveal Their Most Depressing And Terrible Break-Up Stories

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Breaking up with someone, or having someone break up with you, is never fun. Occasionally, though, breakups get nasty. Really nasty. And P-E-T-T-Y. Whether you're happy in a relationship or not, the way in which a breakup is handled can often cause more collateral damage than a toxic partnership.

This is why I'm single. This is why I have three cats.

Reddit's peopleoftomorrow8 asked, "What is the worst thing to do/say to break up with someone?"

Submissions have been edited for clarity, context, and profanity.

Beep beep. We're over.

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Back in high school (late 90s) my friend got broken up with via pager code.

She had to decipher that sh*t to figure out the guy was dumping her...

"April fools" except it's not a joke.

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My boyfriend broke up with me on April fools day. Took a lot of "no seriously" for me to believe him

That Escalated

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Convince me to quit my job, sell my house, and spend thousands studying for and taking the bar exam in a new state because you got a good job offer there, then cheat on me with some guy you met playing Heroes of Newerth, give me herpes, tell me you're just not attracted to me anymore, and ask me to move out now that I have no house and no job.

Having mommy do it? Really?

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When I was 14 my boyfriend tried to break up with me by ghosting me, unfortunately, I was extremely dense and didn't get the hint. So he had his mum break up with me over the phone. Good times!

Changing your Facebook status from "in a relationship" to "single" without warning is ghosting at its worst

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Yeah 11 or 12 years ago I was on my computer looking at Facebook when I noticed my girlfriend of a year-and-a-half's Facebook status changed from 'in a relationship' to 'single'.

I figured it was probably a mistake and sent her a text joking about it and went to bed. The next day I had no reply from her. I tried calling and just got voicemail. I tried calling a couple times for the next few days and no reply. I tried her parent's house and they said she was at work. I tried her work and they said she was busy and couldn't come to the phone. I drove to her work to figure out what was going on and she started crying and said it was all okay she was just going through some things and would call me after work.

I never heard from her for like another week or two till I texted her and asked what I should do with all her stuff she left at my house (Like 3 garbage bags full of clothes and random stuff). She told me she would come pick it up tomorrow. She never showed. Then she texted and said she'd come the next day. This pattern repeated for about a month, I offered multiple times to drive her things out to her or even leave them at her parents or a mutual friends house for her to pick up. Finally one day after not showing up to pick her stuff up when she said she would I threw everything in the trash. I texted her saying I threw it in the trash and she called me and yelled a bunch of obscenities at me then hung up.

That month was incredibly rough. I had no idea what happened or why she dumped me or how she could be so mean. It was seriously the worst. The sad part is I was just finishing a surprise painting of her and her horse when she ghosted me. I spent so long on it and it actually looked really good. I hung onto it for a long time after she started ghosting me thinking I would give it to her when she picked up her stuff. A last vestige of hope from a heartbroken man. It ended up torn in half and thrown in the garbage with the rest of her belongings.

So many potential questions answered with five words.

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One time a guy invited me to a beautiful picnic with wine and flowers and then when I tried to sit down he said "Don't eat anything, Rebecca's coming." And then he broke up with me.

It can be cold in New York City, but not this cold. Ouch.

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One girlfriend I was on and off with for a while may fall into this category. Dated in college in Maryland and when I graduated I had to move for a job to New York. I wanted to do long distance and we kept talking, but we started to fade because I was stressed in my job.

After a while, I went back to where we both lived and took her out for her birthday with my family as it was my dad's birthday too. Got her a gift and flowers and surprised her at work and everything. I tell her she should visit New York but she always said no because she was broke.

Fast forward to later that week, I check her snap story and she was in New York, with another dude, saying she's the luckiest girl in the world or whatever. I text her like yo tf what is this, she proceeds to block my number and I text her via Facebook saying she just confirmed my beliefs and to have a nice life. Tells me to leave her alone.

So yeah, I think this one's pretty bad. She still hits me up from time to time and I ignore her and have her blocked on everything else. Oh well, live and learn.

Is this better or worse than dumping someone on Valentine's Day?

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I once broke up with my gf the day before Valentines Day. Was told by everyone I was an assh*le.

Edit: Forgot to mention it was over the phone.

Honestly, Valentine's Day is the worst.

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Only things worse is sitting through an incredibly awkward dinner on V-Day that you could just barely afford because you work a part-time minimum wage job only to confront her about the guy she's been texting the entire evening and get broken up with over text when you get home.

That was me a few years ago. Can't make this sh*t up.

Like I said, P-E-T-T-Y.

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About 10 years ago, I had a boyfriend who was from another state. After dating for about six months, he asked me to bring him to the airport for a flight home for Christmas, which of course I did. He called me about three hours later (on his layover) to tell me he left something in my glove box for me. Thinking left something sweet for me for Christmas, I rushed out to my car and excitedly searched through. It wasn't a sweet gift, it was a letter breaking up with me.

That's a pretty bad way to do it.

This is just unnecessarily petty.

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My ex broke up with me five days before our one year anniversary, on which he told me "I planned to propose to you today but I dumped you instead".

Using depression as a cover for cheating? Rude. Not realizing "I need space" is code for "this is over?" A valuable lesson.

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"I need space due to my depression" by space I mean need to go bang my manager for a few weeks then break up with you the day before your birthday.

I don't think it works that way, but okay.

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"I don't think I'm gay after all." After six months, my ex-fiance that I lived with came to that groundbreaking conclusion.

Thanks for nothing.

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"You helped me through a tough time, but I'm going to try it with my ex again."

The classic save-face method of heartbreak.

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It's not you it's me

Sounds like he did you a favor... yikes.

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My ex told me that the (his name) I fell in love with was dead and never coming back while Silas (the really bad and ugly personality who lives in his head) had taken full control of him.

So yeah. Probably that.

This would tear my soul apart too.

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She said "do you know how many times I rolled my eyes after I turned over to go to bed after you said I love you?" Tore my soul apart

This is some Dante-level nasty.

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One time this guy I'd been seeing for two weeks took me to a cemetery and broke up with me by the reasoning "You're too morbid." Then he went back to my house and copulated with my sister.

Ten years of friendship thrown away via text. That's a low blow.

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By text. 30 minutes before we had dinner plans. A few months before our 3 year anniversary. And we were both 26.

We lived 10 minutes away from each other and were never long distance, had known each other for 10+ years at that point, and I got a f*cking text.

Awkward, but hey, whatever keeps the peace.

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Not a bad break up, per-say, but not the ideal aftermath: My now-ex and I split when we were living together, but there was only 3 weeks left on the lease so we decided to stay living together for those 3 weeks and then move our separate ways once it had finished.

It was all fine until we agreed that since we were no longer dating we could do as we pleased, so came along many nights of me being home and him staying out all night or vice versa, I ended up going to a different city for a week to work and when I got back he went away for a week. It mainly only got awkward when I signed up for a dating app and saw him on there. But then it became comical, I asked him about how it was going and he said he'd met a few girls and that's where'd he'd been staying, and then he helped me set up my profile, helped me choose good photos and write a bio.

But hey I met my current partner on that dating site and now my ex and I are both in long-term relationships now with other people and we still see each other around occasionally, but no biggie.

It was a weird month.

Kids today will never know the hurt.

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Do it over AIM, like my HS girlfriend in 2003.

I'm over her, but I'm still not over how she did it. What a low f*ckin move.

The punishment definitely fit the crime.

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My buddy in high school walked up to his gf and her friends and said "everyone with a boyfriend raise their hand, WHOA NOT SO FAST"

She kicked him in the balls.

I laughed

And I thought MY parents' divorce was ugly...

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What my dad did to my mom. They were married 26 years, and she was incredibly hard to get along with. He was a really passive person and was no match for her temperament. He wanted a divorce but was too chicken to say so. He waited until her father died and they were in the car, driving home from his funeral. She was at her weakest, totally crushed. He told her he never loved her and wanted a divorce. Good timing, assh*le. He and I were always joined at the hip until then. He was too big of a wuss to realize how cruel he had been to a fellow human being.

"That year was one of the worst of my life." Yeah, this is bad. But this mother is an inspiration.

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My last ex dumped me a week before we were supposed to move in together. I let my lease run out on my apartment, I quit my job, I took my kids out of school (it was winter break and I had time to set them up in their new school before school was back in session). To compete it all, I found out I was pregnant 2 weeks before. So I lost my house, my job, and my kid's school because he decided to be an assh*le.

He didn't even have the decency to do it in person. He told me over the phone and then had the audacity to ask for his radio back. The only reason I didn't end up homeless was because my mom got sick and asked me to move to her state to help her out and so she could see my kids before she passed away. She passed away 2 months later. So yeah... that year was one of the worst of my life.

I'm doing better now. I'm in a stable relationship, I kept the baby, I own a car, have a stable job, my kids are straight A students, and I rent out a townhouse. Still, it was a f*cked up thing to do to me and subsequently my kids.

And the worst breakup story goes to...

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My time to shine! When I was 22 I was married. After 3 weeks of being in the hospital with a collapsed lung, I took a cab back to our apartment. I walked into seeing him having sex with another girl in our bed. He looked over his shoulder and calmly said "do you mind? I'm not done yet." No assh_le you're done.

People Share Their Very Specific Dating Restrictions

Reddit user AceofSpadesYT asked: 'What is your most specific restriction when it comes to dating?'

silhouette photography of couple
Sean Stratton on Unsplash

When it comes to dating, I have my mental checklist. The guy must be kind, intelligent, funny, and a movie buff. He must be adventurous but also doesn't mind a Netflix and Chill date night.

Most of this is similar to the mental checklists other people have. Of course, I can be flexible. If someone is nice and I'm having fun with them, they don't necessarily have to check all the boxes.

However, I have one specific dating restriction that is a dealbreaker regardless of how many boxes the person checks, and that's religion. I've never been a fan, and now I'm an atheist, and I would want my partner to be as well. That's because I want kids, and the last thing I want is for us to argue about how to raise the kids when it comes to religion.

I'm not the only person who has one specific dating restriction. Everyone has that one thing that is a dealbreaker when it comes to a romantic relationship. Redditors certainly do, and they are ready to share.

It all started when Redditor AceofSpadesYT asked:

"What is your most specific restriction when it comes to dating?"

It's Just A Joke!

"No cruel or rude pranks."

– detective_kiara

"I saw a post by someone whose boyfriend "pranked" her by pretending to be dead on the kitchen floor. That is exactly how she had found her previous partner, dead on the kitchen floor, which her current boyfriend knew. He was surprised she dumped him and didn't think it was funny."

– innocuousspeculation

We're (Not) Gonna Party!

"No party people. Nothing wrong with it, I just ain't dealing with that sh*t."

– PlantBasedStangl

"True. I like planning weekend stuff, but it has to be something meaningful - visiting a different city, movie marathon, mountain hike, fancy lunch, all okay. But... clubbing and drinking? How f**king old are we, 19? No thank you, I'm old and have no energy for listening to music I don't like while being surrounded by 50 people that I don't give a single half of a sh*t about."

– PlantBasedStangl

LOL

"Same sense of humor. I have 0 interest sharing physical space with someone who doesn't laugh with me."

– Legendary_Lamb2020

My Ears Are Bleeding!

"I'm a light sleeper. I cannot date a snorer. I can hear snores through ear plugs AND a fan blowing. It's not you, it's me."

– YourLocalOrca

At that point, it does sound like them 😂

– CuriousRedditor98

Funemployed

"Have a f**king job."

– Cuss-Mustard

"Found this difficult when I was funemployed. Was fortunate enough to be able to live off savings for a bit."

"People reacted oddly to it. “But what do you do???”"

"Was dating at the same time and some girls had the same sentiment. “You don’t have a job?”"

"I had a good enough job that I didn’t need one anymore. And one lined up 8 months from then. But there were two girls specifically who treated it as a deal breaker."

– DigNitty

"I had a similar situation. I worked a high-paying job for a few years that demanded a ton of my time and had crazy hours. It burnt me out badly and I lived off of the savings from that job for a while and tried to date now that I actually had free time. I had more money in my bank account during that time than at any other point in my life but so many people were put off by me being funemployed and assumed I was looking to leech. But I guess there’s really no way to know someone's history and hard not to assume. Now I work full-time and have way less money overall but it looks better..."

– Pinsit

Just Breathe

"No smoking. Ever. I'm not kissing an ashtray, or smelling an ashtray. Instant turn off."

–fishfood19

"100% I broke up with an old gf because she started smoking behind my back knowing I’ve got asthma and it was always a hard pass. She thought I was joking but it showed me that she was also untrustworthy."

– Jonowl89

That'll Do It

"I guess my husband restricts my dating."

– HeinousEncephalon

"My wife has the same rule. But the jokes on her, I get around it by dating her!"

– AuralRapist

Prehistoric Love

"Must like dinosaurs."

– Grungeceratops

"That goes without saying."

– Plain_Chacalaca

What's In A Name?

"Cannot have the same name as any of my relatives."

– Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

"My last ex had the same name as my Dad and I reeeeeeaally didn't like it. So, fair."

– severaltalkingducks

Be Polite

"If they’re rude to people they’ll never see again (Waitstaff, cashiers, etc) I’m out."

"I can’t respect anyone who doesn’t respect themselves, and when you’re not polite to people you’re disrespecting yourself."

– OctopusCandleCompany

God Only Knows

"When I was dating, you had to be an atheist. I don't mess with religion. And I genuinely just don't think atheists + religious people work out."

"And I know... There's going to be someone who comments (assuming there are enough upvotes) who says "I worked out with my spouse who's religious and I'm not!" but you're the exception. When it comes to making decisions long-term, how to spend your money, where you think you'll go after you die, not to mention basic morality (!), and if you have children - that's a huge hurdle."

– Lulu_42

"We worked it out. It's absolutely an exception and not the rule. Don't do it if you can avoid it."

– Alcoraiden

Let's Move Tonight (Literally)

"They need to be ok with cold weather."

"I grew up in the north, live in the south, and I'm tolerating it until I can move back north. If someone says they hate the cold it's an instant turn-off because I don't want to drag someone into a climate they hate."

"The same thing also applies to walkability. I want to move somewhere walkable, and I hope to meet someone with that same goal rather than try to talk them into it."

– ThePresidentCantSwim

"Let me know when you find this mythical northern walkable community."

– Partner-Elijah

My Purr-fect Match

"Cat has to approve."

– Possible-Source-2454

Non-Negotiable

"They need to be male. Kind of important."

– RMHaney

"So weird, I want the complete opposite."

– eightvo

Yeah, the male thing is kind of important for me too!

Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments.

Life is full of shock and surprise.

Apparently, that is part of the fun.

Who hasn't been left stunned by life events?

We always think we're immune to way too many things.

Anything and everything is possible.

It's important to be ready.

Redditor Bob_the_peasant wanted to hear about the things that have left people SHOOK, so they asked:

"What 'That can’t happen to me' thing happened to you?'"

I haven't been left that shocked that often.

I'm always expecting the worst, so I'm prepared.

But you never know.

I'm Dead

Snakes Imacelebau GIF by I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! AustraliaGiphy

"A snake fell out of a tree and bit me on the head."

"ETA: I have always been more scared of snakes than anyone I know, so it’s just so ironic that this happened to me of all people."

amanitachill

Crash Into Me

"A car crashed through my kitchen last year."

aster636

"I woke up to a truck parking in my bathtub 2 weeks before Christmas a few years ago. I watched my sink roll past my bedroom door followed by a hubcap. The driver managed to cross a median, 3-lane road, up an embankment, through an iron fence and between trees. He'd been involved in an altercation nearby and was fleeing the scene."

anjie59k

Hot Air

Swinging Hot Air Balloon GIF by Red BullGiphy

"My family and I were in a hot air balloon crash."

GymDoll2000

"My friend had one crash into her pool when she was a kid."

Environmental-Car481

This is why hot air balloons and skydiving are just a HELL no for me.

Always have. Always will.

Tragic

Cat No GIF by Looney TunesGiphy

"My wife cheated on me with my best friend. They’re moving in together next month. I’m in a new city thousands of miles away. I found out a month ago."

Tssodie

Bad Penguin

"Everyone else’s stories are very sad so here’s something a bit lighter. I’ve mentioned this story before but I got bitten on the neck by a penguin."

"I was at an event where the local zoo had a penguin and owl sitting on tables with handlers so you could take a picture next to them. The penguin went for my glass of wine, I moved the wine, and it bit me on the neck hard enough to bruise. They removed the penguin after that. 😂."

archaeologistbarbie

All Gone

"Our house burned in a wildfire, we lost absolutely everything we owned and only salvaged a single coffee 3 cup."

"On the good side: There was a boy I crushed on all through high school. We went to summer camp together and I adored him. We ended up getting together in our 20s after reconnecting, and have now been together more than 20 years, married almost 17. We’re as madly in love as ever."

toomuchisjustenough

Good Luck

"Homelessness. It came swiftly and out of nowhere. had no savings and the landlord sold the house I was in. couldn’t afford a new place so lived in my car with my dog for a few months. ended up finding community assistance and got into an apartment."

jumbospicyslimjim

"I can’t even imagine being in that situation. Hopefully, this is just the start of things turning around for you. Sending you good energy!"

frappbarqueen

Early Michael Myers

"About 10 years ago, I was stabbed in the arm with a flathead screwdriver. It was a coworker whom I had previously gotten along well with. He had stopped taking benzos and smoking weed a few days before and was on a hair trigger. I said something sarcastic, and he just snapped."

Mr_Spaghetti_Hands

Bad Landing

Bad Day Seagull GIF by Sound FXGiphy

"I was lying on the beach and a seagull flying very high took a poop and it went straight in my mouth."

Competitive_Show6205

This is why I say... "Never trust a seagull!"

They are minions of the devil.

Person cooking in home kitchen
Conscious Design on Unsplash

We've all heard the phrase, "You can't eat at everybody's house," but some of us have a few examples of our own to live by.

From not properly cleaning the environment to questionable hygiene ourselves, there are countless reasons why a person may not want to eat what you've cooked after watching you prepare it.

Bracing themselves, Redditor 195901 asked:

"What is your 'you can't eat at everybody's house' horror story?"

Fly Spray Sandwiches

"I told my dad my sandwich tasted like fly spray at my grandma's house. He didn’t believe me."

"Two days later, I caught my grandma spraying the benches 'clean' with the two-dollar fly spray you find at the cheap store."

"Dad figured it was safe to make sandwiches straight on the countertop because they looked clean. I dragged him over to see and he apologized and took my sister and me for fish and chips for lunch."

- littlehungrygiraffe

Special Seasoning Deviled Eggs

"My crackpot aunt served us a lovely tray of deviled eggs, complete with very old paprika sprinkled on top. So old, in fact, the many weevils mixed in it were dead."

- PhoneboothLynn

A Disturbing Surprise

"I visited a friend's house who was living with his mother, and she asked if I wanted a coffee and I said I would."

"Upon getting to the bottom of the cup and taking the last few gulps, I found there was a used bandaid stuck to the bottom… I never ate or drank there again."

- MrRailton

In Need of Child Protective Services

"I was babysitting a kid in a pretty dirty house. I was told to wake him up, supervise bathing and changing clothes, and feed him. I was welcome to whatever was in the fridge. Okay. The house and his clothes were filthy."

"Then, when I opened the cabinets, floods of roaches poured out. There were roaches in every opened box and container."

"I took him back to my house and returned him later that day. I hope the boy ended up in a better situation. I found out CPS (Child Protective Services) got involved shortly after."

- Alltheprettydresses

Traumatized by Raisins

"I was gonna complain about raisins in the potato salad but the other comments on here are scary. Oh my god."

- tcumber

"When I was a young kid, I stayed over at a friend's place, and his mom made veal or something with godd**n raisins INSIDE the meat somehow. It was so nasty, I never forgot it."

- User2716057

You WISH That Was Vinegar

"My MIL fished around in the green bin (compost bin) with her bare hands, didn't wash them, WIPED her GARBAGE JUICE HANDS on the tea towel, and then WENT BACK TO PREPPING THE SALAD."

"She also got horrifically offended if I didn't want to eat at her house."

- 116843189

Poor Home Hygiene

"My first boyfriend’s parents invited me for Thanksgiving. I came over a few days before Christmas and all the same dirty dishes from Thanksgiving were still in the kitchen. I passed on coming over for Christmas dinner."

- MinimalistHomestead

Every Surface Covered

"I went to a friend's house after school, he was going to teach a group of us to play D&D (Dungeons and Dragons)."

"We got there and his house was disgusting. I'm not the neatest person but the carpet hadn't been vacuumed in forever, clothes were all over the place, and dirty dishes were stacked everywhere."

"I tried to be polite even though the place reeked, but at some point, he was like, 'Who wants snacks!'"

"He picked up a bowl that was crusted with stuff, splashed in some water, wiped it with a towel that clearly hadn't been washed that decade, and poured chips into it. Then he asked if we wanted to stay for dinner. We did not."

- KnittinAndB***hin

O Holy Expiration Dates

"When I was a kid, Christmas Eve was always celebrated at Grandma's. I always got sick afterward. Like, Merry Christmas, you're going to puke now."

"It wasn't until I was all grown up and helping her out in the last weeks of her life that I learned why. She did not believe in expiration dates on anything!"

- SundayMorningTrisha

An Immune System to Remember

"My grandma made me a food phobic from a young age. Whether it was ramen with moths floating on top, or chunky milk in my cereal, it just scarred me for life."

"Dinner at her house was always a fight. Not eating her food was not an option. I'm not sure why that was the hill she would always choose to die on, because she was an amazing grandma other than this."

"Expiration dates aren't a thing. If the cheese was moldy, you cut it off... I think living through the great depression and raising kids in poverty changed her mindset on food."

"I mean obviously, she's doing something right because she's 91. She must have the immunity of a superhero."

- tha_stormin_mormon

Neighborly Love

"I used to help an old neighbor out with grocery shopping, I’d drop the bags at her door and she’d give me a check for the amount of groceries. She’d give me homemade cookies once in a while, chocolate chips."

"I didn’t ever eat them because one time I caught sight of her apartment. It was a large studio, a small kitchen, and tv, and a bed/couch. And there were about 20 cans of cat food, half-eaten, and one million flies and small maggots in different stages of growth, dishes with crusty food stuck to them, and a wall of empty beer cans."

"After I saw that, and got a whiff of her apartment, I started helping her with taking garbage out and putting groceries away, cleaning out her fridge, and making sure her cat was healthy."

"A couple of months later, she got the virus, ended up at a rehab facility, and passed within two weeks."

"Some people need help and a little company…"

- SnooPeripherals6557

No Longer Rice

"A girl I was interested in at the time had cats. I came to her house one day to pick her up for a date and he had a large sack of rice open in her pantry with the pantry door open."

"One of the cats hopped out of the sack of rice and she just casually laughed at it like, 'Oh, they are always getting into things.'"

"I came over the following weekend that SAME sack of rice was in the pantry and I could hear one of them tussling around in it again, we stopped dating sometime after that but anytime she offered to cook for me I immediately pivoted to taking her out to eat instead."

- justad**nfool

"Those cats probably used it as litter."

- Anonymanx

"Yeah, that was my fear."

- justad**nfool

Could Have Warned Her

"My mom told me one about going over to her aunt Virginia's house. She, her parents, and her siblings were sat around the kitchen while her aunt cooked, and my mom could not figure out why no one else was having ANY of this incredibly delicious bread that was on the table."

"She was on her third slice when her aunt stepped out to do something else, and my mom was told by her brother to go look in the flour bin."

"It was absolutely filled with miller moth larvae. Aunt Virginia had been losing her eyesight for years."

- smoothiefruit

"It's f**ked of her parents not to warn her not to eat the bread... like, what the f**k, you KNOW the bread isn't safe, so you're not eating it, but you're fine with letting your daughter have three slices?"

- whydontthissitework

Bad to the Point of Malnutrition

"I graduated high school at 6' 10" tall, but weighing only 120 pounds."

"That's not skinny, that's emaciated."

"The food prepared by my bio-mom was so bad that it wasn't providing me with the nutrients or calories I needed to survive. I went off to college where I had to cook for myself (I wasn't allowed to cook at home because my father insisted that "cooking was women's work")."

"Not only did I discover that food didn't have to be burnt to a crisp, flavorless, or boiled until everything was grey. I also discovered that food can be made to taste good, and using things like salt, or pepper, spices, or various condiments can make it taste amazing."

"The "freshman 15" likely saved my life."

"The thing is, I don't think that my biomom was even aware that her food was that disgusting. Whenever we went out for dinner (which was more often than what my father wanted, but he was the one who insisted on going), she did nothing but complain about how the food was undercooked, 'practically raw,' or 'too spicy,' to eat."

"When she went to other people's houses (including her own extended family) she would criticize them for 'doing it wrong' when she watched them cook anything. She would often end up refusing to eat their food because she 'watched them ruin it,' when they cooked it. We never had guests over to eat her cooking. Ever."

- Galaxy_Ranger_Bob

Clean Hands

"We have a chili contest every year at work around Thanksgiving and I've stopped participating in voting for it because I want to know whose I'm eating before taking any. I work with some great people, but I wouldn't eat at or anything from their house. Strangely enough, the guy I absolutely despise I'll gladly eat his chili because he is clean and well kept and I know his house is."

"I also work with a bunch of people who don't wash their hands after using the bathroom in any capacity and we've secretly kept a list so to avoid any potlucks where they take food or to get food before they do."

- SafewordisJohnCandy

We're left with chills after reading these stories.

Where some people might make some mistakes in the kitchen out of just not knowing, like not properly washing rice before cooking it, most of these are just careless mistakes that have disgusting, if not dangerous, results.

Collection of VHS tapes
Bruno Guerrero/Unsplash

What makes us all unique is our passions and the things we love, whether it's singing in the shower, reading books, or listening to specific music artists.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where we are judged for our various tastes and interests thanks to social media, and it makes us consciously selective about sharing the things we love on the internet.

Curious to hear about people's personal desires under anonymity, Redditor sweet_chick283 asked:

"What do you secretly love that you would never admit to in public?"

These aren't really chores for the following Redditors.

Good Clean Fun

"Mopping, im a janitor and generally hate my work... but damn mopping is so good."

– MrDDog06

"When you have a great rhythm going it is something special. I get the same feeling while I vacuum, but won’t let my wife know I enjoy it."

– Bogus_34

Act Of Unwrinkling

"Ironing clothes. A dozen of them. Can’t explain how it relaxes me. I told one person and they looked at me like I’m crazy."

– eerie_white_glow

"My mum misses the days when dad would be out on a Friday night, my brother out with friends and me upstairs quietly playing PS1. She would pour herself a Bacardi & Coke and do the ironing while watching her TV shows."

"I'm sure she doesn't really miss it now that we've moved out and they've retired but it was her wind-down after a busy working week so I can see how people can find it relaxing."

– xdq

Our solo actions can spark joy.

Big Brother Is Watching

"pretending to be on the Truman show and whenever im in my house i act all inconspicuous so they dont know that i know that they’re watching me."

– Bec_121

"C’mon man, you’re not supposed to let him know. You signed a contract when signing up for live views. I’m reporting you."

– doeswaspsmakehoney

The Multi-Tasker

"Playing video games naked at home while eating cheese."

– thickening_agent

Releasing The Kraken

"I love the feeling when you've eaten good fibre and let out a solid long train log in the toilet. That feeling is heavenly."

– therapoootic

"Even better when it’s a clean wipe and not a poo crayon."

– TheWarmestHugz

Ultimate Comfort

"My (male 41) weekend routine is coming home from work, make hot chocolate, start a fire, dress in a ugly pink nightgown made for old ladies and watch forensic files."

– crazyloomis

Some people are obsessed with collecting things.

So Kawai

"Sanrio stationery stores. All those different multicolor pens, a thousand kinds of erasers, spiral bound notebooks galore... my kids sadly have absolutely no appreciation for this wonderland..."

– HavingNotAttained

It's A Staple

"Office supplies have a weird, special place in my heart ever since I was a kid. They don't even have to be 'cute' necessarily."

"Japan's legendary stationery stores is unironically a reason I want to go."

– _CozyLavender_

Not Caring Anymore

"The older I get the shorter that list gets. Not because I love less things, but because I don't care about hiding it."

– Bi-Beast

"YES!! I'm 53 now. I'm working my first job in public since 2006. Today is Halloween and we're allowed to dress up so I am sitting here waiting to go to work dressed as a VERY bad Wednesday Addams. My bf said I'd 'look stupid' because no one else will probably dress up and I'm like, 'WHO CARES!' My makeup looks horrible and not like I practiced, but I DO NOT CARE! I'm having fun with it anyhow and I don't care if my coworkers dress up or not. I'm bein' ME! :)"

– deanie1970

Honorable mentions start here.

The Savior

"Picking up worms from the street and sidewalks when it rains and moving them into the dirt so they don’t burn in the sun, every time it rains I do this."

– sky_kitten89

Hero Of The Moment

"Yoooo I scoot SO many snails and worms. I work as a tech/mechanic at an automotive shop, I had a peoject car towed to my house the other day and it was covered in snails. I saw them when the tow guy/coworker was unloading and I was like, 'oh! It comes with free snails!' and began moving them. He laughed then realized and said, '... Oh, you're serious. Uh... Okay.'"

"I don't care who knows it. These little things barely can look out for themselves, why shouldn't we if we can take a moment to help? I don't care what happens next, it probably doesn't matter overall but I can help this moment."

– chris14020

Why should some of the hidden desires mentioned above have to be secret?

Redditors opening up about some of these would make them a hit at parties–no shaming.

As a matter of fact, I'll totally be down for a Forensic Files viewing party where we all make hot chocolate, light the fireplace, and cozy up together in our respective pink ugly nightgowns for old ladies.