Honest People Share The Moment They Realized They Needed To Get Their Life Under Control
Honest People Share The Moment They Realized They Needed To Get Their Life Under Control
[rebelmouse-image 18351123 is_animated_gif=Life can get away from you quickly if you're not paying attention. Like a small child in Disneyland or a dog with an open front door, it'll run fast and hard. Before you know it you find your life in dire straits, with choices and consequences that you never intended. It's usually those moments when you reflect and decide, "NO. MORE. Get your life together, Karen!" That's what Reddit user, u/itsclassified_, wanted to know when they asked:
Ok Reddit, what was your "holy sh-t, need to get my life together" moment?
When You Become The Prime Study Example
[rebelmouse-image 18351125 is_animated_gif=When I literally became a case study.
I was 18, and on my third stint in a refeeding clinic for anorexia. Every time I went in, I would be hypercompliant until they let me out and then immediately revert to my old behaviour. The third time I had a psychiatrist ask me if I could be a case study for their thesis on the rate of relapse and mortality in anorexic youth.
I was 32 kilos (70lb) at 5"4, I had the bone density of an astronaut, I have so many digestive problems now that were only worse then, and somehow the idea that I was going to be someone's case study was the moment I figured out I was going to die if I kept this up.
I am nearly a decade older now and I weigh a much healthier amount. No idea what it is because I don't own a scale and haven't in over a year. It's often still a struggle and likely will be for life, but I'm doing a lot better now.
When You're Too Much For The Study
[rebelmouse-image 18351126 is_animated_gif=Applied to participate in a study about depression at my school. The intake interviewer said I was too depressed for the depression study.
Good lord. Are you any better now?
Don't worry, I'm much better now! The interviewer lady set up an emergency psych appointment for me at student counseling, and I started doing therapy. A few months later I got on meds, and now, over a year after that rock bottom moment, I'm happy, well medicated, and haven't had a suicidal thought in many months.
When Your Movie Collection Becomes A Mirror
[rebelmouse-image 18351127 is_animated_gif=I once downloaded a movie that I owned. It was on a shelf across the room, but I was too lazy to get out of my chair and go get it. So I just downloaded it.
Then as I sat there watching the progress bar, I realized, "Geeze. I better get a f-cking life."
So I went out for a walk instead.
When Your Ice Creams Spurs You On
[rebelmouse-image 18351129 is_animated_gif=I am lactose intolerant. I was obese, and didn't care what I did with my body. I didn't work out, I didn't eat right, I didn't even maintain myself well.
I one day ate 3 pints of ice cream in one sitting. I got incredibly sick, I mean almost anyone would, but even moreso. After several days of feeling like absolute trash I decided enough was enough and started working out and eating healthy.
Within a year I was down 70 pounds, and by 18 months I was down 100+, and I've kept it off. that discipline helped me in other things in life, I got a better job and grew as a person, taking much more care of myself, relationships and my surroundings.
amazing what 3 pints of ice cream can do...
When It's A Good Start
[rebelmouse-image 18351130 is_animated_gif=I ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis and withdraw seizures due to my alcoholism.
This was on the 31st of May. I have since been researching programs and have talked to a social worker.
Haven't had a drink since the 30th so it's a start
When What You Hate Becomes Your Reason
[rebelmouse-image 18351131 is_animated_gif=Dropped out of college, moved my way up the managerial ladder at Lowes for the next three years. Was offered a promotion to department manager and saw myself working retail at 50, still taking crap from entitled customers.
Went back to college and am now doing what I really love.
No offense to retail workers, I just don't like people enough to make a career of that sh-t.
When Fan Fiction Turns You Around
[rebelmouse-image 18351132 is_animated_gif=I read a fan fic that made me realize I was in an abusive marriage.
When You Have One Of Those Nights
[rebelmouse-image 18351133 is_animated_gif=I got drunk off of whiskey by doing straight shots while I was alone. I then proceeded to black out, accidentally steal my neighbor's laundry out of the washing machine, and stuff the wet laundry into my drawers before passing out.
Edit: By "drawers" I mean the furniture and not my underwear.
When Your Summer Job Betrays You
[rebelmouse-image 18348993 is_animated_gif=I was 25 and subletting a sh-thole apartment from a coworker in this restaurant we both worked at for the summer. I didn't graduate high school and had worked these ball bustin' jobs since I was 17 and had really no future prospects.
I was sitting up one night on the computer and had the "I can't believe this is where I am and this is what I'm doing" intrusive thoughts. I really was at rock bottom. I looked at my local community college website that night and was signed up for classes the next day. Eventually, I got my GED as well so that I could transfer to university after my time was done there.
I'm getting ready to start my masters in education in 2 weeks. :)
When It's A High School Wake Up Call
[rebelmouse-image 18351134 is_animated_gif=When she told me she was pregnant - I was 17 years old. That was 28 years ago and we are still happily married (after a few bumps in the road along the way). But it was a cold dose of reality at 17 that I had a child on the way, and I needed to be prepared for that and get serious about my direction in life.
I'm happy to report our son, now 27, is doing great as well - lives with his girlfriend and about to embark on a culinary career.
When Your Vice Becomes A Crutch
[rebelmouse-image 18351135 is_animated_gif=When I had to sneak drinks at work to keep the shakes away
When You Talk Back To The Wrong Person
[rebelmouse-image 18345882 is_animated_gif=Long version, in the Air Force, first duty station was on Guam. I stayed drunk, and I mean a fifth a day drunk. Got too wild at the barracks and was taken in by the security police. A few hours later, locked in a room at the cop shop, and the duty chaplain walked in to talk to me. I asked him what it was like to be a virgin. He kind of laughed and told me he wasn't that kind of chaplain, pulled out his wallet and showed me pictures of his wife and kids. I don't remember what we talked about after that, but he got them to release me and took me back to my barracks.
I remembered what I said to him the night before, and it was like God slapped me upside my head. A chaplain gets out of bed in the middle of the night, leaving his family, to talk to a drunk that he doesn't even know, and the best I got is to ask him that. I wish I could say I never touched a drop after that, but it took a very hard year of trying to stay straight before I got. I've been clean and sober since November 8th, 1984.
The lasting lesson for me is that you never know when a few kind words can change someone's life forever. I don't know that mans name, but I thank God for him every day.
When You Have What Others Do
[rebelmouse-image 18351138 is_animated_gif=Just another alcohol related post here.
Drinking three pints of hundred proof smirnoff a day, I thought I was functional. I got sick with a virus, nothing serious, but I couldn't keep food or liquids down for 48 hours. I was throwing up & had a high fever.
Through all of this I was shaking in my bed and managed to still keep my vodka down, because the thought of an alcohol-withdrawal seizure scared the f-ck out of me.
Cleaned up a month later & now I'm at just over two months sober. Sh-t needed to change & it has gotten better.
When Your Best Friend Speaks Truth
[rebelmouse-image 18351140 is_animated_gif=When my best friend looked me in the eye and said "If you don't leave her, you will die."
It took that to make me realize that I had spent the last three months drinking myself to sleep every night because the girl I was engaged to spent most of her time alternating between telling me how worthless and useless I was and accusing me of cheating. She told me daily how pathetic I was and how I was wasting my time with writing because I would never be published.
It took three tries to finally get away from her, and then a wild couple of months where I tried to forget about all the sh-t she put me through while also swinging on a roller coaster of depression.
6 years later and I've had a short story published, a novel published, and I've been in therapy to fix the things she did to my brain.
When Your Best Friend Leaves you
[rebelmouse-image 18351142 is_animated_gif=When my best friend told me to get out of his apartment after I showed up there after a 3.5 day drug bender.
I must've said something to him but I can't remember for the life of me what it was. He's spoken to me exactly one time since.
I miss him but I've gotten sober and I got a new job and go to the gym every other day now.
When Those Who Are Silent Speak Up
[rebelmouse-image 18351144 is_animated_gif=Told my nonconfrontational dad that I thought I had a drinking problem.
Having him flat out tell me I really did have a drinking problem was the end of me drinking.
When It's Every Part Of Your Life
[rebelmouse-image 18351145 is_animated_gif=3 years of unemployment and realizing that every problem was because of my presentation, drug use & how I spoke.
I spent 3 months losing flab (370-340), sold my PC and gaming stuff and bought some new clothing and got a haircut, started NA for my meth addiction and shotgunned my pathetic resume and got hired at a call center for att. 5 years later I'm now making more than 3X as much as that call center (18k to 65k), married and traveled to Japan twice.
If you told me 5 years ago I'd be here I'd have called you and myself insane.
When The Scale Speaks Truth
[rebelmouse-image 18351146 is_animated_gif=When I stepped on the scale and was within 15 lbs of hitting 300; my heaviest was 287 lbs.
Starting eating less, counting calories, switched to diet soda, going for long walks (I hate running/jogging).
Currently weighing in at 184 lbs!! (still a bit overweight BMI for my height but it's WAY healthier than being obese)
Edit to add: Thanks for the gold! Lots of support here too, which I didn't expect. I went to the doctor yesterday for a physical and weighed in at 183!!!
To anyone starting the journey: it's not easy, but it is worth it. It's also slow - and should be, rapid weight loss is usually gained back but steady loss indicates positive lifestyle adjustments. It took me just under 5 YEARS to drop ~100 lbs.
It's hard to describe just how much better life is at a more-normal weight. People treat you nicer (I was freaked out the first time someone checked me out because it had literally NEVER happened before), clothes are WAY easier to find, and airplane seats are much more comfortable.
When Your Cat Is Your Safety Rope
[rebelmouse-image 18351147 is_animated_gif=So this is a super downer so I apologize but it was the biggest wake up call of my life. 2013 was the worst year of my life. I was struggling with finishing my degree, I had just moved to a new city and I couldn't seem to find a good job. I have struggled with depression my whole life but that year was the worst. So I decided to kill myself. I took the screen out of my window and was planning jump. Since I lived on the 12th story I figured that would do it. I also had an elderly cat at the time and in my crazy, depression addled brain I decided that I should take her with me because she only liked me and no one else could love her like I did.
Almost as soon as I had that thought my rational brain went, "hey now" and I realized how off my view of things really was and that maybe I needed to reach out for some help. I realized that I didn't want to die I just didn't want to keep living the way I was living. So I put the screen back in the window and started to make some changes. I didn't happen over night but now I am happy most of the time and so glad that I am still here.
Edit: Thanks for all the well wishes, it really means a lot to me. And for my cat tax here is the kitty in question, Timshel. She passed away in June 2017 at age 17. She had a good life.
When The Intervention Is Almost Divine
[rebelmouse-image 18351148 is_animated_gif=I had just been left by my now ex-wife who left out of the blue to go be with her new thing in Hawaii (I hate Hawaii now). Through a complicated arrangement where I was living in an apartment owned by my ex's boss (this bridge got burned during the divorce), I was being kicked out and was in the process of sleeping in my car and trying to find a new place. I was extremely depressed and was drinking all day everyday, even while driving.
So, one day I was driving home from work, about a 90 minute commute wherein I would drink beer. A cop pulled behind me on the freeway and followed me for a good five minutes. He then put on the lights. I seriously almost s*** pants, I've never been so scared in my life. I knew there was no way to cover up. So I pull over, he walks up, and before he even reaches my window, a car rear ends another car at full speed about 50 feet behind us. The cop says something like, "get out of here safely," and then turned around running to go address the car accident.
I was seconds away from losing my license, my job, my whole life really. I didn't drink for a few months after that encounter and I've since gotten that under control, but damn it was the scariest moment ever but it sure kicked my a-- into gear.
H/T: Reddit
People Confess Dreaming Of Doing Something All Their Life Then Hating It Once They Did It
Reddit user buzzkill007 asked: 'Have you ever dreamed of doing something your whole life only to find out, once you did it, that you hated it? What was it?'
They say "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."
You know, the notion that we shouldn't fear things we haven't tried and that getting out of our comfort zone could lead to a wealth of wonderful discoveries.
Most times, fear isn't preventing us from trying the things we've been wanting to try–whether it's a new career or a hobby. We just haven't gotten there yet.
But take note, it's not always what it seems once we get there.
Curious to hear from strangers, Redditor buzzkill007 asked:
"Have you ever dreamed of doing something your whole life only to find out, once you did it, that you hated it? What was it?"
The stress level in medical professions is not for everyone.
Helping Saving Lives
"Being an EMT"
"I had planned on it being my lifelong career since middle school. I loved the medical field and wanted to save lives but knew I wouldn’t have the stamina to get through medical school."
"I got into training as soon as I graduated high school and I was top of my class in the educational sense, but as soon as I started doing ride-alongs everything just kind of fell apart on me."
"I didn’t fit in well with the firefighters, which sounds stupid but I think I really needed that brotherhood if I was going to survive in that field. The real problem, however, was my empathy. I knew quickly that I would not be able to see people on their worst days everyday. I could deal with broken bones and blood, but I hadn’t prepared myself for the screams."
"I work for a museum now lol."
– Livingroxets
The Young Widower
"I met quite a few paramedics whilst doing work in the vaccination centres last year. One of them had recently quit, and I asked why. She told me she had been on a call out with a young couple and a baby. The mum had a headache, and the baby was crying in bed so the dad went to soothe the baby whilst the mum laid down on the sofa. When the dad came back to the mum, she had passed away. I wasn't told what she died of but the girl telling the story was getting upset over it. She hated the idea of this child no longer having a mother, and the dad having lost his partner with absolutely no warning, and so young. So it wasn't even a gruesome one, just an upsetting one that made her give it up."
– Isgortio
The Guilt Complex
"My brother was an EMT because he wanted to help people. Started to blame himself for the people he couldn’t save, we almost lost him. Thank God he had some pretty stellar friends who went looking for him at 2am. EMTs are a different breed man, I don’t know how they do it."
– Lonely-Ninja
The Thing About Empathy
"The empathy thing is very interesting. My medical friends and family would always tell me I'd be great in the medical field because I'm so caring. That is precisely why I would be awful in the medical field. I hate seeing people suffering."
– Tim3-Rainbow
At first, these seemed desirable until they learned it was anything but.
Weightlessness
"I couldn't wait to 'pull g's' in an airplane. Then I did. It sucked."
– papafrog
"I cannot stress enough how fast pulling Gs gets old. The first couple turns are fun but then it’s like, 'I don’t feel good.' Fun times getting picked up from training sites by helicopter pilots on flight training and you’re just looking out the side of the Blackhawk at nothing but ground and you’re like are helicopters supposed to turn like this?"
– anon
Career As An Animator
"All my life I wanted to make cartoons."
"I fought with tooth and nail to reach the top."
"Then I interned for an old studio in Burbank specializing in cartoons about a certain yellow family."
"Then, after college, I became a mechanic and never looked back."
– DreyfusBlue
Formerly Aspiring Craftsman
"Blacksmithing. I watched a ton of blacksmithing content on youtube, got SUPER intrigued and wanted to build my own setup in the backyard. My Father talked me into trying a class before jumping in headfirst, and I am glad I did. My Father and I were the only two in the class that day so we got all the attention from the instructor which was awesome, he really helped us both perfect our techniques and corrected any mistakes quickly so we didn't form any bad habits, it was the best instructor I have ever had for anything, guy was an amazing teacher. He even offered to let us stay for a couple more hours to make another piece, which we took him up on. After all that, an amazing class, 3 metal pieces that I worked on and created by myself by hand, I walked away... dissatisfied. I think metal as a medium just felt very hard to work with, everything is super hot and dangerous, and I just didn't see myself wanting to ever do it again. I really recommend taking a class to try something out rather than spending time and money to build your own setup for something you may hate. I spent 75$ to save thousands."
– Roadronner
It Takes A Different Breed To Lead
"Being the boss of people. Boss is a title, but being an effective leader of people is an emotionally draining, often thankless roller coaster."
– DingbatDarrel
People who tried their hand at becoming lawyers found it to be extremely unpleasant.
Fighting For The Environment
"'I want to be an environmental lawyer when I grow up! I'm going to help save the world!' F'king kill me dude, I don't even have the energy to save myself anymore."
–Superseriouslyguys
"Interned at an environmental nonprofit over the summer while I was in law school."
"It was the worst parts of legal work and the worst parts of nonprofit work all mashed together."
"Edit: Ok this is getting a lot more eyeballs than I expected so I feel the need to clarify that it actually was not as bad as other non-legal nonprofits I'd later work at in terms of toxicity but it was intensely difficult work with very long hours and a lot of pressure - all of which made me realize I prob wasn't cut out for law much less environmental law."
– krylonultraflat
My Name Is Not Sharon
"I remember a girl in law school who had a similar experience, like they just had her getting coffee and cleaning out the office fridge all summer. Then at the end of the internship one of the directors of the program was like 'oh Sharon, you were our best intern this summer!' Susan. Her name was Susan."
– Superseriouslyguys
The Alternative
"Fellow lawyer here."
"Dip out and get yourself a cushy government job, easy 9-5 work hours, never take work home, plus you get a pension after it's all said and done."
"And then start living life outside of work. Focus on yourself."
– Pitiful-Reaction9534
Life is about taking chances.
You never know what you're capable of until you try different experiences.
And even if you don't succeed or found that whatever it is you tried wasn't for you, it's all a learning experience about how you deal in stressful or unfamiliar situations and overcome them.
The key is in finding your strengths, which you'll never find unless you put yourself out there and do the work. If it's not for you, something else will present itself.
At least that's what I'd like to think.
Everyone has a memory from their school days that always makes them laugh when it crosses their minds.
Be it someone passing gas at a very inopportune moment, an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction during a school play or sporting event, or, perhaps most of all, a spectacular prank.
Of course, while every single member of the student body likely finds these incidents and occurrences hilarious, the faculty and staff often find little to nothing funny about them.
Mainly because they often have to deal with the consequences and pandemonium caused by these dubiously hilarious events.
"What funny thing happened at school that caused utter chaos for the faculty?
Holy Sh*t
"2000"
"Teachers trying to stop kids smoking in the bathroom so they locked the bathroom doors."
"Kid took a sh*t on the carpet in front of the bathroom door, like right in the main hallway."
"Chaos ensued."
"Today, that kid is a pastor."
"Lol."- Jimmycapped
Cheaters Almost Always Get Caught
"It wasn't funny, but when I was in high school, there were two teachers in the school that were married."
"I was sitting in the husbands classroom waiting for the class to start when another kid ran in and said 'Hey Mr B, your wife is making out with Mr H in his classroom'."
"Turns out they'd locked the door, but about a dozen kids were looking through the skinny door window watching them."
"The guy didn't even say anything."
"He just looked crushed."
"He just walked out of the class and never came back...I mean we never saw him again."
"Turned out his wife and the other teacher had been having an affair and he'd might have suspected, but having it confirmed by one of his students in front of the whole class was too much."
"The school didn't discipline the two cheaters, but the students sure as hell did."
"Both of them had to listen to 'cheating' puns and jokes every day."
"'Hey Ms S, I'm going to copy off Joe's test, cheating is cool with you right?'" kind of stuff."
"Neither came back the next school year."- McFeely_Smackup
Cartoons Button GIF by NickelodeonGiphyWhere He Went, Music Followed...
"Hired a mariachi band to follow around our principal for our senior class prank."
"It was hysterical."- JulieFromJerz
Complicated Role Model...
"In middle school, a staff (not a teacher, he watched lunch and was a basketball coach for a high school) got arrested for selling weed to the kids."
"He won an award for 'best staff of the year' that year which had an entire yearbook page dedicated to him, but he was arrested after the yearbooks were printed."
"They had to go into each yearbook and cover that page with purple duct tape (to match the color scheme)."
"Prior to him being arrested, I was getting bullied horribly."
"None of the teachers or other staff could get the kids to stop, but once the staff who was arrested said 'leave Spencer alone'," the kids would immediately stop."
"I later realized he was threatening to take their weed away if they bullied me, and that's why he was the only one who could get them to stop."- Spencer2091
Funny Might Not Be The Best Word...
"Someone had a baby in the bathroom stall."
"I wish I was making this up."- JacobCStowe
baby GIFGiphyLegs Are Legs!
"They banned shorts because they were not professional enough."
"So all the boys wore skirts as a protest."- Haboobalub·
Or Did They Just Have A Time-Turner In Their Pocket?
"One of the classrooms at my school was a prefab hut, and over time it developed a hole in the floor at the back of the room (developed, or was helped, unsure)."
"Every lesson I had in there for a good few months before they fixed it, someone would arrive, greet the teacher, and sit down."
"Then after a few minutes they'd arrive again, straight-faced 'sorry I'm late sir', and sit down."
"Then again a few minutes later they'd arrive again... etc."
"The fun part was watching the teacher playing the memory game of figuring out who'd arrived too many times."- telnorp
Depends On How Short We're Talking...
"Freshman year one of my friends wanted to me run for student body vice president as a part of his counterculture party."
"He insisted on having me be his VP, to the point where he got all the necessary signatures for me to run without my knowledge and just went ahead and signed me up."
"We had to write speeches to get other kids to vote for us, and those speeches had to be approved beforehand by some faculty member."
"So I wrote a very disparaging speech about the validity and purpose of student council, laden with curse words and personal attacks towards our administration, thinking it would get screened ahead of time and they would disqualify me."
"I guess no one actually read my speech and just rubber stamped it, so on that morning they pulled me aside and handed me a printed out copy of my speech."
homer simpson drinking GIFGiphy"I went ahead and gave my speech and I guess none of the faculty knew what to do because no one stopped me but they were clearly panicked and furious."
"I got a lot of laughs and applause."
"I assume it was too late to print all new ballots because when we went to vote my name was crossed out with a sharpie."
"I also got suspended for 5 days despite my explanation that I did not want to run and submitted my speech for approval, on time, fully intending to be disqualified."
"I was also told by some older student council members involved in the ballot counting process that I won by a landslide due to write ins and people just circling the black line of my name, but I have no idea if that's true."- pieonthedonkey
Ladders Must Have Been In Short Supply...
"A student got ahold of a LOT of explicit pictures and taped them to all of the school clocks, suspended from the ceiling. None of the teachers were tall enough to pull them down, so they were up there for a bit."- Unlikely_Use
A Hard One To Erase From Memory (...Pun Intended...)
"My wife is a school teacher, and a couple years ago the senior prank was them sticking a bunch of those suction cupsex toys to the windows."
"And let's just say that the school has a lot of windows."
"It was the brain child of some douche bag architect who thought building a high school with no walls just windows was good idea."
"Any way, they managed to get the largest of the them stuck to the 3rd floor outside window, of one of the classrooms."
"So the male assistant principal gets a ladder, but its not quite long enough so he's teetering on the top of this ladder trying knock a 2-foot long purple d*ck of the side of the school with a broom handle."
"She said he was beating that thing as it owed him money, and it was just bouncing around, flopping and banging against the window."
"While everyone watched through tears of laughter."- Nutesatchel
What The Hell Comedy GIF by Paramount+GiphyDid ANYONE Find This Funny?
"Someone in my high school sent letters to everyone they deemed 'virgins' parents saying their son or daughter was tested for and found to have an STD by the school nurse and that they needed to come to the school immediately."
"Used the school letterhead etc so they got charged with mail fraud lol."- B__Malz
When In Doubt, Follow Moses...
"In my HS, there was a solid week where somebody set a trash can on fire daily."
"Nobody knew if it was one person or a group of people, but I think after day five everyone got pretty tired of having to stand out in the football field while the fire department inspected the area.
"It stopped after that week with no explanation and no word from the culprit."
"Second best was definitely the senior prank performed by the class two years ahead of mine."
"They bought crickets from our local PetSmart and set them free on our school’s main staircase."
"It took forever to get rid of them and I can remember sitting in class and hearing faint chirping coming from seemingly every direction."- Livingroxets
"A boy in my class brought some locusts in to show and tell."
"They escaped and got into the air vents."
"This was just before summer break."
"School came back to a full-on plague."- Big_Explanation_8803
Bugs Insects GIF by The GuardianGiphyNeedless to say, one has little doubt that any of the planned occurrences in these stories were ever meant to be found funny by the faculty or staff.
Even so, one also has little doubt that they've all looked back and laughed about some of these with the passage of time...
I embarrass myself in the search for love constantly.
Or in the need to try and impress.
I can't help it.
And I know I'm not alone.
Every time I come face to face with a crush or someone that intimidates me, all of my wit, wisdom, and self-respect flies out the window. Suddenly words are just sounds that make no sense. I also laugh at the most inappropriate moments.
Trying to impress someone should be easy.
Well, maybe not easy, it can be a challenge but it shouldn't land anyone in the ER.
When did trying to gain someone's attention become a sporting event?
Thank God for Xanax.
I have found a little calm goes a long way.
A deleted Redditor wanted everyone to share about the times we've been left red in the face, so they asked:
"What is the most embarrassing thing you've ever said to someone you were trying to impress?"
I once fell off of a treadmill trying to flirt with my high school crush.
I was running way too fast to show my "stamina."
I destroyed my Discman and my dignity.
Oh My
Licking Ice Cream GIF by MLB NetworkGiphy"Crush in High School worked at an ice cream store. When she asked for toppings I said 'I’ll have Reese’s penises please.' The store laughed."
WhaleyWino235
Tom Morello's Hometown
"I worked at the local guitar shop in town in high school. It happens to be Tom Morello's hometown (of rage against the machine fame). The owner used to babysit him when Tom was little and he'd always stop by to say hi when they were in town on tour. This was around the time of the evil empire and they were at peak popularity."
"He came in one day while I was there and asked if John was in. 16-year-old me just looked at him and asked 'Do you know who you are?!?!' He just laughed and said yes. Humiliated I went and got the owner and then tried to hide and die from shame."
matthewmichael
Echoes
"I was around 15, going through the receiving line at my cousin's wedding. This was my first 'grown-up' wedding and I wanted to act it. As I hugged my cousin I blurted out 'I'm so excited to be here! The last wedding I was at was your first one!'"
"That has echoed in my head for 30 years."
"E: This was my cousin's second wedding. The groom's first."
LGBecca
No Tip
"A server trying to get a tip: I went to clear a shared dessert dish from a table of 4 - mom, dad, and 2 sons. One son jokingly pointed at his mom and said 'She ate most of it.' I, the braindead server who was/is terrible at banter, but trying to get a tip said the first reply that came to mind: 'I can tell.' No idea why. Terrible reaction, as expected. No tip."
1nd1anaCroft
Snap
Buffering Back To School GIF by Rodney DangerfieldGiphy"I can do a Kickflip, then proceed to elegantly snap my ankle."
Mrlightyboy
Why do we risk our lives?
Have we really lost the ability for a simple flirt?
Where?
The Beautiful Game Thumbs Up GIF by World CupGiphy"I did once (truthfully) tell a girl from Austria that I didn't know what the capital of Austria was - which wouldn't be too embarrassing, except that I was wearing a t-shirt which said 'Vienna Rocks' on it at the time. She thought I was joking."
Ok-Fudge8848
The Red Lights
"I told everyone I knew about my plan to go on a trip to Europe. I had planned to tour different countries by train with a special visit to… Amsterdam. My intention was to visit a marijuana cafe, but in my ignorance, I thought that these were all located in the red lights district. I would tell people I was going to the red light district and they would understandably pause and ask me… why?"
"Trying to be sly I would say something like 'to do what the locals do of course,' believing that this meant smoking marijuana in a cafe… I was actually telling everyone I knew, friends, teachers, relatives, coworkers, that I was going to cross the Atlantic so I could hire a sex worker."
Virtual-Elderberry31
How Far You'll Go
"Was on an airplane years ago with my girlfriend and her parents. My girlfriend couldn't get a seat next to me and sat directly behind me. During the flight, I thought I would surprise her and reached my hand back onto her knee. Slowly I kept extending it up her thigh until I heard giggling."
"Looked behind through the seats and saw that my hand was on the leg of the guy next to her. He saw my face and said, 'I just wanted to see how far you'd go.' Of course, my girlfriend was in on it and started laughing along with the rest of the row. Was so embarrassed."
Ladon1949
Not Cool
"I was skating at a school and my girlfriend calls me and says she wants to hang out. Tell her I'm skating but she can meet me at the school and we can figure out what we're doing from there. She shows up looking cute AF, so clearly I need to impress her. There was a little two stair where she was waiting for me and I went to do a BS 180 down it. Instead of just landing normally, I thought I would look more bada** if I stomped the landing."
"As I landed my lead foot came off the board and I landed with all of my weight on that ankle... Immediate excruciating pain ensued and I'm on the ground rolling in pain. My sad attempt to look cool skating had turned into one of the worst injuries I received and an extremely embarrassing moment. The pain was so bad I could barely drive my car back home because I severely injured my right ankle."
"Didn't break my ankle but I did have a severe ankle sprain. I've had surgery on it and it's much better, but it just has never been quite the same. As far as the girlfriend goes, we're still together and have been married for 10 years."
DJAXL
Listen Again
Go Away Beyonce GIFGiphy"I told a musician I like that I liked a specific song. It was not his song."
Naca-7
We are so silly.
Why can't we just say 'Hey' and get on with it?
Such drama.
We've all had to learn something the hard way or at a super inconvenient time.
But because we're always learning new things, of course there will have to be some things that we learn later, rather than sooner, no matter the consequences of learning it too late.
Redditor IndianaC0NES asked:
"What's an important lesson you learned the hard way?"
Money Management
"Do not spend like there’s no tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and it won’t be pretty."
- cpu5555
Permanent Partner
"Never have kids with someone you don’t want in your life forever."
- pntszrn74
Make It Official First
"Money doesn’t exist until the deposit hits your bank account, and business promises mean nothing until legal documents are signed."
- FriscoFrank98
Know Your Limits
"Learn when to stop drinking and call it a night."
- Gadrilor
Trust Your Gut
"If something feels wrong, it likely is."
- drzed47
"This is closely related to, 'If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.'"
- remag_nation
The Importance of Dental Health
"Dental care is expensive!! Never be lazy with oral hygiene."
- the_rice_life
"And dental problems are EXTREMELY PAINFUL."
- Next-Confection3261
Be Careful Who You Share It With
"Not everyone has the same heart as you do."
- Accomplished_Hat2770
Be Wary of Bullies
"Not everyone is a good person. Some people actually want to see you fail. Stop oversharing. These nasty people will use it against you."
- Ko_ogs72
"My brain still can't comprehend someone being a d**k for no reason."
- Arny520
Recognize the Red Flags
"Don't let love blind your eyes, red flags are real."
- Fxk07
"And: No one is worth sacrificing your self-respect for."
- Waltzing_Methusalah
"It sucks when you’re halfway to learning this lesson before you even realize it. It’s so important to know your boundaries and respect yourself with the diligence required to walk away from people creating toxic patterns in your life, even or ESPECIALLY before you have the full picture to work with."
"We all know it’s heading south long before these things have terrible consequences on oneself/life. At a certain point, it’s too late to escape unscathed. Self-respect and what amounts to the ‘sunken-cost dilemma’ NEVER go together in relationships."
- brashbabu
The Likelihood of Success
"It's possible to make no wrong moves and still lose."
- Tropicsenshi
Family Ties
"Your family doesn't always have your best interest at heart."
- OhMyGodBearIsDriving
"Sometimes, family are just a bunch of bad people who are biologically related to you."
- noorofmyeye24
Wear the Helmet
"WEAR A HELMET."
"It's an easy safety precaution you can take when rollerblading, biking, skateboarding, scootering, etc. And it can literally save your life."
"I went all through the 90s thinking helmets were lame... I Fell while rollerblading in my 30s and got a subdural hematoma. I wasn't going fast but the momentum from how I fell just slammed my head into the concrete."
"HELMETS SAVE LIVES."
- Shortiie5115
Proper Eye and Ear Care
"Here is my PSA about eye protection. You only have two eyes and many injuries are not repairable. I have a completely s**t vision in one eye because of an injury and I'm constantly paranoid about something happening to the good eye. Wear safety glasses folk, it's important."
- ipsok
"And ear protection. You do not want Tinnitus."
- farmerofstrawberries
Love Your Loved Ones
"Always take a chance to tell someone you love them. To give them a hug."
"Never end a conversation with a harsh word."
"Both for the same reason. You never know if you will get to see that person alive again."
"I learned both those lessons from each of my parents."
- Edgezg
Self Advocate
"Stand up for yourself. If you get in the habit of letting people walk all over you, it'll be extremely difficult to reverse. Even if you're not confident, just fake it till you make it!"
- MISTERDIEABETIC
As humans, we will never stop learning and taking in new information, but there are, of course, some things that we wish we could have learned sooner or through an easier path.
But at least now that we've learned these lessons, we can share them with others, so they might not have to take the same path we did.