Space, the final frontier. We're not even sure what's out there to be scared of yet, but that doesn't mean there hasn't already been a fair share of terrifying experiences.
Here are incredible and terrifying true stories of accidents in space, and the daring astronauts who faced them head on. Enjoy! And make sure to check out the sources for even more.
(1/21)
In one of the most embarrassing cases of "I left this thing on?" astronaut John Young developed an unfortunate gas attack while he was standing on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission. He blamed the digestion issue on the fruit that NASA had been feeding him.
However, while fart jokes might be funny and all, passing gas was a serious health concern for the mission. Not only did zero gravity mean that it was often pushed back into the digestive system, the introduction of methane with the pure oxygen environment of the suit could potentially create a deadly explosion. Which is why the diet for the astronauts was so heavily regulated in the first place.
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(2/21)
Astronaut Bob Curbeam was a seasoned space walker, so when he stepped out to install upgrades to the ISS he wasn't expecting trouble. However, a cooling line broke and began spraying his suit with deadly ammonia. Now Curbeam was faced with two serious problems, first he needed to stop the leak and then he needed to figure out how he was going to return to the station without contaminating the sterilized interior and putting his cremates at risk.
The leak was the easy part, as Curbeam knew the hardware well enough to make the fix. But the ammonia was a much trickier problem. Like most astronauts, Curbeam decided the best course of action would be to solve the problem with SCIENCE! He knew ammonia has a low boiling point, so in order to get himself clean all he needed to do was vaporize it from the suit. He baked himself in sunlight for an extra thirty minutes, which was enough to get him back in and have the suit cleaned properly. Luckily there was no contamination.
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(3/21)
While real astronaut food isn't quite as bad as the stuff you can buy at the gift shop, limitations of space travel still leaves a lot to be desired. Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as staples like bread are impractical for storage and tend to leave a lot of crumbs. Tortillas are common, but astronauts tend to get sick of the same rotating eight-day meal schedule.
In 2004, an unmanned cargo ship was set to deliver fresh food to the ISS, but was delayed by unforeseen complications. Commander Leroy Chiao and engineer Salizhan Sharipov were stuck without fresh rations, so they were forced to cut their regular food consumption to preserve supplies. It wasn't all bad though, as they got to make up the calorie deficit by eating abundant deserts.
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(4/21)
During Chris Hadfield's first flight, he and the crew had to connect a space shuttle weighing a quarter million pounds to a target the size of a coffee cup on the Mir Space Station. Hadfield's job was to give the speed and range information to the pilot while they docked, an important job because of how precise the landing needed to be. Traveling at 1/10th of a foot per second with only a two minute window of opportunity, failure would be catastrophic.
When they were just thirty feet away, Hadfield noticed the sensors were giving him two different readings at 32ft and 20ft. With some serious quick thinking, he used his thumb to eyeball the distance through a window and grabbed a stopwatch to do some quick math. He was able to get the math just right, and they used the thrusters for a perfect docking at the perfect speed.
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(5/21)
In 1984 one of the most important pieces of the Discovery shuttle had a critical malfunction. The waste-dump system became clogged, and as a result a massive icicle made of astronaut urine formed on the outside of the shuttle. Weighing nearly thirty pounds, the icicle had the potential to damage the heat shields upon re-entry if left be.
A spacewalk was too dangerous, so NASA advised the crew to angle the shuttle with the icicle facing the sun in an attempt to melt it. After three days the pee was still holding strong. They were forced to use the grabber arm of the shuttle to break it off, and were luckily successful. Sending days of collected sewage hurtling into deep space.
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(6/21)
When a solar panel on the ISS jammed and threatened the safety of the entire station, Scott Parazynski was called on to do a heroic feat of spacewalking. The original objective was to install a new module on the station for future laboratories. All was going well until they ordered the solar panels to extend and instead they began to jam up and tear. If they tried to undock the shuttle it could rip apart the station, so the crew had to wait for over three days while NASA came up with a plan.
The solution? Parazynski would have to travel further away from the airlock than anyone had at that point to save the panels. On top of the distance, he was at constant risk of electrocuting himself by touching metal to metal on the solar panels, which also could have ignited the oxygen in his suit. Thankfully he was successful in fixing the panels, and to this day considers the event one of NASAs greatest accomplishments.
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(7/21)
In 2006 NASA admitted that they had accidentally erased the tapes from the original Apollo 11 moon landing. In a cost cutting measure, they had to resort to re-using tapes for later missions and in the process accidentally destroyed the evidence of humankind's greatest achievement.
Luckily CBS News still had their copy of the broadcast stored for protection, and loaned the tape to a very embarrassed NASA so it could be reproduced.
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(8/21)
While the Americans were conveniently able to land their spacecrafts in the Pacific Ocean, their Russian counterparts returned to Earth in the harsh, dense forests of the Siberian wilderness. This reached its logical conclusion when two cosmonauts found themselves landing off course, facing the bears and wolves of the Ural Mountains with only a single 9mm pistol.
While the cosmonauts survived the encounter, they were able to convince their bosses that something more was needed. So the TP-82 pistol (more like a sawed off shotgun by most accounts) was developed. The TP-82 was specifically designed with a stopping power capable of defeating bears, but surely at least one cosmonaut considered its effectiveness against an alien.
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(9/21)
While the gloves that astronauts wear are great for protecting them during their hazardous spacewalks, they aren't exactly designed for ergonomics. A recent study discovered that around one in ten astronauts suffered fingernail trauma as a result of the gloves. With a number of them losing a fingernail or two entirely due to how the pinching gloves reduce circulation.
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(10/21)
Living in weightless conditions can have some strange consequences, and turn everyday objects into lethal weapons. In 2007, astronaut Sunita Williams was trying to make some makeshift space sushi. She was just about to add the wasabi when a stray squirt got loose due to low pressure and began to splatter the walls of the International Space Station.
It took a while to get the spicy condiment cleaned up, and stray bits of wasabi were found hiding dangerously close to the module.
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(11/21)
The ISS has had many additions over the ten years that its been inhabited, but one of the most frequent complaints still is how cramped the crew quarters are. Each astronaut is given an alcove the size of a phone booth, and catches their sleep while free floating in a sleeping bag. Sleeping without gravity is apparently quite comfortable, but there are still problems even while passed out.
"During the night while you're sleeping, you might start drifting and end up somewhere you didn't intend to be in the first place," Canadian astronaut Julie Payette said.
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(12/21)
Jerry Linenger was having some delicious dehydrated borscht when disaster struck. He was halfway through an extended stay on the Mir station, meant to be the longest period of time any American had spent in space. The station was in the middle of a personnel switch, and packed to double capacity with six astronauts. In order to accommodate the extra oxygen, another tank had to be opened. However, the volatile tank of concentrated oxygen-based chemicals caught fire in what could be best described as a massive blowtorch.
The fire blazed for fourteen minutes and threatened to burn a hole in the aluminum siding of the craft if something wasn't done. While the fire burned out, three of the crew members doused the station with fire extinguishers while the other three prepared their way out. The only problem with an escape? One of the shuttles was blocked by fire, so only three of them could escape.
Luckily the fire burned out, and although there was smoke damage to the Mir it wasn't impossible to clean up and nobody had to draw straws to see who stayed behind.
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(13/21)
Along with trouble showering, another feat of hygienic engineering involves the ISS advanced bathroom system. There are two toilets on the space station, located in the Russian segment and US modules. Since theres such a scarcity of water, urine is recycled into clean drinking water as well as water for bathing and food preparation. Although apparently the astronauts arent too perturbed by the idea.
The toilets themselves also have a reputation of being balky and breaking frequently, requiring on-orbit plumbing jobs to get them working.
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(14/21)
While the actual space part is usually plenty fun, its the getting there and back that really takes a toll on the astronauts. The Russian Soyuz spacecraft has developed quite a reputation for itself as a bumpy trip, a feeling described as a train wreck followed by a car crash followed by falling of your bike.
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(15/21)
Soyeon Yi was coming back to Earth after one of the most successful missions in ISS history. The first Korean in space, she was hurtling to the ground aboard the Soyuz when everything went south. Due to detachment problems, the onboard computers sensed the craft was on an undesirable trajectory and was forced to switch to a ballistic re-entry. If that doesn't sound good its because its definitely not. Gravity was pulling them to ground while the atmospheric drag and heat shield tried to keep them landing safe.
Still, they came out nowhere close to the expected landing site. Crawling out of the capsule they discovered that they were actually in a field in Kazakhstan. Some understandably shocked herders found them and managed to help a crew member out, but unfortunately didn't have cell phones they could call for help with. With nobody knowing where they were or if they were safe, Soyeon and the other astronauts were able use the GPS on the Soyuz to contact the Russian Space Agency for a helicopter.
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(16/21)
While the physical ailments of living in space can certainly take their toll, its the extreme feeling of isolation that comes with being separated from your own planet that can really give an astronaut the blues. Most combat loneliness by bonding with their crew and calls to home are possible as well, but sometimes the astronauts end up missing major life events.
In 2004 Michael Fincke was forced to miss his daughter's birth while he was serving on a long duration mission. He had to wait four months until the landing to meet Tarali for the first time.
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(17/21)
No matter how sturdy your space-legs are, space sickness still affects a seasoned astronaut. While the team does its best to prepare the crew by reproducing microgravity on the ground, its still not uncommon for astronauts to lose their lunch once the liftoff is over with.
Making things even more complicated, the space-vomit is extremely difficult to clean up since it hangs in the air as a cloud of gross droplets.
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(18/21)
There were two methods of escape developed in case of a potential explosion on the launch pad. With the rockets of the Apollo missions powered by plain old kerosene and hydrogen, they were essentially sitting on a giant bomb. If disaster were to strike, the original plan was to have the astronauts slide down (in their space suits no less) a giant tube into a nuclear-bomb proof bunker called the Rubber Room.
This escape was eventually replaced with a combination of a giant basket and an old anti-mine vehicle. While both options sound like fun, they also don't sound particularly reassuring safety wise.
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(19/21)
Don't let all the shiny chrome white surfaces fool you, being in outer space can get pretty stinky. Microgravity makes it impossible to have a normal shower since the water just kind of bubbles around in the air. Instead, astronauts aboard the ISS use a squirt gun and a washcloth in combination with a special rinse-less shampoo to keep their hair clean.
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(20/21)
Being in space is the experience of a lifetime, but living in weightless conditions can take a serious toll on an astronaut's health. One of the most significant problems is the effect on bone strength and density.
A recent study found that bone strength dips by at least 14% during a half-year stay in space. While other reports observed that bone density can decrease between 0.4% and 1.8% for each month on the station. This can lead to greater risks of fractures and osteoporosis, so astronauts do diligent bone strength exercises in space and enter physical rehabilitation once they're back on the ground.
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(21/21)
John Young once again caused trouble during the Gemini 3 tests when he smuggled a sandwich on board the craft. While in orbit, Young took out the sandwich for a taste test and had to quickly shove it back into his suit when crumbs began floating in the air.
NASA and Congress were furious at the potential chaos the stray sandwich bits could have caused to the electrical equipment and a NASA official actually had to speak these words to the public; "We have taken steps... to prevent the recurrence of corned beef sandwiches in future flights."
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People Reveal The Real Reason Why They Stopped Having Sex With Their Partner Or Spouse
Whether we intend for it to be the focus of the relationship or not, one of the defining features of a romantic relationship is its physical interactions.
Anyone who deeply values physical touch might not be able to understand how a relationship could continue if the couple was no longer intimate.
Curious, Redditor cold_h*e asked:
"People who stopped having sex with their partner/husband/wife, what made you stop?"
When Health Gets in the Way
"I was on an antidepressant that shut my libido down. No desire whatsoever, and if we tried, it always ended in my failure. Slowly improved, weaned off it over six months, and things began to get better, all around."
"About that time, my wife began getting sinus headaches. It was subsequently diagnosed as an incurable brain tumor, and she was gone 18 months later. That bout of depression was a walk in the park..."
- psilome
Autoimmune Problems
"Sex hurts her (autoimmune problems)."
"It's been seven years. It turns out I love her more than I thought I could."
- redditusernamehonked
Living Stress-Free
"He has a medical problem that means he can't orgasm. Sex always ended with him getting frustrated and upset about it. So it's not worth the stress. I'd rather have him and be celibate than be with anyone else."
"It bothered us at first, but only because we were locked into the idea that married couples need to have a sex life. We went to couples counseling and basically figured out that we love each other and are happy together without sex, so why does it matter what is considered 'normal'?"
"We're a couple of happy little weirdos, and it works for us."
- NimblyUsingAliens
Morning Sickness
"My wife had morning sickness for about half of every one of her pregnancies. Women are amazing at dealing with all of that. On the plus side, after it subsided, sex was great. Just got better and better until the birth."
- fatmanwa
Coercive Marriage
"He had more experience than me, and wouldn't listen to me when I said what he was doing didn't feel good. He would tell me he knew what he was doing and to just let him."
- Tygermouse
Self-Respect
"Before my divorce, I got tired of being rejected and having promises made that were never going to be kept."
- Im_not_that_angry
Possible PTSD
"I had an accident where someone accidentally fell on my face with their knee and crushed it some years ago (not my partner though)."
"I had some surgeries after that and my face is fine now, but I found myself unable to relax during sex since then. Somehow I am not able to give up control and just let it go while doing physical activities that include two people who are physically close together."
- LimaZim
Mental Health
"My mental health has been up and down lately so sex has been a rare occurrence. We had a dry spell that lasted about a year. People underestimate how much mental health can affect a person."
- BedBoundBean
Turned Away
"I got tired of being turned down, so I gave up."
- kwunshel316
Too Many Responsibilities
"He didn’t support/help or even pull his weight, we rarely went out anywhere, and when we did, I often paid and he’d ask to use my card so it didn’t embarrass him if I was seen to be paying."
"Basically, I was giving more than I was receiving and he cared too much about image over substance. Then he expected me to be up for sex as though I could magically turn myself on like a light switch. He’d walk up to me and grope at me when I was busy. Highly bloody irritating!"
"He also suggested I needed sex therapy when the idea of sleeping with him turned me off altogether. It felt like another chore to add to my already manic list since he didn’t do much to help. Both worked full-time and my job included long travel and entertaining out of hours."
"I felt tired and resentful and no matter how I tried to approach a solution, his response was basically that he doesn’t feel inclined to help as I didn’t put out so he didn’t feel loved enough. It exhausts me just to write that."
"I never cheated just to be clear, I wasn’t getting my kicks elsewhere. I did end it though and my sexual appetite returned with my next partner."
- TheFleaBagDiary
Double-Standards
"My ex was verbally and emotionally abusive, and also a drug addict. You can't call me those names and be horrible, and then expect me to be turned on just because you take your pants off. I spent most of my marriage on the couch."
- RosyAntlers
Feeling Unattractive
"We haven't been intimate for a long time, but I've decided to stay. We have a kid and yes, it had a lot to do with the decision. I just hope I can take it until my libido dries up."
"The worst part is feeling unattractive. I take pains to make sure she knows she's beautiful, and you'd swear I don't exist unless I beg to be noticed."
"There are times when it's better, but it's always after I've almost left over it."
- carsonArtsome
Changing Over Time
"We started dating when we were 15, we were pretty much the same person as each other. Time went on and we changed as people."
"She stopped working and I gained a bit of weight with stress and being overworked. She stopped being attracted to me and we were just two completely different people from when we first met."
"It ended horribly but I’m now with a lady whom I love very much and we’re getting married later this year."
- Korncakes
Unrealistic Expectations
"I was tired of being called a cow. I was left at home every weekend while he took our only car to his friend's house 2+ hours away. I was exhausted from working four 10-hour days and then spending my three days off doing all the yard work, housework, getting groceries, and then being expected to perform like I wasn't entirely exhausted."
"I lasted two years in that marriage."
- ItsSarahMarie
Whether it's poor relationship dynamics or health concerns, there are all sorts of reasons why the physical relationship between a couple will change over time. The question ultimately is how important physical intimacy is to both people and how to make sure they both continue to feel fulfilled by the relationship.
Those who are fascinated by the paranormal or unsettling situations can quickly get their fix by watching many shows on various streaming platforms and literature.
But they seem to forget that truth is actually stranger than fiction and many of the bizarre plotlines depicted in shows and books are inspired by actual life events.
Curious to hear what keeps strangers online up at night, Redditor wisteriasgirl asked:
"What’s the creepiest Wikipedia article you’ve ever read?"
All it takes is a toxic environment to have deadly consequences.
Gas Attack
"Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack, wherein a 10 members of the doomsday cult 'Aum Shinrikiyo' launched five separate Sarin gas attacks onboard five subway trains across three major subway lines in Tokyo. Killed 14, and injured approx 5,000 people, 1,000 of which received serious injuries."
"The cult itself started out as simple yoga group, which gradually turned into a doomsday cult whose goal is to start World War 3. They are also infamous for using chemical weapons in their attacks: VX, Phosgene, Cyanide, and Sarin gas."
– TheRepublicAct
Fatal Exposure To Chemical Elements
"The death of Karen Wetterhahn. She died of mercury poisoning at the age of 48 due to accidental exposure to the extremely toxic organic mercury compound dimethylmercury."
"Protective gloves in use at the time of the incident provided insufficient protection, and exposure to only a few drops of the chemical absorbed through the gloves proved to be fatal after less than a year."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Wetterhahn
– dorvann
DIY Cancer Cure Specialist
"The Toxic Death of Gloria Ramirez which is about a woman who possibly (the definitive cause is unknown) used household chemicals to treat cancer and in the process of caring for her many doctors and nurses fell ill. The chemicals reacted with her blood, creating an airborne toxin. She presented with an oily sheen on her entire body and her insides (mouth, blood, etc) had a pungent, sweet, garlic-y smell."
"Edit: A likely cause for Gloria is known but we can't rule out the theory where her IV bag gets switched out with meth ingredients being smuggled through the hospital (that is actually listed in the wiki) or, of course, aliens. /s And YES, I did first hear of her on buzzfeed unsolved, but I read the Wiki after okay?"
– ronaldreagular
The things humans are capable of doing by causing harm to others is deeply disturbing.
Led By A Doomsday Cult Leader
"Oh man, you should check out the Ant Hill Kids then."
"I'm not sure wikipedia goes into the brutality of it, but imagine screwdriver + brain + acid and a bunch of other f'ked up things. No real reason other than they felt like it in the moment."
– Cult_ureS
This Duo Filmed Their Killings
Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dnepropetrovsk_maniacs
"It was actually mainly just two guys, the third guy didn't get charged with any murders, just armed robberies that took place before the murders."
– onarainyafternoon
School Bomber
"The Bath School Massacre about a man who went insane and bombed a school in order to kill the next generation of his town and get back at the prominent community members that 'slighted him'. Awful, awful."
– ronaldregular
Murder Of A Japanese High School Student
"Junko Furuta. That whole article just makes my blood boil."
– Cleverbird
Obsessed Radiographer
"Carl Tanzler A radiographer who got obsessed with a patient of his, Elena Hoyos. She succumbed to tuberculosis while under his treatment. He stole her body and kept it in his house for years to come, until her family discovered what was going on. Hoyos' decaying body was kept together with wires and a mask was made. He was also married to another woman all this while. Just an all-round disgusting case."
– identitty_theft
Redditors can't bear to imagine perishing by way of these horrific circumstances.
Inhumane Torture
"The article for Lingchi, or 'death by a thousand cuts.' Its a kind of execution method that was used in China where someone is tied to a wooden frame and is cut to death, usually over the course of several days, sometimes in public."
– dudebro1275
Ripped Apart
"Hv u heard about the method where a person’s head, arms and legs are tied to five different horses and they walk in away in different directions tearing the guy apart?"
"It’s called 車裂"
– Evelyn_Bliss
The article I personally found absolutely unsettling was the death of Elisa Lam, whose body was found in a large cistern atop the Cecil Hotel.
The budget hotel, which was named Stay On the Main at the time, was notorious for hauntings and housing serial killers like Richard Ramirez–a.k.a. "The Nightstalker."
Lam was last seen alive inside the building's elevator through viral surveillance footage of her behaving erratically.
Social media users were fixated on her subsequent disappearance, and much of what happened to Lam and how her body found its way into the water tank remains the subject of many theories and debates.
In Nora Ephron's classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, the two title characters have fundamental disagreement about men and women's ability to be friends owing to the "sex part getting in the way".
Wherever one stands on this, admittedly heteronormative, argument, there is no denying that many people have managed to sustain close friendships in spite of some obvious sexual tension between them.
Obvious at least to almost all of their inner circle, if not the friends in questions.
Of course, sometimes these friends feel the need to give in to this palpable tension, and go ahead and have sex.
Forever changing their friendships, for better or worse.
"What happened after you had sex with your best friend?"
Change In Status, Still Best Friends
"We had gotten drunk to celebrate me getting into med school, and 8 years of repressed sexual tension just poured out in a single night."
"The next 3 days, we were both in a panicked daze."
"I thought I had lost my best friend for the best sex of my life, and I couldn't stop thinking it wasn't worth it."
"The sex was mind blowing, but no one made me feel as safe or as happy and I would trade anything to keep that."
"He asked would it really be so crazy if we tried dating?"
"We moved in together a month later."
"We've been together now for 7 years, got engaged."
"Saving up for a house and wedding."
"He's still my best friend."- LexicalCat
'We bought an air fryer and a water cooler for our house so I guess you could say things are pretty serious."- ur_newstepmom
An Unfortunate Demise
"Unfortunately we stopped being best friends after that."- Previous_Smile7275
Testing The Waters
"She became my sorta, kinda girlfriend and we've been taking things slow!"- CapG_13·
Big Mistake...
"I hated doing it with her cuz she said, 'you are like a brother to me!' after doing it."- aldrin2111
"He hates me now."- estrellaprincessa
"What happened is : I wanted more and fell totally in love with her."
"She didn’t and thought it was a mistake."
"We tried staying friends, she became distant, I became weird."
"She decided that we shouldn’t see each other anymore."
"At all."- Grin-Guy
Made It Official
"We went to sleep."
"And are married for 8 years now."- DocSternau
"We got married."
"3 kids, a grandson and 37 years later I still don't regret it."- Cheezel62
"Married her."
"Knew she was in it for the long con."- aggierogue3
Still The Same Old Friends...
"We did a FWB thing for about three years."
"Whenever we were both single, we’d hook up."
"She lived about 300 miles away.'
"We used to sort of dance around the possibility of actually dating, even getting married, but we never pulled the trigger."
"The distance was too much, I think."
"We loved each other very much."
"Got to the point where whether it was platonic or romantic love was difficult to tell, and weirdly, neither of us was in a rush to figure it out."
"I guess we both had faith it would work itself out as it was supposed to."
"And it did."
"She met a great guy, dated him, and married him."
"I performed the ceremony."
"After it was over, at the reception, I gave her a hug and she kissed my cheek and smiled a little flirtatiously (we both knew it was the last time she’d give me that look), and said, 'Thanks for marrying me.'"
"It was one of the most purely loving, intimate moments of my life."
"We are still close."
"Not like before, but we still love each other deeply, and we always will."
"That love just has a more clearly defined label now, and it’s a label we both respect and cherish."
"So yeah, it’s not always a sad ending."
"Sometimes it’s just a weird and beautiful intermission."- RPMac1979
Must Have Been Good
"More sex."- Glittering_Pea_6228
Be it a friendship or a romantic relationship, having sex is always bound to change things.
If you like things the way they are, think very carefully before taking the leap.
People Share The Best Professional Examples Of 'Everyone Hates Me Until They Need Me'
From the moment they can talk through their teenage years, all children utter the words "I hate you" to one or both of their parents.
While they think they might truly mean it at the time, it takes them virtually no time at all to realize that is far from the truth, as they need their parents more than they can possibly realize.
In truth, seemingly genuine hatred towards people we actually need is something all adults continue to find themselves struggling with.
This time, often with people who work in certain professions, whom they tend to mock or belittle, believing that all their jobs do is make life more difficult for other people.
Only to find themselves requiring their services soon thereafter.
“Everybody hates me until they need me.” What professions are examples of this?"
Joke All You Want, They Both Help You When You're In Trouble...
"Lawyers and mechanics."
"You want to have a good one of each, but you never want to have to call either of them."- OneFingerIn
Literally Always There To Clean Up Your Mess...
"When I was a janitor I got a lot of hate for knocking out my 8 hour day in 4 individual hour long chunks of effort."
"I Was always available for spills and got extra work done every day but spent another 4 hours basically chilling and management not once got on my case."
"The other employees despised this until a customer's colostomy bag somehow ruptured in the bathroom."
"From that day forward none of them gave a f*ck if I was just hanging out on my phone."- Electronic_Warning49
Risking Their Lives To Save Ours
"The US Coast Guard for fishermen and boaters."
"Usually there's a pretty good working relationship between them, but some hate the Coast Guard for the various inspections they do."
"But the USCG is also the ones who will come out there in a storm to rescue them."- raym0ndv2
The IT Factor...
"IT, except people hate me when they need me, too."- Dogstile
"IT, not the clown."- Nebula_Forte
"Any IT job requiring break/fix support."
"Basically when everything works it’s 'good it’s supposed to work' and then when something goes wrong that’s out of your control it’s 'what did you do?!'"
"When we did absolutely nothing to cause the problem, haha."- Psilocyb-zen
The Improve Much More Than People's Vanity
"Plastic Surgeons."
"My uncle is a plastic surgeon and he does only reconstructive stuff, fixing burn victims faces and stuff like that."
"But when people ask him what kind of doctor he is and he says Plastic Surgeon, they usually kinda scoff."- darkysix
The Butt Of One Too Many Jokes...
"Lawyer here."
"The expectation that because you are a lawyer you know everything about every law everywhere."
"In reality most lawyers are highly specialized."- Bisjoux
Ironic That The People Who Help Our Smile Often Make Us Frown
"Dentists for sure."- Ohboohoolittlegirl
Getting Your Money's Worth
"All the trades guys."
“'They’re so expensive!'"
"Until that plumber shows up at 2am to prevent the sewage backup."
"Or the electrician that fixes an overloaded breaker panel, preventing a fire."
"Or the carpenter who builds the room for your toddler so you can get some sleep and maybe some sexy time."
"Definitely tradesmen."- Wolfie1531
Be Honest Though, Would You Rather Do Your Own Taxes?
"Accounting."- tadashi4
It's Often The Context Which Ignites The Hatred...
"'Lawyer' is going to be the most common answer to this question by far."
"But I suppose any licensed service provider could fall into this category, given the right context."
"Plumbers are another good example."
'Everyone thinks they're scum and crooks until the washing machine breaks down."
"Electricians, contractors, locksmiths, etc."
"They all fit this mold."
"Unless you work with them daily, you're not going to be seeing them very often."
"And you're only seeing them when there's a problem , so you're primed to be upset by the time they even show up."
"Psychologically, you associate the plumbing issue with the plumber, when ironically, the plumber is there to fix it."
"Everyone wants to shoot the messenger."
"IT people and network security professionals are another classic example of this effect."- MissBitsy
When You Realize You Can't Call To Complain...
"Lineman."
"Been called a lazy overpaid drug addict by old men I don't even know."
"God forbid we go grab lunch or a coffee."- MaesterKyle
The Ones Who Make Your Late Night Craving Feasible...
"Fast food workers."
"They’re the butt of every demeaning comment about a lack of achievement or the reason why minimum wage shouldn’t be raised blah blah blah."
"But those people get real quiet once they’re ordering their Big Mac."- TheHomieData
It's often when we need the help of others that we find ourselves at our most anxious and frustrated.
This is why it's important to remind ourselves that these people are there to help us, and we should not take out our anxiety or frustration on them.
Particularly if we want the problem to be solved.