People Who've Called The National Suicide Prevention Hotline Explain What It's Really Like
*The following article contains discussion of suicide/self-harm.
If you or someone you know is struggling, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
To find help outside the United States, the International Association for Suicide Prevention has resources available at https://www.iasp.info/resources/Crisis_Centres/
Calling the suicide hotline is an unfortunate, but necessary step. Nobody wants to be in that place.
But if someone is feeling that way, going to a friend or family member can be especially daunting. If they are going to turn to help, many would prefer keeping the entire situation under wraps.
And there's a phone number to call for that. In fact, there are many. Of course, the national hotline is well known. But several local versions of the suicide hotline abound as well.
Some Redditors gathered to share their experiences with such a service. For some, it was life-saving. Others were baffled by how inept it was, especially considering the seriousness of that service in particular.
If there was ever a Yelp page for the hotline, this Reddit thread was it.
ballistictipp asked, "What exactly happens if someone were to call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline? How do they try to help you? Are there other hotlines that are better?"
The Poster Child
"I called the VA suicide hotline once. It rang once or twice and a woman picked up. We talked for at least 3 hours, she was amazing. She really actually cared, asked questions, sympathized with me, she saved my life."
"I got an emergency appointment with a VA therapist that next day. At least in my case, it worked the exact way it should."
-- physicsguy84
Just There
"I've called once before when I was really upset about a friend situation I think and just some hard-to-swallow circumstances in my life. I talked to a really nice woman who sounded like she was in her 30s-40s and she listened to me as I cried and hyperventilated a little."
"I explained my situation, she empathized with me, and eventually I think she asked what I like to do for fun or to feel better and so we decided I'd watch a comedy special that night after I took a shower and just focus on me for a couple hours before I went to bed."
"At the very end of the call she made sure I didn't want to actively hurt myself or anything and I felt a lot better. I wish I remembered her name but she helped me a lot."
All About Tone
"The first time I called, I still remember to this day. I was in between therapist appointments, and I was struggling really bad. I called and got connected to some guy, and he asked me what he could help me with. I guess I didn't think that far ahead, and after about 10 seconds I just kind of stuttered out an 'I don't know.'"
"And god it must've just been the way he said it, but he just said, 'What's goin on man?' like an old pal that was ready to help. I broke down and told him everything. He talked to me like I was an equal, something I really needed at that time."
"Once I felt better, and like I could get through my day, I thanked him for his time, and the service he was providing. He had a few questions in there that I knew he had to ask. Was I planning anything, was I in danger, etc. But he sprinkled them throughout."
"We talked for about 25 minutes. A few days later I made a small donation to the hotline. They helped me, and I want them to be there to help others."
A More Clinical Description, From a Worker
"When someone calls who is suicidal, the first thing that's done is assessing safety to determine if they are in danger at the moment or in the near future."
"95% of suicide callers are not in danger when they call. In those cases they will gather information, empathize, and help you organize feelings that may be overwhelming you."
"After that you'll start moving towards 'solutions.' A good hotline will not give advice or solutions. Instead, they will talk through solutions that you come up with. It's better to empower people to execute their own solutions than to give outside advice."
"Ultimately though, the conversation is guided by you. If you just want to vent about suicidal feelings, you can. If you're feeling overwhelmed in a moment, you can just call and talk."
"If you have other questions, feel free to ask."
-- wampusboy
Strengthened by its Anonymity
"Well....For the first minute as you sit crying in the dark, you listen to some pretty dope relaxing elevator music."
"Then they connect you to someone. You awkwardly try to stumble through your problem as they listen carefully. They give you some advice, the conversation goes back and forth, and then you go on your way."
"I always thought it would be some life changing event when I called. Even though I logically knew nothing would happen, the back of my mind painted it as though time would stop. As though the police would show up 30 second after I called. As though everybody would know me as 'The one suicidal dude.' As if I'd would be going through therapy and taking medication for years after the event."
"That's probably what stopped me from calling for so long."
"Anyways, I talked through my problems, hung up, and then went on with life. Even so, it felt great to get so much off my chest, and to know that one person out there knew my struggle. It all kinda got better from there, and all it took was talking. Kinda cliché but true."
"There's more specialized lines that are better if you have a more specific issue or that target a specific group, otherwise NSPH is a good a choice as any."
-- Oizyson
Hit or Miss
"Well on one side you have those on the hotline that genuinely want to help people, and they will listen and suggest things as the conversation develops..."
-- thelagking61
Only as Good as the Employee on the Line
"I had a bad experience with them. I was fortunate enough that a friend called me right after and was astute enough to hear in my voice that I needed someone to talk to."
"Mainly, the person told me a story similar to mine where everyone pushed through it and ended up ok. When I said I was still fearful of my future and didn't know whether I really wanted to face it, she was upset. She actually said, 'didn't you hear the story I just told you?'"
"I told her that I thought I got as much 'comfort' as I could stand from her at the moment and hung up."
"Like I said, my friend called right after just to visit. Though my irritation at her tone was enough to break my despair a little."
-- angie_i_am
An Unexpected Concrete Impact
"I called while I was at work a couple months ago. I was cutting a lot and thought I cut really deep. I was talking with them for about 15-20 minutes when an ambulance and the cops showed up." -- Princevaliant377
"I'm shocked you weren't involuntarily commited. I was several years ago and although it was....one of the worst experiences of my life (you basically become the state's property), it also changed my life for the better." -- synyaks
"Think about the money we'd save not dispatching police immediately to things like this." -- Sibraxlis
Sometimes Just Listening Goes So Far
"I called once a couple of years ago. In Australia it's called Lifeline (131114 btw). I was very drunk, had a massive knife and my husband was away at work."
"From what I remember, the woman on the other end of the line listened and asked about my situation. I can't remember exactly what she said but I know she stayed very calm and I knew I had her undivided attention. I knew that she cared at that moment and she talked me down."
"I guess because I called, that was what I really wanted. We were on the phone for maybe 15/20 minutes. I wish I could thank her in person."
-- IfIhadaMoog
Due to the nature of the discussion, this article contains movie spoilers.
There's nothing quite like sitting down to watch an incredibly good movie with equally great company and food.
But the movie can become a particularly special experience if it's surprising in some way, like having a unique plot twist.
Redditor Gooderzk asked:
"Which movie has the best plot twist?"
The Prestige
"'The Prestige.' It seems so obvious when I rewatch it, but when I first saw it I was blown away. The ending was a big shock to me, as well."
- kee80
"I love how the movie tells you exactly what will happen in the opening scene, and you spend the whole movie letting yourself get fooled exactly like it said, but then the prestige happens."
- OldManHipsAt30
Inside Man
"'Inside Man' is a good movie like 'The Prestige.' It tells you what is going to happen at the start and there’s so much sh*t going on for the rest of the movie you absolutely forget they ever did that until you get to the end."
- ImmoralModerator
Frailty
"I would never call it my favorite, but I always thought its twist elevated a would-be schlock story into something memorable."
- ArthurBonesly
Primal Fear
"When I read the question, 'Primal Fear' is the first thing that popped into my head. Great movie with a great twist at the end."
- archie905
Saw
"Yeah, it's gross, but 'Saw' had a great plot twist."
- MlecznyHuxel99
"Not only is it a great twist, it’s not at the end, either. There’s one movie, the twist, and then allll the fallout afterward. It doesn’t just twist and fade to black."
- Randvek
"That plot twist redeemed it for me. I just wasn't enjoying it, and then bam, 'What the h**l did I just watch!?!'"
- jackfaire
Arrival
"'Arrival' has an incredible twist and is probably my favorite movie of the last 20 years."
"The twist holds up incredibly well on repeat viewings. That's the sign of a good twist in my opinion. The bad ones (including some mentioned here IMO) tend to invalidate a lot of the movie. Great twists add layers of depth to previous events."
- doktarr
Cabin in the Woods
"Well, the entire movie is one big twist; 'Cabin in the Woods.'"
"Not spoiling it. It must be watched blind, but, totally worth the watch."
- valeran46
Oldboy
"Hard to find the Korean version, but in my opinion, 'Oldboy' is a must-watch if you can find it. It’s English subtitled but nothing could prepare me, lol (laughing out loud). Don’t watch the remake, only the original version."
- Striball
The Sixth Sense
"'The Sixth Sense' was such a big deal that the director is still able to make big budget flops over and over again anytime he wants to."
- PMYourTiny
Gone Girl
"Am I the only person that wanted to jump into the screen and strangle that woman???"
- themissrebecca103
"Just from watching that movie I've had this hatred for the actor that played the chick, she did such an insane job of depicting her character that now I just cringe at her face in other movies."
- Crazy-visit-5078
Se7en
"'Se7en.' I was not expecting that ending and will never watch that movie again."
- FreshStarLiving
Parasite
"I went from, 'Hey, this is a really fun and entertaining movie, but why is it up for an Oscar,' to 'Holy f**king mother of God' in about five seconds flat, lol (laughing out loud)."
- MissPinkieB
Shutter Island
"'Shutter Island' is an obvious pick."
"Probably the greatest plot twist I've ever seen, at least on par with 'The Sixth Sense,' in my opinion."
"And it gets even crazier when you realize that Andrew Laeddis was faking his delirium at the end because he wanted to be lobotomized. He had fully 'come back' to his normal cognitive capacities but simply couldn't live with the guilt over what he had done."
- washington_breadstix
Crazy, Stupid Love
"I was taken by surprise during the twist in that movie."
- 0rangePolarBear
Book of Eli
"I wasn't expecting the twist. But if you rewatch the movie, you actually see it's shown since the beginning. D**n, Denzel Washington can act."
- Khaos_Gorvin
For those who love a movie with a solid twist, this list is a great place to start. In the meantime, for those of us who have seen these films, it might be time for a rewatch.
It's not surprising that each country is different, with various beliefs and rules, but what is always eye-opening is what one country will deem a basic necessity, another will deem an expensive, even allusive, luxury.
Americans in particular are often perplexed by the luxuries that Europeans are able to enjoy on a daily basis, which Americans would not be able to have without paying a premium.
Redditor Specialist-Metal-458 asked:
"Americans, what do Europeans have every day that you see as a luxury?"
Required Vacation Time
"My husband (we’re Canadian) did his post-doc in Finland; when he was signing his contract, they said, 'You’ll get six weeks paid vacation and you HAVE to take it.'"
"He was shocked. He had friends elsewhere doing post-docs who were doing 14-hour work days, six to seven days per week, and with no vacation, let alone PAID vacation."
"One of the years when he was nearing the end of his cycle, HR reached out and in a panic said, 'You have 3.5 days that you HAVE to use,' unbeknownst to us. So, we booked a trip for an extended weekend away."
"I miss that. And it’s something we both negotiate when starting new jobs; rather take a bit of a lower salary with more vacation time."
- ahope1985
Paid-Paid Vacation
"Six weeks vacation, extra pay just for vacation (at least in Germany), government healthcare."
- Royal_Acanthisitta51
"Wait. Is that paid... paid vacation??"
- a**lly_ExpressUrself
"Yes, lots of companies give half a month extra pay for vacation each year. Some also give half a month's extra pay for Christmas. It's like, 'Here's some extra money for you to have a nice vacation or a nice holiday.' It's quite common for larger companies."
- DnDVex
"I am an American who is now living in Sweden and a Swedish citizen, and I will never NOT be amazed that I have the legal right to four continuous weeks of paid vacation during the summer. THE LEGAL RIGHT."
"Literally amazing."
- ingenfara
Affordable Drinks
"This is only really true for Southern Europe, but cheap wine by the glass, cheap coffee, and pastries."
"Cafes in the US are marketed as very trendy and if you want a pastry and a coffee, you should be ready to pay eight to ten dollars. In most of Italy, Portugal, and Spain, you can get coffee and a croissant for three euros (approximately three dollars)."
- kulkdaddy47
Particularly Affordable Wine
"Where I live in Spain, the standard price for a glass of wine in a cafe or every day (non-fancy, equivalent of a diner) restaurant is 80c - €1. In a restaurant, I’ll usually order a half liter for about €4 (That’s 2/3 bottle of wine)."
"Soda and bottled water are more expensive. Soda is usually €1.20-1.60."
- KimchiMaker
"At Denver International Airport last month, I paid $23 for a glass of wine that I know would cost about $7 per bottle at Costco. Probably €4 per bottle in Italy. It was like getting robbed in broad daylight without a gun, but I get really nervous before flying."
- Missmoneysterling
Slower Living
"Time! I spent time abroad in Italy for school, and there was just so much less of a 'rush' everywhere. Oftentimes the latest person to my classes were professors. Everyone really took their time and I didn't really feel the bustle of constantly 'going' somewhere when I was there."
"I mean, dang, the village my apartment was located in shut down for a few hours in the afternoon so the shopkeepers could go have lunch. It was wild."
- SpaceMush
University-Bound
"Affordable universities… our daughter is going to university in Scotland. Our US friends always respond with shock at the 'luxury' of going overseas for school until I tell them it’s half of the cost of an equivalent US college. That includes travel expenses."
- Crafty-Arachnid6824
Accessible Public Transportation
"This blew me away traveling in Europe. It doesn’t matter where you are, even if it’s some middle-of-nowhere farm town, you’re never far from a train station, and you can just hop a train and go anywhere you want."
"I would love to have that here, but noooo, we only have rail links between some major cities, and since I live in a more rural area, I have to drive four or more hours everywhere. In Europe, all I had to do was drive 20 minutes to a train station and then just chill on the train for a few hours. It was great!"
- SirTophamFat
Well-Balanced Work
"An American friend of ours was gobsmacked that I have a well-paid, head of department level job, don't work unpaid overtime, and get 33 days paid holiday a year, with eight days of public holiday on top."
- Major_Twain
Extensive Travel
"They can travel between different countries in Europe without spending days driving or flying."
- WhimsicalGrenade
"And without border controls or checkups! I can just sit in a car here in Germany and drive to France and all the other EU countries, just realizing I’m in another country because of the traffic signs."
"Once I sat in a Train and slept in, after like 30 minutes I woke up, got off the Train, and realized I’m in Enschede, Netherlands. (Living in NRW, so pretty close to the border). I was like Hm, okay, I've got 50€ in my pocket, so I decided to visit a coffee shop and walk a bit through the City until the next Train in the right direction arrived. Like I’d do in every other City while traveling by train."
- DisguisedAccount
Publicly Acceptable
"Being able to walk around town with a beer is awesome."
"Public transportation in non-huge cities is also awesome."
- ooo-ooo-oooyea
Bathroom Conditions
"Bathroom stalls that actually go to the floor. I don’t need to know what shoes the guy taking a s**t next to me has on."
- maxncheese67
"Don't forget the intentional gaps on the doors."
- jensbert
E. All of the Above.
"Healthcare. Life work balance. Walkable communities. Great train service."
- zunzarella
Legitimate Sick Days
"I recently read a post about an American residential doctor who couldn't afford to take a vacation because they had to spend it on sick days."
"Not going to lie, my brain short-circuited at that a bit. Was a doctor supposed to come sick to a hospital full of other sick people to avoid personal financial penalties?"
- HQMorganstern
Paid Parental Leave
"Paid parental leave. I had used all of my leave with my first kid, so when I had another kid a year and a half later, I was back on my feet teaching in under six weeks."
"Dogs get better treatment than working mothers."
- ElegantGoose
The Need of a Car
"Not having to use a car every single time that you leave your house... For a lot of people, you have to go drive somewhere to safely take a walk... This place can be a h**l, and it is numbing."
- _aelius
It's All About Perspective
"As a European, I'm amazed how you guys (Americans) are looking at certain things I consider basic needs as luxuries."
- FridgeParade
As the final Redditor pointed out, it's terrible to think that Americans see what others view as basic necessities as a luxury that they can only dream of having.
Nearly everyone has worked a job that they don't love.
Monotonous or soul-sucking as these jobs may be, people put up with them nonetheless, mainly because they need the money or to hold themselves over until a better job comes along.
In some cases, people find their new jobs so unbearable that they can't even wait to give their two weeks' notice.
Sometimes making their first day on the job their last... or even barely even make it through an hour of work before handing in their notice.
"People who quit their job on the spot, why?"
You Can't Fire Me, I Quit!
"I got fired from a pizza delivery job once and told I had to finish my shift on a Friday night."
"They said I was a no call no show the previous day."
"I wasn't scheduled."
"They wrote me in but didn't call me."
"The ink wasn't even the same color as the rest of the schedule."
"So when I showed up for work the next day they told me I was fired for no call no show, but I had to stay and work."
"I said f*ck that, and walked two doors over to the Chinese place and asked if they needed a delivery guy."
"Hired on the spot."
"Plus free egg rolls."- Artisanal_Sh*tposter
Young Ones Pizza GIF by YoungCapitalGiphySomething Tells Me He Didn't Get It...
"Not me but the weirdest one I have ever seen."
"I am the electronics guy at Walmart."
"One night they drop someone new on me."
"He had gone through all the onboarding and training videos and sh*t which takes a few days."
"They tell me to point him at something to do."
"I take him to the ink aisle and show him how to zone it."
"Put everything in order line it up against the edge of the shelf, sh*t like that."
"He says he's cool he gets it so I'm like great and walk away."
"Like not even 10 f*cking minutes later I go to see how he's doing and dude is f*cking gone."
"We never saw him again."- TimeTravelMishap
Pumpkin Fail GIFGiphyUnsafe Work Environment
"I had the owner of a restaurant I was managing spill literally boiling fresh made chicken noodle soup on my middle torso all the way down."
"So hot and painful to the point I had to strip my soaking boiling shoes."
"My reaction was to run and swear."
"He told me If I swore so vocally again he would let me go."
"I then needed medical attention, to which he refused."
"I went to the hospital anyway, came to work the next day with bandages, and was told I would work today's shift as repayment for missing my previous one."
"I explained that was illegal and gave him an ultimatum, either he fix it with him paying my medical bills or I walk."
"He laughed saying I had no control over it."
"So I walked."
"3 months later after filing suit, I supplied all the information needed to indict him on tax fraud, failure to properly insure, failure to maintain a safe work place, and he and his other businesses had to be sold for him to afford the legal costs, my medical bills and the mandatory restitution payments."
"Stupid b*tch is still paying me out, and now that he's fulfilled his sentenced time, lives in a relatively medium sized town and we frequent the same locations."
"I consistently remind him of what his next payment is owed and due."- Bigjerr2007
Chicken Soup GIFGiphyNot Part Of The Job Description...
"Quit a job on the first day."
"I was hired as an IT tech, however this company did not know what IT techs were."
"They thought 'IT does everything', including making sure their lights were replaced."
"I had one lady complain about me not changing her lightbulb fast enough because the burned out one shatterd on me and cut my hand open."
"I dropped the box of flourescents, shattering literally all of them, and walked out."
"Told my supervisor he needs to hire actual maintenance cause IT fixes computers."- TheLightningCount1
Passed Over For A Job They Were already Working!
"I walked away from a job in management once because they passed me up for a promotion for a role I was doing anyways due to it being vacant but needing to be done."
"When they passed me up I started looking."
"When they asked ME to train the guy who got it who was now my boss, I left."- SUTATSDOG·
Time Wasn't Valued
"Was brought in for a tryout shift and when I arrived I was told it wouldn't be paid since this was for them to see if they wanted to hire me and not the other way around."- picnic-boy·
Super Bowl Ok GIF by PepsiGiphyEnough Is Enough
"Large corporation kept 'downsizing' the workforce but not the workload."
"Those of us who were left (team of 15 reduced to 2) felt so lucky to have a job that we didn’t complain about taking on the jobs of three people and working 60+ hours per week."
"Company hires a new department head and a couple months later I have my annual review where he says 'we just need you to do more' to which I replied 'no'."
"No forethought."
"No plan."
"I just knew I couldn’t take on more."
"I definitely caught him off guard."
"And I couldn’t believe 'no' came out of my mouth."
"We were both stunned."
"But that was effectively my two week's notice."- NewUserNameIsDumb
Fed Up With Greed
"I was working as an engineer for a big corporation."
"I was supposed to get a promotion to senior engineer at the start of covid lockdowns, so they told me I wouldn’t get one because of covid."
"Fair enough."
"But a couple weeks later they told me our salaries would be reduced because the company wasn’t doing well."
"Not nice but nothing I could do."
"A couple months later, the company promoted two vice presidents to senior vice presidents, and gave them a huge bonus."
"I then asked for my promotion and they told me that no promotions would take place under Covid."
"I waited a few more months until they finally gave me my promotion."
"And the salary increase was £100 A YEAR."
"Which is much smaller than what my salary was reduced because of Covid."
"I took home the letter indicating I had a promotion, gave my notice and began looking for a senior engineer role somewhere else."
"F*ck greedy corporations."
"I forgot to mention that they removed all our bonuses during this time period, but management got it all."- AnheruKira
Tax The Rich Amazon GIF by INTO ACTIONGiphyIt's understandable to bear with a job you hate for the money.
But money can't buy back your dignity and self-worth.
If either of those are being threatened at your place of employment, it's probably time to move on.
People Break Down The Most Obvious Hints A Woman Was Interested In Them That They Missed
When meeting someone you're interested in, it's always best to avoid coming on too strong.
Doing so will likely not entice them to join you for a drink or coffee, but instead scare them away.
This is why it's always a good idea to subtly suggest your interest, by planting seeds and hints.
Of course, you don't want to be too subtle, as then your paramour might actually miss the fact you are interested in them, and move on to someone else.
Then too, some people have trouble taking the hint when it's practically staring them in the face.
"What's the most obvious hint a girl was interested in you but you missed all the signs?"
If She Wanted To "Study" She Would Have Stayed In The Living Room
"I was invited to her apartment to study on a Saturday night."
"After a little, she closed her door, we were on her bed."
"And we studied a little more until I left."- tryggvi747
Read Beauty And The Beast GIFGiphyBody Heat, Maybe?
"My now wife gives me sh*t about this all the time so it's safe to share here."
"Back when we were dating, it was a cold winter's night and she texted that she was cold and if there was anything I could do to warm her up."
"I offered to plastic seal her windows."
"Yeah I totally missed that pitch."- rcowie
Love And Basketball...
"I ran into a girl who I knew a little through some friends."
"We were talking and she randomly asked if I wanted to play one-on-one basketball with her that afternoon."
"I had nothing else to do, so I said yes."
"We walked to her place to pick up a ball and for her to get changed."
"In her room, she handed me the basketball and then started undressing."
"I excused myself outside the door while she changed."
"She then held conversation with me while she got dressed in my line of sight."
"Then she asked 'So do you want to go, or... ?'"
"And oblivious me said 'Yeah, sure, let's shoot some hoops'."
"In hindsight, there was a lot of one-sided flirting on the court and afterward she again invited me to her place to cool down."
"But I declined, as I was sweaty and I went home to shower."- elevenghosts
Sanaa Lathan Movie GIF by filmeditorGiphyWait For It...
"Looked up at me while clinging to my arm and stating, 'I could definitely see myself dating someone like you'."
"My brain was like, 'Neat! Maybe one day I'll find a girl who wants to go out with me after all!'"
"She continued this rather affectionate clinging for about a week, constantly holding on to my arm and making puppy dog eyes up at me."
"After that week, my friend asked her out and she accepted."
"They dated for two weeks before they discovered that they were blood-related first cousins."
"Then they continued dating for another week."- cascade_olympus
Good For Her For Being Confident?
"We had been hanging out for a bit and she was talking about how nice her t*ts were, she then follows it with 'maybe I should just show them to you'."
"'Oh no you don't need to do that!'"
"Luckily she really liked me and kept the press on for a few more weeks haha."
"We got married a few years later."- iamStanhousen
In Case You Wondered If It Really Impairs Your Judgement...
"My time to shine!"
"I was in college in the early 90's and sitting in my dorm room alone."
"I was high as hell."
"The hot girl down the hall that I had a crush on and spoke to occasionally came to my room and asked if I would watch her dance routine that was her final for her dance class."
"I was like 'sure' and went to her room."
"The room was dark except for some red lighting."
"I sat on the couch and she put on 'Enigma'."
"This was a VERY clear sign that I missed completely."
"She began her dance."
"She was in a unitard and I was totally hot for this girl."
"She did what I would now consider a personal lap dance for me."
"I was petrified with lust over the whole thing."
"When the song was over she came over to me, about 2 inches from my face sexy smiling and said, 'How was that?'"
"I looked at her and said, 'that was really cool, you'll do great', and left."
"I. LEFT."
"I walked back to my room and left."
"YEARS later I was driving my car to work, just daydreaming, like you do, and that memory popped up."
"I would have kicked myself had I been able to."- Luder714
Maybe She Would Have Been Better Off With 'Diego'?
"I was in a Starbucks in Argentina, and the girl taking my order asked my name to write on the cup."
"She didn't understand what I said, and when I picked the cup up, it said 'Diego', which isn't my name."
"Later that night I was chatting with a cute 20-something girl in the bar and I retold that story, and she looked at me with sultry eyes, her top slightly undone, and said something like 'what would Diego do with me tonight that <your name> wouldn't?'"
"It caught me completely off guard, and I said something stupid in return."
"It was like being in the final minutes of the Super Bowl, being tossed the game winning ball, only to fumble it in the end zone on live TV."
"I've lived with that regret a long time haha."
"What could have been."- tennyson77
They Got The Hint Eventually...
"Back in '84, I was working at this cool department store and this was this shy girl I'd chat it up with."
"I talk to anyone, so it was no big deal on my end."
"I was also a movie nut, so I'd say 'Hey, have you seen this or that?' and she'd give me an exasperated look and say 'No. No I haven't I need someone to go with'."
"I'd be like 'Ah, well, it's a good one'."
"We've been married for 33 years."- The68Guns
Nervous New Music GIF by *~ MIQUELA ~*GiphyThey Needed To Be More Into Themsleves!
"In high school a gorgeous girl sent me anonymous love letters."
"I later found out she was the one sending them."
"She also asked me out to this dinner banquet thing."
"We went, but I was so shy I barely said anything."
"She still sent me letters afterwards."
"I had really low self esteem, and made every excuse to myself that she wasn't into me."
"It was like she was holding up a neon sign that she likes me and i didn't do anything about it."- uncultured_swine2099
"Years ago, just chatting with a co-worker day to day, just everyday conversation."
"Then one day, after another normal chit chat passing time casual conversation, she heads out, turns around grabs a pen and she writes her number on my arm and says 'Dude! Call me!'."
"And walked away seemingly frustrated."
"I just kinda stood there with eyebrows raised, my brain turning gears and it clicked!"
"...Oooohh!"- nukomyx
A Joke About Rubbing Organs Is Just Too Obvious...
"As I played the organ, she would turn pages for me and brush her body against my back while moving from right to left behind the organ bench to grab the next page."
"I thought she was rubbing me due to tight quarters between my organ and the choir loft railing."- Back2Bach
Take Me Out To The Ballgame Baseball GIF by NCAA ChampionshipsGiphyIt's easy to kick yourself in the head for missing what might seem like obvious cues that someone was into you.
Though it's really nothing to be embarrassed about, as subtlety is lost on some.
Then too, it's worth mentioning that maybe the reason you missed the cues, is that you weren't into them?
All's fair in love and seduction...