Your road of good intentions will lead where such roads always lead. No matter how pure and good your intent, something is waiting around the corner to basically smack you across the face.
At least, that's how it feels. No matter how many good deeds you do, you can never really catch any sort of break. It makes you want to go back inside forever.
u/GJJ16 asked:
Dear redditors, what's your "No good deed goes unpunished" story ?
Here were some of the answers:
ID, Ego, Superego
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I found a wallet on the subway, looked through it. There was an ID with an address on my way home so I stopped and rang the bell saying I found a wallet on the subway with this address. So he comes downstairs and I confirm its the same guy as pictured on the ID. He then proceeds to accuse me of stealing the cash that was in it (several thousand dollars to hear him tell it) and threatens to call the police. This is before I handed him the wallet so I still could have just walked away with it. I threw it off the little stoop into the bushes because what the heck, dude.
No Respect For My Stuff
I lent a friend a tablet for something to play on. I come home...and I get screamed at by my mom for "downloading porn through her Amazon account." I look at my Kindle, and the jerk had downloaded a ton of lesbian erotica onto it. This wound up with me fiercely verbally defending myself against her anger, and her awkwardly having to make a call to tech support to help make this go away.
Unsupervised But Still Annoying
I was playing at the playground with my young kids. I'm a big guy (6'6 and 270lbs), so I'm always hyper aware of my surroundings when around a bunch of kids.
So as we're playing, I notice a little boy unsupervised who is about to fall off the platform of the playground structure (which is about 6' high). My kids are on the ground and safe, so I quickly hustle over in time to catch the kid as he falls off, but he wiggles on the way down and bangs his arm on a pole.
I get him turned right side up and try to calm him down, when some soccer mom comes rushing at me yelling at me to get my hands off her son and that I'm hurting him, etc etc.
I get out of there and back to my kids and we go over to another part of the playground (this place is huge and has like 5 areas) and like 10 mins later I'm approached by 2 cops who want to talk to me about hurting the lady's kid (she claimed I pulled him off the platform so my kid wouldn't have to wait for the slide and that she "saw the whole thing officer".
So I got to get interviewed and almost arrested because this lady didn't want to parent her kids. The only thing that saved me was that another parent saw what was happening and corroborated that my story was correct and the lady was letting a 2 year old who could barely walk explore literally several acres of playgrounds with almost zero supervision.
She also didn't like when the cop asked her if she'd have preferred I let her son fall on his head (he tumbled headfirst when I caught him)...
A Zero For Kindness
One of my friends was going though a death in the family, and missed some school. He asked me if he could borrow my math homework, and I, of course, said yes. It was a major homework assignment that was worth many points. He ended up losing it and I got a zero. Needless to say, I don't let people borrow my school work anymore.
And Then...Poof
I was going to a music festival and my friend wanted to go with me but he couldn't afford it so I bought him a ticket. He drove us there and we were having a good time. Well one of my favorite artists came on the stage so I went into the pit to have some fun while he stayed in the back because "he was just chillin". After the set I walk out of the pit looking for him and turns out he left me there, no ride, hour and a half away from my house, I was 15 years old and wasn't about to buy an Uber so I had to call my mom to pick me up who was livid at me at first because apparently my friend told her that he thought I had a ride home. Needless to say I never invited him anywhere again.
A Little Bit Of Mooching
I helped a young single mom out that lived in my neighborhood. She was very grateful, but for at least a year after every time she needed something she thought I might be able to provide, she sent her kid over to ask for it - things like new shoes, groceries, bus money, and even food for their cat. I got pretty tired of it. They finally moved - and asked me to help with that.
Taken Advantage Of
I lent an acquaintance my library card so they could check out a couple of comp sci textbooks, three months later I get an email saying I have five textbooks (each worth about $150) and that I need to return them or pay for them. Contact my "friend" and say I either need the books or the cash, or the books and the three bucks or whatever the late fee was. They say they lost the books, which is ok, just find them before you have to pay 1k out of pocket for these things. Six months later, they've blocked me on all forms of social media, and since our class is over I have no way to see them. Ended up having to pay about 500$ and beg for leniency. (and also my local library has a student forgiveness program as long as it's the first offense, which saved my butt)
Moral of the story, never lend anyone anything that you wouldn't give a complete stranger.
Learning A Hard-Line Lesson
I let my baby brother move in with my family because he was trying to get clean and was facing homelessness. He in turn stole $20k in jewelry and other items from our home. I filled a police report, he admitted it and went to prison. My entire extended family (mom, sister, etc) was upset because I sent my brother to prison. We don't speak anymore.
No More Helping
Spent 500+ hours on a legal case helping fellow tenants, got them all thousands of dollars in rebates and reductions... the only thank you I got was "you could have gotten more", as my primary witness argued against me because he was leaving and just wanted to get paid quickly.
This Meowster Is Mine Now
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A friend asked me to "cat sit" while he interviewed for a job in another part of the country.
I love cats, so I agreed - with the stipulation that he'd take it back soon because I already had a cat and the two of them didn't get on well at all.
Then he called to say he got the job, but his new apartment didn't allow pets, and asked if I'd keep his because he didn't want to give it up for adoption to strangers.
When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
Money Burn GIF by nog
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
south park wedding GIF
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
homer simpson episode 23 GIF
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
Customer Service Waiting GIF by Juno Calypso
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
Disney World GIF
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.