Everyday chit chat and normal conversation isn't as easy as it sounds to keep up. And there are some life stories and experiences we'd love to share but just can't. How do you fit in death, sorrow and misery? Some people have a gift to guide conversation in any possible way and the rest of us just shy away. But Lord the stories we could tell!!
Redditor u/MrGohan27 wanted everyone to dish about the one story that you can't escape.... What is the one story you want to tell, that you can never fit into a conversation?
Hey there baby Kong!
GiphyMy dad is an OBGYN. He once got called by the local zoo to perform an emergency C-Section on one of their gorillas.
My mom has the baby gorilla's picture on the mantle with our baby pictures. EclipticEclipse
The Grand Story...
I went to the Grand Canyon years ago with my parents. A couple of stops in we get out at a lookout where there is only us and this biker couple. She was sitting on the edge of the canyon with something in her hand and he was videotaping her. We had to walk past them to get to a trail that led into the canyon. It didn't take me and my dad long to see what the couple was doing so we stopped and tried to give them space but my mom kept walking. The woman dumped something into the canyon and at the same time a wind blew out of the canyon and at my mom. The biker couple watched what they had dumped out fly into my mom's face. It turns out that it was the ashes of her brother and his last request was to have his ashes spread at the Grand Canyon. What followed is the most awkward 10 minutes of my life as they talked to my mom about the departed. At the end of the conversation the lady says "don't feel bad about it he loved to meet new people."My mom responds "well it was nice to meet you and your brother as well." Captain-Ellerby
Chris Tucker for the Win!
In 2011 I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, it was 4 days before my 17th birthday. When I got home from the hospital that day, I wanted to put myself in a better mood, so I watched Rush Hour, and then I watched Rush Hour 2, and then Rush Hour 3. Fast forward to a couple months ago, I volunteered at a high profile event that had a ton of celebrities. We weren't allowed to fraternize with the celebs and ask for pictures and autographs and stuff, but there was one celeb that I needed to slightly break that rule for. At the end of the event, I made sure to be near the exit and wait there for Detective James Carter himself. I approached him, I shook his hand and walked him out while explaining to him that Rush Hour got me through one of the worst days of my life so far and it made me smile during a time that I had no business smiling in. He stopped dead in his tracks, looked at me and thanked me for telling him. He then gave me a hug before sincerely wishing the best for me and leaving the event. And that's what happened when I met Chris Tucker. _BrooksWasHere
We love you Alec!!
I think I've shared this on another sub before, but I made Alec Baldwin laugh.
It was Halloween and I was in NYC, and my office was near the W 4th street station, which is on 6th Ave where they do the massive Halloween parade every year. I was trying to rush to the station before the parade started so I could get home and avoid the craziness. I was heading down Bleecker and already there are tons of people dressed up on their way to the parade.
As I'm speed-walking down the street, I get into an awkward shuffle with someone heading the opposite direction - you know, where you both go the same direction at the same time, then try to go the other direction, but you basically just keep blocking each other by accident. I look up and the person I'm doing this awkward shuffle dance with is Alec Baldwin.
I normally don't think so quickly on my feet (and I realize I pretty much peaked in this moment), but I blurt out: "That's a great Alec Baldwin costume."
And he laughed. ebroms
Damn you Stephen King!
GiphyI live in Maine in the same town as Stephen King. I have worked at several stores when I was younger such as Home Depot and Walmart. He has come in sometimes. He recognized me when I worked at Home Depot from Walmart and said "You really need to stop following me." Jokingly of course. He was a pretty cool dude. Bought some screws and lumber. TheSleepyAmerican
BAMBI!!!
This past summer me and 2 of my friends were passing the time by just walking in a creek (we're in high school so we had nothing better to do) as were walking we hear what we thought to be a little kid whining. The creek wound around an elementary school so we thought it might be some daycare going on. We continue to walk down the creek which then let us to a slow flowing river about waist deep. We swim down it having a good time when we hear the same sound of the kid again only it's sounds less than 5 meters away and it's definitely not a child. I look along the bank and spot a fawn (baby deer) stuck in some tree roots that were dangling over the bank.I don't know how long it had been stuck there but it's front left and both back legs were stuck in the roots. I ask one of my friends to hold my bag and I head over to the deer. It had to have been stuck there for a decent while because it didn't seem to struggle when I got close, presumably cause it was too tired to. I go over and lift the fawn up and carry him over to a less steep bank where he can make his way into the tree line surrounding the river. I don't know what happened to it after that but I'm hoping it found it's mama. Shaff_Daddy
I am your Father....
I had breakfast with James Earl Jones, then went into pre-school and told my teacher that I had breakfast with Darth Vader. She didn't believe me until an article in the paper came out the following week about him being in town. Hollywoodv1
McDonald's is Rough!
Okay so when I was about six or so I was in the ball pit at a McDonald's play place. The other kids and I were playing this game that involved grabbing whatever kid tried to escape the ball pit and throwing them back in.
So this one kid tries to escape and I grab his leg. He was an amputee and I had grabbed his prosthetic. I was six and didn't know it was even possible to lose a limb. His prosthetic came off and suddenly I was holding this stranger kid's leg in my hands - I thought I had ripped his leg off! I screamed, I cried, I apologized, and I ran to my parents who had to explain the concept of an amputee to me in a McDonald's. craftsmanspet
Big Score for Mom!
My 50 year old mother is one of the best 2048 players in the world. Her high score is somewhere in the millions and she doesn't see it as a big deal but I googled it and she's like top 5 in the country. Nobody other than myself is interested in this so I don't get many opportunities to brag on her behalf. Jbachner19
We See you!
GiphyMy drunk crazy uncle showed up in an Action Bronson episode about the south bronx. They filmed him drinking beer out of a straw hidden in his jacket. Steamedcarpet
DANNY "I LOVE YOU!!"!!!!
So the wife loves Disney and I love the Philadelphia Flyers. I took her to Disney to propose and everything's magical. The next day was my birthday and we are waiting in line when the woman in front notices my flyers hat and says, "oh you're a flyers fan?" I said yeah as I look at her husband and it's Danny Briere! So I got to ride the tower of terror with one of my heroes. Also we had nearly identical outfits on. Also it was Danny's birthday too. BigBuffHuff
I'll Never Forget....
One time me and my brother were being signed up by my parents to do a Rugrats Campbell Soup commercial. My parents were both in chairs in front of this desk talking to a man. And I was sitting leaning against the wall by the door behind them. Then a hand comes through the door and clamps around my mouth and I get dragged out of the room. He's dragging me down the hall and I'm trying to kick and scream but he's this 6' ft 2" white guy with a long beard and I can't budge or make a noise past his hand. Then halfway down the hallway in the lobby the receptionist looks up at us and he let's me go. I run back to the room and sit on the floor between my parents chairs. The guy comes in again and whispers something to the man my parents are talking to and leaves
It still makes me angry today because when I told them this story they didn't believe me (I was 5). Im 27 now and now they believe me. It was so traumatizing I still remember it. Ayatoyato
Let Me Out!
7 years ago, I (18 at the time) was out to dinner with boyfriend's extended family and got stuck in a bathroom stall (had a door knob, not a latch). I panicked and kicked that crap open. I came out the bathroom, calmly sat down at our table, and said nothing. I felt guilty for breaking the door but also surprised at my ability to do so. Prudytudy237
I found the Right TOOL....
GiphyI met the bassist from Tool once. Super nice guy. The whole experience was great, until I went home and told my family.
Me: "Hey guys, I think I met someone famous today. Do you know the band Tool?"
Family: "No way you met someone from Tool?! Who? What did you say?!"
Me: "... I asked him if his band was pretty popular."
They mock me to this day. TheFalseShepherd77
But I have Pizza!
I used to deliver pizzas. I roll up to this one house, waltz to the door, have a knock and start waiting, when this cicada starts dive bombing me, kamikaze style, with rage. Like I could almost hear it screaming at me. This went on for the several minutes that my customer wasn't answering the door, and then the cicada conveniently flew away right as the door popped open. So I'm sitting there stressed, kind of in shock with a pizza in my hand, and tell the customer what happened for some reason. They don't care. Whatever. I walk back to my car, get in... the cicada is in my car. Attacks me again.
One of the most surreal exchanges with nature I've yet encountered. commiedad
Bowie Forever!
My dad was good friends with David bowie for a while. My mums best friend was having potentially life ending surgery (open heart for the 3rd time due to marfans disease) so my dad told bowie that she was a big fan, he ended up recording a video for her wishing her luck and she still watches it from time to time. (She's having another surgery on Tuesday.) rhgarton
The Good Ole Days....
I got done with my bartending shift in a college town over a summer, and headed over to my friends house for after bar. Everything in this town was walking distance, and since it was summer it was fairly quiet night at around 4:00 am as I'm walking home from the after bar by myself. Suddenly, a couple of guys come up behind me, completely wasted riding a tandem bike. These guys were barely keeping this thing on the street, when a car drove by, slowed down, and a girl from the back window of the car leans out and flashes her chest at them. They guys crashed their tandem bike into a curb in a fantastically comical way, and the car sped off.
I miss small college town life. huxley2112
Donate Now....
Two good friends of mine from medical school found out they were half sisters after they both separately sent in kits to 23 and me. The kicker is that the sperm donor was also a medical student. beakerbrains1785
Follow the Dog!
GiphyMy girlfriend and I were at 7-11 and Dog the Bounty Hunter was there. My girl drives a smart car, which is adorable in its own right, but as we came out of 7-11 to leave Dog held the door for us and then when we were getting in the car he said, "that's one cute car!" My girlfriend had NO idea who Dog was until I told her, then she couldn't stop giggling that one of the most aggressive bounty hunters out there thought her car was cute. qu33fwellington
No More Death!
When I was about 8 years old, I was playing outside with a friend and her little brother (2 or 3 y.o). My friend was slowly riding my bike on the sidewalk and I was walking besides her, but her brother insisted on riding his tricycle on the middle of the road (it was a dead end without movement). There's a funeral home nearby that often left their hearse parked on that street. Little guy was right behind the hearse when it suddenly starts moving backwards. I quickly pulled him out of his tricycle as he was about to get ran over.
It still creeps my out how the kid could have died that day by the same hearse that would have taken him to his funeral.
Sometimes I see him on the street and wonder if he remembers he almost died that day. amargs_
Who is strong enough to admit one of their weirdest stories you can't escape?
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.