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!
My 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!
I 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!
My 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....
I 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!
My 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?
It's highly believed that it is important to learn history as a means to improve our future.
What is often overlooked is that what is taught in history class is going to be very different depending on where you went to school.
And this isn't just internationally, even different regions of the United states will likely have very different lessons on American history.
This frequently results in our learning fascinating, heartbreaking and horrifying historical facts which our middle or high school history teachers neglected to teach us.
Redditor Acherontia_atropos91 was curious to learn things people either wished they had learned, or believe they should have learned, in their school history class, leading them to ask:
What isn’t taught in history class but should be?
The Irish Troubles
"The troubles."
"Too many people in America do not understand why a wall straight through Ireland would be a BAD idea."
"I’m referring to the Brexit referendum and possible outcomes."
"If people were wondering why we were talking about walls through Ireland in the first place."- CLCVS.
Forgotten elements of World War II
"What the Japanese did to the Chinese during WW2."
"Unit 731."- CaptainMcBoogerJew.
"Japan gets off easy for their war crimes in WW2."
"They killed an estimated 16mil Chinese civilians and another 8mil soldiers"
"Also, Pol Pot."
"Didn't know who he was until I was like 25."
"Worst dictator all time (in terms of percentage of population he decimated)".
The truth about the American Revolution
"That the American Revolution was part of a wider cold war type of conflict with France."
"The American Revolution was basically the UK's equivalent of the US version of Vietnam."- vinsant7.
The Dark side of Swedish history.
"As a Swede, I'd like to know more of all the horrible sh*t my country has done throughout history."
"It's a damn shame we're trying to hide our history."
"For example, Swedes killed a metric sh*t ton of all Polish people when we were at our strongest."
"That's the kinda sh*t we don't get to learn."- mogwandayy.
Colonization
"Basically what Belgium did to the Congo."
"A lot of people are telling me that they are taught about this actually."
"I'm glad to hear it because I wasn't taught about this in the USA during my public school days (1995-2008)."- EconArch.
The truth about "heroes".
"While teaching about historical Heroes they should also tell students about the unspeakable things some of them did."
"Many famous figures throughout history who are pillars of morality actually did many terrible things." - User Deleted
Intolerance for Mental Illness
"The dark history of mental illness treatments."
"I think it's worth learning about."- 7dayexcerpt.
Slavic Mythology
"Slavic mythology in Slavic countries."
"Don't get me wrong, I love both Greek & Roman mythology and as a person from the Balkans both of those cultures are part of my country's history and had great influence over not only my region but the entirety of the continent & the western world but I wouldn't mind knowing more about Slavic mythology as well."- ShorsShezzarine.
The truth about the CIA
"How the CIA was made and all the shady things they did over the years."- ALargeChip.
There is a lot about the history of our world, not to mention our own country which shouldn't be ignored.
And it's from learning from our mistakes that we really improve our future.
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So apparently we are in the endemic phase of this nonsense.
We have light at the end of the tunnel.
So what now?
Where do we go from here?
Normal seems like an outdated word.
How do we get back to normal though?
Is it even possible?
What are reaching back to?
Life pre-Covid.
Those were the days.
If only we could bring them back.
Redditor hetravelingsong wanted to discuss our new normal in this hopeful "endemic" phase. So they asked:
"What’s something random you miss about pre-COVID times?"
I miss people being sane. Though that maybe election cycle issues not COVID. We'll never know.
I thought I was Alone...
"Being able to grocery shop after 11 pm."
Reading_Rainboner
"Hell yes. I miss the days where the Walmart across the street was open 24 hours."
Small_Tax_9432
let's just go...
"I miss spontaneity... everything now seems to have a barrier of difficulty."
iidosee
"I live very close to Disneyland so I have an annual pass. My friends and I would just go there after work and hang out and grab a bite to eat."
"Now, we have to reserve a day to go. And most of the time, the days are at 'full' capacity so we couldn't even reserve. I don't want to schedule to hang out at Disneyland for a couple hours for July. So yeah, I definitely miss the 'lets go eat at Disneyland tonight?' texts."
mymymissmai
Not til 24-25
"Functioning global supply chains. Ah, the product you want has got microchips in it? 9 month wait."
richard-king
"Minimum, I'd been saying for a while now that I wouldn't expect a true return to normalcy in terms of electronics prices till 2024-2025. Although Crypto crashing through the floor really took some of the pressure off graphics cards which I really appreciate."
statiiic
WTF?!?!
"How affordable everything was!"
Disastrous_Hour_6776
"Yep. Today I was bagging up my things at the grocery store and I heard the cashier say to the lady behind me 'thats $78.12.' She had -- 2 boxes of Kellogg's corn flakes, a carton of 12 eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, a small cheese cake, English muffins, coffee, and a small whole frozen chicken that could maybe feed 3 people if the meat portioning was small."
SnowyInuk
Sushi
"My favorite sushi place. It was good quality, close by, kid-friendly, and not too expensive."
InannasPocket
All of this... it was a simpler time.
NASTY
"As a retail worker, just how f**king NASTY some people have gotten."
DmitriPetrov*itch
"They applauded you for being an essential worker but won’t vote for policies that’ll raise minimum wage while insisting a wage cap for heavily paid employees."
sketchysketchist
CHANGES your DNA...
"Some of the people closest to me became very bitter and petty over the last 2 years. So many people have the 'crazy eyes' now."
__--__7
"So true and holidays with the family is like who has the biggest tinfoil hat building contest. How many jumps does your brain have to go through to think that the Covid vaccine CHANGES your DNA into the patented DNA so that the government now controls your body."
"So like vaccinated people now have a singular DNA set. I feel like I still have a chunk of my brain just broken off due to that comment alone. I was also told by same family member that I could never donate blood again due to the vaccine. I guess it is so my patented DNA doesn't affect people?? FYI my vaccinated butt just donated today fine and multiple other times after the vaccine."
tyreka13
Homeward Bound
"House prices."
adrianinked
"I'm resigned to never thinking I have a chance on owning property where I live. I'm 30 and just can't imagine it anymore. And I don't want to live anywhere else so, whatever."
Osdab2daf
"That didn’t happen because of the pandemic. That was already happening regardless."
CH11DW
Oh Mickey
"All Day Breakfast at McDonalds."
hutch2522
"It was honestly hell to do, and not very popular. ITs margins aren't anywhere dinner and lunch specials. ON top of that, the temperatures are such that They require its own grill, meaning that if you have 2 grills in shop, you are down 50% of lunch capacity."
Freyas_Follower
Way back when...
"Hanging out with friends. And I mean waaaaaay before Covid. Like 2006 back when I had some friends."
LoocsinatasYT
I miss the old days. Maybe we'll get back there.
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What do you believe?
Is there a GOD in the sky?
Is he guiding us and helping us?
Life is really hard. Why is that is a big entity is up there loving us?
Atheists have taken a lot of heat for what feels like shunning GOD.
What if they've been right all along?
Maybe let's take a listen and see what they really think.
Redditor __Jacob______ wanted to hear from the people who don't really believe all that "God" stuff. They asked:
"Atheists, what do you believe in?"
I'm waffling between G-O-D and nothing. So please give me some education.
911
"We need to look out for each other because help isn't coming."
cknipe
Peace Out
"More than 2 decades ago, a priest was giving a sermon in my church and he said 'our faith requires you to believe without question. Why call it faith if you have to ask questions?' I haven't returned to church. Not until my wedding day but you know what I mean."
asiangontear
Delusion
"When I was young I used to think that after death you would have access to a PC that you could see absolutely anything about your life. Stats, any question you had no matter how obscure, replays of moments, perspectives of others in relation to you. No matter what you wanted to know, if it was relatable to you, you could see it. I know it's silly, but as time goes on I just want it to be real, and I don't think I'd have any issue allowing myself to fall into that delusion."
eggwardpenisglands
I think nothing happens...
"Realistically, I think nothing happens. We literally experience nothing after death. Same thing that we experience before birth. We don't exist, so it's nothing. I think the tenant that we should follow while living is to try to be happy and healthy while minimizing the damage we do to each other."
"What I would LIKE to happen after death is whatever you believe in, exists. I think Christians should get to go to heaven if they truly believe in it, Hindus and Buddhists get reincarnated, and everyone else also gets to experience what they believe they will experience."
"'I would still experience Nothing. Maybe it's one of those things where at the moment of death their brain makes them experience what feels like an infinitely long moment in time where they experience their afterlife. I just think it would be neat for everybody."
Better_Meat_
Shrug
"Best advice I received from a dear senior on their way out. 'You win some, you lose some' shrug. Nothing divine, life is that simple and wonderful, accept it and move on."
Tune_Kindly
It all sounds pretty simple. Why are people so up in arms about Atheists?
Whatever
"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do."
imCIK
Cool with Empty
"Nothing. [Serious]."
rumblingtummy29
"I feel this way about death. When I was 5, my grandfather died and my cousin simple said, he is dead, that means you are gone forever. Everything ends up dying, even plants and animals. I'm now in my 40's and still have this simplistic view of life and death. People think I'm ambivalent to life and death but it's just what it is."
thepigfish82
puppet-masters...
"I think a lot of religious people struggle with the fact that we are all just swirling units of chaos. There is no grand plan or great orchestrator. I think that’s why people who are prone to religion are also susceptible to things like Q anon and the Cabal and all that. They REALLY want to believe that there is some almighty puppet-master who determines all of humanity’s fate."
Lngtmelrker
“we’re living in a society!”
"Just be a kind and empathetic person not because you’re worried about some cosmic justice, but because it’s the right thing to do. If there is some being that created us there’s no way they actually care about believing in it or adhering to some rules from over 2000 years ago."
"Also a big thing for me is that I find the idea that you need religion or the Bible in order to have morals and ethics pretty dumb. It’s pretty f**king clear that most evangelicals have neither. But my main thing is being a good person simply because, as George Costanza once said we’re living in a society!' If you’re only a good person in order to make it to heaven you probably aren’t actually a good and moral person."
conservative_genius
That's All
"You're born. You live. You die. That's it. After you die you cease to exist, the same as before you were born."
serefina
Believe what you want. We're all here together. So let's focus there.
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The list of what irritates me is endless.
I mean... breathing too loud or dust can set me off.
I'm a bit unstable, yes.
But I'm not alone.
So let's discuss.
Redditor Aburntbagel6 wanted to hear about all the times many of us just couldn't control our disdain. They asked:
"What never fails to piss you off?"
I feel like this article can go on forever. Let's get some highlights.
Wasted Time
"Meetings that could and should have been an email."
Sirena609
Lotto People
"Getting stuck behind people playing the lottery at a corner store."
thenuggetlover
"I also used to work in a gas station and you’re SO right. I f**king hated the lottery people. Especially since my store had a small staff and there was usually only one of us working at a time, which meant that I couldn’t get any of my other work done as long as they were there."
"And you’re right, it’s also pretty sad to watch. I had one lady who used to come in every day and spent hundreds and HUNDREDS of dollars on scratch tickets. One day, she won $200 after spending probably around $600 and she was so excited and saying she can 'finally pay her bills.'"
i-am-your-god-now
Aware...
"No situational awareness. Job, home, shopping, driving. Think for one minute and go about. OBSERVE!!"
Dizzy-Foundation8122
"My mom is one of those people who leave the shopping cart in the middle of the damn aisle and proceed to walk twenty feet away. After correcting her a million times to no effect I just walk away now so people don’t know I’m with her."
OutrageousEvent
Shut Up!
"Endless barking in the middle of the night, I love animals but that sh*t I can't stand."
Acceptable-Lemon2924
"Endless barking in general drives me up a wall. One of my friends dogs was barking almost an entire gaming session the other day. I wanted to reach through the computer and smack him for letting it go on."
bangersnmash13
Kindness
"People being mean to service workers, especially if the workers are very young."'
scaryboilednoodles
All of these things. I hate them all.
Admit It
"People who never accept fault when they mess something up. Like, why blame a million people when it was clearly you who did it???"
Quirky-Area-8978
From Above
"My upstairs neighbors."
lutzow89
"I had terrible neighbors at my previous apartment. It was a one person studio for students, but her boyfriend was clearly living with her illegally and he was loud."
"One night we knocked n the door at 3 AM because of the loud music and an unknown girl opened the door. I just thought they were having a little party. But the next door I saw the girl living there come home with a suitcase after having been away for the weekend... Her BF was cheating on her in her own apartment."
Th3_Accountant
Move Away
"People who sit directly next to me at the airport, movie theater, any other place where you can choose a seat when there is PLENTY of other seating."
BacardiPardy33
"I can’t YES this enough and the ones who can’t park for crap so they park so close you can’t open doors on one side of the car or the ones who park directly behind when you pulled through so the door won’t open to load groceries."
BacardiPardy33
It's Over
"People who try to restart old drama. Like I'm done with you, just leave me alone."
Tired_Potatos
"Yep, half the reason I've basically quit playing one of my favorite online video games. People keep bringing old crap up or sh*tting on on someone who used to be our friend. I got tired of it so I just ejected the game out of me."
CaucasianHumus
AHHHHH!!!
"People walking too slow in front of me with no way to get around them. It’s even worse if it’s a couple or group taking up the whole sidewalk. HAVE SOME SPATIAL AWARENESS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!"
_-v0x-_
Life in general pisses me off. I'm easy.
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