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!
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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!
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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!
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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....
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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!
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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?
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
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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
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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.