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Paranormal Investigators Share The Story Of Their Creepiest Experience.

Most people have had a moment where they felt like they weren't alone when they should have been. These people have made a profession of this feeling, and invite it into their lives regularly. Thanks to these paranormal investigator (and the one dispatch officer) who shared their eerie stories.

1. 'Everything went quiet, then I saw her.'

The year was 2012. I was younger, unmarried with a hopeful eye on the horizon. It was in that year that I officially joined a paranormal group. Let me apologize in advance for keeping some information deliberately vague. I value my privacy but most importantly, Im uncertain if what Im telling you may cause me to run afoul of the other people that were involved.

Theres a particularly haunted location close to where I used to live when I stayed with my parents. The history of that spot was one filled with sadness and anger. A lot of horrible stuff happened there but the perpetrators were never found and therefore never brought to justice. There have been rumors since then of a white figure fleeting about in the dark. Some people claimed to have heard a girl crying but there would be no one there when they turned to look. A previous group had investigated this spot and they came away with some strong evidence, chief of which were footprints in powder (a trick I used when I investigated my house in the previous post).

When we arrived at the place, the six of us broke up into groups of two. I will only cover what one of the groups experienced because they had asked a question directly relevant to what I had experienced. The strongest activity, however, happened with me and my partner. And we were the first to go up, all gung-ho and excited.

Between us, we had an EMF meter each. Below and pointing at the structure we were investigating at, there was a regular camera and a camera that had thermal imaging capabilities. Our investigation happened on the uppermost floor of the structure, where the dense trees grew wild and made the entire area darker than it was, even with a full moon overhead. We were ready to start so we powered on the meters and began.

The responses came almost immediately.

With the EMF meter, we set a precedence for the entity. Light up the bulbs if the answer is yes, leave it alone if its a no. So all our questions, therefore, cant be open-ended since they would need to be answered in the affirmative or negative. The first thing we asked was, are you here with us. The meter had four bulbs with the fourth being the strongest. The first one lit up with the second flickering.

EMF meters cant lie and it takes quite a lot of energy to produce such a reaction. That were getting a hit on two EMF meters no less - while we were nowhere close to any power lines or electrical boxes is in itself an indication of something. But we do not rely on just one tick.

We kept asking and repeating our question. Are you here, if you are, light up the device again so we know it wasnt a fluke.

This repeated itself four times.

(Continued this story on the next page...)

Prior to coming here, we unearthed in our investigation a possible name for a girl who could have possibly been haunting the place. So we decided to put that to the test. We went through several names. For a long time, it was quiet until we mentioned the name that turned up in our research. This time, the meters went up to three bars. That got our attention.

Three bars require a strong blast of energy. For example, standing near a power box wouldnt even get you three bars. Its only when you press the device right up to the power box that you get four bars.

We deliberately went with a different name after getting the hit to see if it were a fluke. The device was quiet. When we mentioned the right name again, it lit up strongly.

After this, my partner went to answer a call from one of the people from the other group. In that time, I was left alone with the device and seemingly this spirit that was next to me. And I, being the polite one, told her we were sorry for disturbing her and if she were okay we were here? The device lit up to three bars.

I followed that up with, Do you feel lonely?

Three bars.

So, youre happy with our company?

Two bars.

(The number of bars does not indicate level of interest, merely the strength at which the entity can answer the question.)

Well, were happy to be here talking with you so thank you for being accommodating.

My partner was still on the phone so to whittle away at the time, I stuck out the EMF meter around me to gauge where the spirit might be standing. It was strongest in front of me. It lit up to a solid four. There was nothing to the left or right or even behind. But in front was when it would always light up. I traced the air up and down and the device stayed lit all the way until I brought it just inches from the ground. Then, the EMF meter, previously buzzing with activity went to zero. It was at that point when I realized the female spirit was hovering in the air in front of me.

Then, from my peripheral of the ground floor, I saw a dark shadow zip past quickly. It startled me and for a moment I wondered what I might have seen.

With no means now to investigate that, I tell her, Ill be moving over there, do join me.

I did this in part to test if the EMF meter was indeed working properly. Part of what made me good at this was my healthy dose of skepticism. As I left the spot where I stood, the constant two to three lit bulbs died. It remained quiet when I arrived at the new location, which was just ten feet away. I turn this way and that, attempting to pick up any EMF fluctuations in the air around when suddenly, it lit up.


(Continue this story on the next page...)

The meter was pointed toward the railing so I asked, Is that you? Are you here now?

Two bulbs.

Are you on the railing?

Two bulbs.

Is this your favorite spot?

Three bulbs.

By this time, my partner had rejoined me. We asked many questions. There was a certain feeling that crept into the air around us. It was a mixture of sadness and yet happiness the sort of happiness you felt when someone unanticipated comes to visit.

We decided then that we were going to ask some specific questions about the crimes that happened on the grounds.

If we had pictures, would you be able to recognize them?

No lights.

Have you made peace with what happened?

Two bulbs.

Arent you a little angry?

Two bulbs.

The crime occurred sometime in the 1990s.

But youve still made peace?

Two bulbs.

Here, we were overwhelmed with emotion. It was bittersweet. I think I even teared up a little. We went quiet for a while but the entire time, she stood there, next to us, as evidenced by the lit bulbs. We didnt know how else to continue and since it has been over 40 minutes, we decided that now was a good time to bow out and let the next group up. So we said thank you, told her that we really appreciated her doing this and shes been real fun to talk to and that we hope she would extend the same friendship she showed us to the next group.

The second team (and the third) apparently received very little activity. We guessed that this was due to the spirit having used up plenty of her energy to converse with us. Either that or the two groups failed to engage her in the way that we had. But while the second group was up there, I hung around at the bottom, excited at what I had experienced first-hand. Though it was far from my first brush with the supernatural, it was the first one where it was in a more controlled environment.

So anyway, there I was mulling about and chatting with the other members when once again something caught my eye. I turned to look and there, on the second floor I saw something that to this day I recall vividly. (Continued)


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It was only for a split second I saw a face of a girl. Eyes, nose, ears, lips even her hair that framed her face was all visible. The face was a little off like it was swollen. And as soon as it flashed before me, it vanished. My hair stood on ends and my sudden quietness drew the attention of everyone near me. When I told them what I saw, the message was quickly passed to the group still up there and they asked the spirit then if it were indeed her that I had seen twice once the shadow and the other the face.

Both times, the bulbs lit up to a strong four.

We packed up and left, eager to go through the recordings. Someone else handled all of that so it was a few weeks before we heard anything. One night, though, he called me up and asked me if I was indeed certain of what I saw on the second floor. I told yes, I knew what I saw. He then sent me a picture. It was an infrared shot of the entire structure.

And there, on the second floor, hovering just above the railing, was a thermal image of a round object.

It was a face.

2. 'The door slammed on my friend.'

The craziest thing I have seen with my own two eyes was a door slam on my friend. We were in an old asylum and he was walking out of a room when the door just swung back really hard out of nowhere and knocked him on his bottom. It was just me and him as well. Needless to say he left the building right after that.

PM_ME_UR_number2s

3. We thought he was crazy, but we couldn't have been more wrong.

About 4 years ago I was working the dispatch desk. Around 11pm I received a call from a resident that stated he had just seen 6 diamond shaped objects fly over his house at only a couple hundred feet, making no noise and had mirrors of thousands of lights glowing from underneath.

No big deal I think. Another alien conspiracy theorist calling in. But he prefaced his whole call by saying, "listen, I'm not nuts, I know you get calls from crazy people but I'm not one of them. I have this on video and my whole family saw it." He gave me their approximate height, their travel direction, the times. It was weird and it sounded unbelievable but there was something about it that sounded different so I decided to dispatch someone out and check this guy out, and more importantly, to see the video.

So the officer goes out, sees the video and writes a report. He comes back to the station and I jokingly say as soon as he walks in, "So how crazy are they over there?" And with a straight face he goes, "That was something." (Continued)


Continue this story on the next page.

I had to then call the nearest military air base and ask to speak to a supervisor at their flight control center. I gave her the time and area it occurred and she stated that nothing had been in that grid for hours. Then, feeling like a complete fool, I had to tell them that I had to report a UFO. They took the information and I faxed them a copy of the report and they said they'd look into it.

I didn't think anything of it for two years since we only got that one phone call and I hadn't heard anything about it. Sure enough though, two years later, I had a friend going through county wide training who called me and asked if I had been the one who had dispatched that call. When I said yes and told him the story he explained that at his training they had gone over how to handle unusual events and calls and that my dispatch had been played and he recognized the voice. He told me that later that night that exact report was called in over 6 times throughout the county in various areas.

To this day I have no idea what those lights were. The investigation was out of our hands.

-MaybeACop

4. 'I had to investigate my own house.'

I needed to investigate my own house, after some suspicious activity. I didnt have any of the regular equipment I used, like the EMF meter, so I went old school. I recharged the batteries to my old camcorder, dusted off the voice recorders and got some powder. I set the camcorder out on the far wall of my living room where most of the apartment, including the bedroom door, dining area and entrance to the kitchen can be captured. One recorder I left by the bedside table. As for the powder, I sprinkled a generous amount near the main door, at the entrance to the kitchen, the entrance to my bedroom and across the perimeter of my bed, from wall to wall. I also sprinkled large amounts of powder in critical areas just in case.

As most paranormal investigators are intimately aware of, many investigations are spent whittling away the boredom for hours only to be hit by a sudden explosion of activity that, more times than not, disappear just as quickly. Its like ghosts are trained guerrilla fighters. Great with making little disruptions, but not so great when you want them to sit down and chat.

The same thing happened of course. I started my business soon after midnight when the wife had fallen asleep. The first hour was purely for me to get into the right mood. I sat quietly in the dark in the living room, occasionally asking questions but largely leaving the digital recorder to run.

Other than the sounds of traffic caught during playback, I didnt get any response to the questions I asked. There werent whispering, strange sounds or shadows moving around my apartment. At around 2am, I decided it was time to retire to bed. While I was used to holding investigations right up until 5am, I dont do that anymore. I had work to wake up for in about five to six hours. So I left one of the recorders on the dining table since it was closer to the bedroom door and went to bed.

At about 3:30am, I awoke suddenly.

The room felt noticeably darker but it was deathly quiet. Even the low drone from my air-conditioner seemed to have stopped. I turn over and my wife was in deep sleep. Yeah, that woman sleeps like the dead. The first thing I checked was the thick line of powder I drew to separate my bed from the rest of the room. It was intact. I got out of bed and left the room, careful not to disrupt the line of powder in front of the bedroom door. I checked the camcorder and it was still running. Thats good. Ive had situations before when in lieu of activity, fully charge camera batteries and flashlights were completely drained. Anyway, the powder at the main door was also intact and the random blotches of powder in the bedroom and the living room were undisturbed.

But then I came to the kitchen.

Granted a gust of wind could have caused the line of powder to be broken but my apartment is like a vacuum. On stormy days, with all the windows and the door opened, not a gust of wind makes it way in, which was why we resort to air-conditioning constantly. The air-con in the living area was turned off but there was a clear break in the powder line as if someone stepped out of the kitchen into the living room.

Still not much to go on so I went back to bed, once again careful not to step on the powder. I understand that all of this is terribly boring but hey, its not like I could choose a method of preferred haunting.

Anyway, when I awoke in the morning, it was to my wife roughly shaking me. She wanted to know why I tracked powder all over the house. I was in a daze, having just been rudely awakened and with less than my ideal hours of sleep so it took a while before I understood what she asked.

I jumped out of bed and there, to my utter surprise, were footprints all over.

(Continued)


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Some of them had been disrupted by my wife but the line I drew was broken and there were footprints all around our bed and in the connecting part of the room where the computers were. I rushed to open the bedroom door and the powder there wasnt broken but there were footprints leading up to the door.

I checked the camera and the battery was completely drained. Well, that wouldnt do. I didnt have time to check the footage now let alone clean up the mess. So while my wife went off to work, I took a shower, dressed and hopped on a cab to work. I was late but I really wanted to spend the next 30 minutes or so on the way to work uninterrupted by commuters while I listened to the recording taken by the recorder on my bedside table.

Much of it was of my wife snoring. Wow, that woman is loud. I had no idea I was sleeping next to a bulldozer. I might have missed something but I fast forwarded quite a bit right up to the point I was awoken at around 3:30am. Her snoring had stopped and the quiet I heard and felt when I was awake at that hour was somehow captured on the recorder. I thought that the recorder had malfunctioned because there literally was an absence of sound.

It was only when the sounds of me moving to check the area came through the recorder, that I knew the device was working. I fast forwarded a little bit more but stopped at the one-hour mark when a strange sound caught my attention.

It was footsteps.

And it wasnt just one person walking around. There was audible running. Like a bunch of people racing around my room. Somehow this didnt wake me or my wife. I listened closely, more intrigued than scared but what I heard next tipped that scale almost immediately.

The running slowed to a walk and the sound of feet moving quite deliberately toward my side of the bed could be heard. I knew this because the footsteps got louder as it reached the recorder. Then there was silence, quite like what I had heard earlier. This time, though it felt pregnant, like something was waiting to happen.

And then, I heard it. In broad daylight in the cab, my hair stood on ends and I wanted to trash the recording.

Im here.

It was loud. And by loud, I mean speaking-directly-into-the-recorder loud. Over the sound of that male voice, I heard my own breathing and the snoring of my wife so I knew that I wasnt speaking in my sleep. I dont sleep walk either and neither does my wife.

I have yet to listen to the recorder left on the dining table or reviewed the footage from the camcorder. Hopefully, therell be more information I can extract.

Thanks for reading!

People Who Hooked Up With A Coworker Break Down The Aftermath

Reddit user Nuff-Do asked: "People that had sex with coworkers - how did that turn out ?'

We've all heard that love and work do not mix, and we've definitely heard that we shouldn't take relationships or friendships with coworkers to the next level.

Between having our work, our jobs, our income, and maybe even our reputations on the line, there's simply too much at risk.

But maybe sometimes, the affair won't turn out quite the way we expected.

Redditor Nuff-Do asked:

"People who had sex with coworkers, how did that turn out?"

Rewarded with a Trip to Italy

"I was a young Airman at my first base in California and I worked with a girl (let's call her Sarah) who was way more attractive than anyone my small-town Missouri a** had ever hooked up with before."

"For some reason, she was into me. She was into a few other dudes too, but at the time it didn't matter because I was 19 and stupid and she was a few years older and far more sexually experienced than I was. We had sex a few times and sort of 'dated,' but it didn't really go anywhere and I was heartbroken but cool with it."

"This was right after 9/11, so U.S. military operations were starting to ramp up and Sarah got deployment orders. They didn't tell her where she was going, but she was on the hook."

"Her reaction to the news was to tell our Chief that she was pregnant with my kid so she didn't have to go. I knew she wasn't pregnant and just using it as an excuse not to deploy."

"The Chief came to me and asked if I'd go in her place. As I said, I was 19 and even though I was a little scared, I signed the dotted line and told him of course I'd take the deployment."

"It turns out, the 'deployment' was to a NATO base in Naples Italy where I'd be paid about 80 dollars per day per diem on top of my normal paycheck."

"As soon as Sarah found out where I was headed, she called the Chief and told him she wasn't pregnant anymore and would like to take the deployment."

"The Chief denied her request and I spent an amazing eight months in Italy, being paid more money than I knew how to spend and having the time of my life."

- NewPac

Watching Them Move On

"We met thru work and dated for one and a half years. She cheated with another coworker who is married. We broke up. She started to date a different coworker. Not the married one. She paraded that relationship in my face."

"Everything was great until it wasn't. It really f**ked over my self-esteem and self-worth for years. It sucked that I had front row seat to her moving on."

- bluevacuum

"I feel that last part. When my ex moved out, she did it slowly over the course of like a month. She came over every day and packed up slowly until she finally got everything."

"The worst day was when she finally came and took her cat. I still remember sitting in front of the door and crying for hours after she left that day."

"There's a band called Pedro the Lion that has this lyric, 'My old man always swore that hell would have no flame. Just a front-row seat to watch your true love pack her things and drive away.'"

- FTG_Vader

"When I kicked my ex out this summer for having cheated on me, I gave her an arguably unfair timeline to leave before all of her possessions just went outside, and packed and moved everything for her to the garage overnight, since I couldn't sleep anyways."

"This is why. I simply couldn't handle those constant reminders and wanted it done and gone as fast as possible."

- DeceiverX

A Messy Breakup

"I had resigned and was leaving the company anyway but it was one of those classic hookups at a company party. We had fun for a while but then she decided to stop seeing me."

"I'm glad I had left the company by then; otherwise, things would have been messy."

- love_boobs_in_dm

A Huge Theft Ring

"I got fired and she got fired and all 20 guys she f**ked while we were dating were fired."

"I got fired under false allegations because she was my girlfriend and she was stealing from the store."

"She got fired for stealing from the store."

"The other 20 were fired because it was brought up that she was stealing and sleeping with managers and other coworkers while in a relationship with me. They thought that me and her were the center of a theft ring."

"Like, no... I don't steal so."

- butahoomach

A Promotion for Everyone

"So my wife of over 10 years, who had cheated in the past and I forgave her, got a huge promotion at work which caused us to relocate."

"I guess she got tired of me because she kicked me out and we were getting a divorce."

"Four months later, I found out that a co-worker had a thing for me, so I took my shot. The sex was amazing. It could be that it’s been a long time for me since sex with the wife was basically non-existent for the last few years of marriage."

"Me and the co-worker have now been dating for over a year and I haven’t been happier. So for me, it worked out for the best. And the sex is still great!"

- Unrealevil360

Too Many Options

"I worked at a casino as the only male cocktail waiter/bartender (roughly eight cocktail waitresses and four female bartenders). The floor was mostly women between the bar, servers, restaurant, and dealers."

"I slept with one of the cocktail waitresses for a couple of months even though I knew I had a bigger crush on her than she did on me. I also knew I didn't really want a relationship with her for a couple of reasons."

"Evidently, she told some people and gave me good reviews. After she quit and moved away, I had more interest than I really knew what to do with and kinda just went for it with anyone who showed interest that I was attracted to as I knew I had no more than a year left there no matter what happened. I ended up with four more of them over the course of a couple of months."

"One time on a shift, I looked around and all four were on the floor somewhere. All knew each other but I'm not sure any knew about the whole situation, and none were any false impressions of a relationship as far as I know so nothing bad came of it."

- CallMeLargeFather

A Family Man

"Not me, but she was working in payroll and he was a security guard. One day, a coworker saw the security guard walking her to her car. Immediately, she was transferred to another branch. However, they continued to see each other."

"Soon after, they got married after finding out she got pregnant. In the next five years, they had three daughters, with me being the youngest. My dad ended up passing away from brain cancer when I was just a toddler."

- Swimming-Site-7682

The Downfall of a Friendship

"I had one good experience one bad. The first one we ended up dating for a year and a half. We had a ton of fun sneaking around at work, and even though in the end he totally broke my heart, it wasn't a bad experience."

"The second one was very bad. Do not recommend."

"I thought he would be safer because we were friends, so I figured communication and rules would be no problem. Instead, we didn't communicate at all because we were both so worried about hurting each other's feelings."

"It ended badly with major assumptions on both ends and now it's very awkward and uncomfortable."

"It makes me sad because honestly, I just miss my friend. While the experience can be fun, I don't recommend it."

- laylalove89

A Suspicious Relocation

"Pretty fine. We worked at different locations in the company the first time we slept together, but we knew each other as she had trained at my location."

"One night we ran into each other at the bar and one thing led to another. A couple of months later, I ended up getting transferred to the location she was at and we just acted like it never happened."

"After a month or two of working together, we ran into each other again at the same bar, and history repeated itself."

"There was a slightly awkward moment a couple of days later when I had to find a way to give her back the necklace she'd left at my place without anybody noticing, but other than that, our working relationship didn't change at all."

- Nervous_Chipmunk7002

Messy Feelings Everywhere

"First time: super fun but I got more attached than she did."

"Second time: kinda fun but she got more attached than I did."

"Moral of the story: don’t f**k coworkers unless you’re SUPER SURE."

- Arch021

A Heartbreaker

"We dated for over a year and then one day she randomly decided to break my heart. Thankfully, we had stopped working together by that point. It still makes me tear up thinking about her, though."

- Electronic-Mud1634

Best Decision Ever

"We had an instant connection the moment she joined the foundation I had been working at for a year. We worked at the front desk together and we got to know each other very quickly."

"Neither of us enjoyed small talk and we would get angry emails from our unbelievably incompetent manager about the amount of laughter coming from the front desk. We got all of our work done, and then some, our manager just felt like she was getting left out. Which our manager was, but it was because she sucked."

"I worked from home four days a week before my new coworker started and a few weeks later she asked me why I was coming in every day. I told her something about training her how to answer the phones, which she instantly knew was bullsh*t (we got four calls a day, max)."

"The first time we hung out outside of work we told each other it would be a terrible idea to date. That lasted for about 10 days. The next time we hung out we slept together."

"That was a year and a half ago."

"We left the foundation after she told our manager that her 'management style' was untenable in an email. The two of us then called a meeting with her and we laid out a very well-planned strategy for departmental growth and change."

"Our manager nodded her head the whole meeting and told us how proud of us she was for taking ownership of our careers and how excited she was to implement our new plan."

"Three weeks later, they fired my coworker. They pushed me out, telling me that they no longer had a place for me (at my review the previous year, the CEO told me herself that she believed I had CEO potential)."

"We both have new jobs, she is a high school English teacher at one of the best high schools in the country and I became a private investigator."

"Her dad and I go to college football games together and our moms get lunch and do spa dates."

"We have been showing each other how to heal and grow as individuals and as partners."

"Right now, she's sleeping in my bedroom while I type this in the living room. I don't know what the future holds for us but I do know that she's the love of my life."

"Sleeping with my coworker is the best thing I've ever done."

- frankenfine305

"Marry this girl already."

- Long-Regular-1023

Redefining the Coworker

"Pretty good. We have a kid together. Granted we'd been married for seven years before we became coworkers."

"She always wanted to teach at the same school as me. The school grew enough that it needed a dedicated English teacher. She has a master's in it so it worked out."

- i_have_seen_ur_death

A Slow Transition

"We worked together for a couple of years and became close friends before we crossed the romance line one night after a lot of drinks. Honestly, it was and still is amazing. Happily married now over 15 years with two kids."

- theshannons

A Bartender's Love Story

"She's sleeping next to me, cuddling our cat."

"Turns out our chemistry working behind the bar together was also amazing outside of work."

- Eb_Ab_Db_Gb_Bb_Eb

We've all heard that love and work don't mix, and that we absolutely shouldn't get close to our coworkers, but from these Redditors, it seems that while things could get messy, sometimes it's worth the risk.

adding machine with printed receipt tape
Towfiqu barbhuiya/Unsplash

When we're young and naive, we tend to be optimistic as we have our whole lives ahead of us and we have to time to figure out who we are and who we want to be.

But when we're all grown up and out in the big world on our own, nothing can prepare us for the harsh realities of adulting until we experience them.

And unfortunately, life isn't always sunshine and roses the way we imagined it to be when we were much more innocent.

Curious to hear about life's many wake up calls Redditor Just_Surround_2108 asked:

"What is the adult version of finding out that Santa Claus doesn't exist?"

Life's deceptions begin slowly revealing themselves.

Caveat Emptor

"When you buy an 8-piece tupperware set, 4 of the pieces are lids."

– throwmeawaypoopy

"Same with pots and pans. What a rip off!"

– MrsMalvora

"And when you put them in the cabinet, suddenly SIX of the pieces are lids 😂"

– opheliainwaders

Value Of Friendships

"That some friends were never really your friend."

– Kangaroowrangler_02

"Also that friendships can end just like any relationship."

– ScienceUnicorn

"The best friend I'll ever have said some nasty things to me and blocked me recently. Never going to get much closure on that front."

"Not having closure is, with both friends and lovers, worse than the loss itself. I want to grow. Tell me what I need to become so this doesn't happen to me again!"

– VoxClarus

"On a related note: your co-workers are not your friends."

– tomdelfino

"I think most people seem to treat this as the default stance, but I’ve learnt you can actually make deep connections amongst coworkers, the same way you do in other stages of your life."

– immorjoe

The role of parent and child unexpectedly switches. So now what?

Who's Parenting Who

"That time period when your relationship switches and your parent looks to you for answers and advice, instead them being the one with all the answers."

– Smile_Terrible

"Not sure about that one. Dad simultaneously says I’m the smartest person he knows and I don’t know how to do anything lol."

– Puzzleheaded-Job6147

About Grieving

"When both your parents die. I am in my mid 50’s and had my mom pass on Mother’s Day ‘22. My Dad then was living with us from then, and eventually reached in-home hospice status with a sudden stage IV cancer diagnosis. He died in January of this year, and then I got laid off from my tech job and was unemployed for 10 months. Nothing takes the wonderment and positive outlook from the world than having to empty out your childhood home solo and throw everything you grew up with into a big dumpster and are left to wonder what our lives really mean."

– i_spock

Leaving Behind The House You Grew Up In

"I’m in the process of dismantling my childhood home right now. I’ve compared it to dismembering the dead body of a loved one. It’s really rough."

– HaloTightens

"my mum sold my childhood home a decade ago. i won't have to go through that."

– deathschemist

We all want to grow up when we're young. But as soon as reach reach 30, we want to slam on the breaks.

Aimlessness

"I thought I'd grow up, move out, find my footing in the grown up world and basically switch into cruise mode. Now I'm in my 40s and sh*t is confusing as f'k."

– Borsti17

"As adults, nobody knows what they're doing, we're just pretending we do."

– BeautifulMidnight-

Misconception Behind Work Integrity

"Being a hard worker and good at your job doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be rewarded for it."

– DorianOrosco

And the laziest person at work is allowed to be lazy, but the hardest worker isn’t allowed a break."

– Puzzleheaded-Job6147

We Are Our Parents

"Finding out that your parents are people, too, with weaknesses or flaws that you were blind to when you were young."

– tamammothchuk

"And the day you suddenly notice how old they are. When their mortality finally hits you."

– daggerxdarling

Living On Borrowed Time

"Yep had that day earlier this month. Was visiting for dad's 75th birthday."

"As I was leaving, out in the sunshine and fixing to get in the truck, I suddenly saw how small and frail-looking they are now. Mom hit me the hardest. She's started to shrink. They are both healthy, but Dad's just . . . worn."

"Been also doing the math lately. The math where you count up how many times you see them a year and then multiply that by how many years they have left according to the average."

"I've had enough crap and surprise losses in my life that I've long since started parting with family and friends like it might be the last time I get to see them. But that times left to see them calculation really clobbers me with my folks, and it's not even that bad yet for me. Given the ages of my grandparents when they passed I've probably still got somewhere between 150-200 visits."

"But the meter is running."

– Boudyro

I'm at the point where I'm realizing there are no handbooks on life and taking care of our parents.

When you're so used to having them there and taking care of you your whole life, nothing can prepare you for the time when that role reversal happens.

As tough as that may be, however, there's nothing more beautiful in life than returning the favor for the people who loved you unconditionally and raised you.

It's not attractive to gloat.

And there is little more obnoxious than flaunting how wealthy you are.

Particularly if you aren't even that wealthy to begin with.

Indeed, perhaps to make themselves feel more powerful and important than they actually are, many people will try and show off how much money they have in what they wear, eat, live in, and drive.

However, not everyone is so easily fooled, as those in the know can detect a charlatan when they see one.

Redditor aloe_veracity16 was eager to hear the dead giveaways that someone might not be as wealthy as they appear, leading them to ask:

"What’s a dead giveaway that someone is not actually as wealthy as they claim?"

Stating The Obvious...

"When they constantly talk about how wealthy they are."

"A genius doesn't need to tell you they are smart."

"An athlete doesn't need to tell you they are fit."

"And a rich person shouldn't need to tell you they are wealthy."- TigLyon

Attracting Unwanted Attention...

"90% of the wealthy shut the f**k about it, because they learn once they start making good money everyone wants a piece."

"Talking about it constantly = broke AF."- Vladtehwood

Simply By Doing It...

"Making the claim at all is a dead giveaway."- Starfox41

In Plain Sight...

"People who actually ARE wealthy mostly try to hide it."- Matt7738

"Living In A Material World..."

"I'm not well-versed in judging someone's wealth, but I do notice that the fake rich only look rich on social media and try their hardest to go to popular locations celebrities post."

"I know a couple of friends of friends who took out a loan just to keep up the facade that they're all in on the latest iPhones and wearables."

"They built a persona of being a rich kid, so now they have to stay the course."- anima99

Flaunt Modesty, Not Wealth...

"As a person which knows many very rich people."

"I can guarantee that not a single one of them wants to be known as rich."- CompetitivePause9033

Schitts Creek Flirt GIF by CBCGiphy

We Heard You The First Time!!!

"When they repeatedly and adamantly tell you how wealthy they are."- Famous_Bit_5119·

Experiences Over Stuff!

"I feel like actual rich people prioritize vacations/travel, buying their kids cars, paying for their kids/grandkids tuition."

"They don’t spend money on flashy or luxury stuff as much."- Klesea

Summer Time GIF by Merge MansionGiphy

All In The Editing...

"Ever notice how those jet setting influencers that post their pictures out of the airplane window are behind the wing?"

"They're in coach."

"The picture in business is where they stopped to pose on the way through."- Turbulent-Ask-2633

Pack Light...

"Private Jet pilot friend of mine said for the slightly wealthy they bring loads of luggage."

"The ultra rich bring a day bag they have enough money to buy clothes when they get there or already have clothes waiting on them."- hadmeatgotmilk

The Less Said...

"I never met a wealthy person that talks about it."

"They don't need to."- 181Eclipse·

Christina Moses Secrets GIF by ABC NetworkGiphy

"See The Pyramid [SCHEMES!] Along The Way..."

"They make a goofy advertisement for some book or course that 'will help you get rich too!'"

"If they were actually rich, they would be on some tropical beach engaging in whatever vices they enjoy most-not hocking some get-rich-quick scheme."- illegalopinion3

All About The Simple Things...

"My dad's entire job is managing millionaire / billionaire philanthropy accounts, so I’ve grown up surrounded by some of the wealthiest people in the country."

"And I never knew until I got older how these 'Mr. Smith' and 'Ms. Jones' people that I’d grown up hanging out with were anything above upper middle class."

"Normal clothes, modest homes, very down to earth and funny people."

"Big wealth, and especially old wealth, is quiet wealth."- Travel_and_Tea·

Anything But Proud...

"I have a family member who insists she and her husband are upper middle class."

"She isn’t."

"She’s rich (8 figures), but it hurts her in some sort of primal way to acknowledge that."

"Her adult brother is also wealthy, although not as much as his sister."

"Likely also 8 figures."

"He insists he’s blue collar and middle class."

"There’s something in their upbringing that makes them ashamed of having 'made it' financially."- strangled_spaghetti

Blue Collar Work GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphy

People will try to come off as wealthier than they are for a multitude of reasons.

But just like any facade, keeping it up eventually becomes untenable.

This is why it's always most important to be grateful for the things you have, rather than flaunt what you wish you had.


silhouette photography of couple
Sean Stratton on Unsplash

When it comes to dating, I have my mental checklist. The guy must be kind, intelligent, funny, and a movie buff. He must be adventurous but also doesn't mind a Netflix and Chill date night.

Most of this is similar to the mental checklists other people have. Of course, I can be flexible. If someone is nice and I'm having fun with them, they don't necessarily have to check all the boxes.

However, I have one specific dating restriction that is a dealbreaker regardless of how many boxes the person checks, and that's religion. I've never been a fan, and now I'm an atheist, and I would want my partner to be as well. That's because I want kids, and the last thing I want is for us to argue about how to raise the kids when it comes to religion.

I'm not the only person who has one specific dating restriction. Everyone has that one thing that is a dealbreaker when it comes to a romantic relationship. Redditors certainly do, and they are ready to share.

It all started when Redditor AceofSpadesYT asked:

"What is your most specific restriction when it comes to dating?"

It's Just A Joke!

"No cruel or rude pranks."

– detective_kiara

"I saw a post by someone whose boyfriend "pranked" her by pretending to be dead on the kitchen floor. That is exactly how she had found her previous partner, dead on the kitchen floor, which her current boyfriend knew. He was surprised she dumped him and didn't think it was funny."

– innocuousspeculation

We're (Not) Gonna Party!

"No party people. Nothing wrong with it, I just ain't dealing with that sh*t."

– PlantBasedStangl

"True. I like planning weekend stuff, but it has to be something meaningful - visiting a different city, movie marathon, mountain hike, fancy lunch, all okay. But... clubbing and drinking? How f**king old are we, 19? No thank you, I'm old and have no energy for listening to music I don't like while being surrounded by 50 people that I don't give a single half of a sh*t about."

– PlantBasedStangl

LOL

"Same sense of humor. I have 0 interest sharing physical space with someone who doesn't laugh with me."

– Legendary_Lamb2020

My Ears Are Bleeding!

"I'm a light sleeper. I cannot date a snorer. I can hear snores through ear plugs AND a fan blowing. It's not you, it's me."

– YourLocalOrca

At that point, it does sound like them 😂

– CuriousRedditor98

Funemployed

"Have a f**king job."

– Cuss-Mustard

"Found this difficult when I was funemployed. Was fortunate enough to be able to live off savings for a bit."

"People reacted oddly to it. “But what do you do???”"

"Was dating at the same time and some girls had the same sentiment. “You don’t have a job?”"

"I had a good enough job that I didn’t need one anymore. And one lined up 8 months from then. But there were two girls specifically who treated it as a deal breaker."

– DigNitty

"I had a similar situation. I worked a high-paying job for a few years that demanded a ton of my time and had crazy hours. It burnt me out badly and I lived off of the savings from that job for a while and tried to date now that I actually had free time. I had more money in my bank account during that time than at any other point in my life but so many people were put off by me being funemployed and assumed I was looking to leech. But I guess there’s really no way to know someone's history and hard not to assume. Now I work full-time and have way less money overall but it looks better..."

– Pinsit

Just Breathe

"No smoking. Ever. I'm not kissing an ashtray, or smelling an ashtray. Instant turn off."

–fishfood19

"100% I broke up with an old gf because she started smoking behind my back knowing I’ve got asthma and it was always a hard pass. She thought I was joking but it showed me that she was also untrustworthy."

– Jonowl89

That'll Do It

"I guess my husband restricts my dating."

– HeinousEncephalon

"My wife has the same rule. But the jokes on her, I get around it by dating her!"

– AuralRapist

Prehistoric Love

"Must like dinosaurs."

– Grungeceratops

"That goes without saying."

– Plain_Chacalaca

What's In A Name?

"Cannot have the same name as any of my relatives."

– Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

"My last ex had the same name as my Dad and I reeeeeeaally didn't like it. So, fair."

– severaltalkingducks

Be Polite

"If they’re rude to people they’ll never see again (Waitstaff, cashiers, etc) I’m out."

"I can’t respect anyone who doesn’t respect themselves, and when you’re not polite to people you’re disrespecting yourself."

– OctopusCandleCompany

God Only Knows

"When I was dating, you had to be an atheist. I don't mess with religion. And I genuinely just don't think atheists + religious people work out."

"And I know... There's going to be someone who comments (assuming there are enough upvotes) who says "I worked out with my spouse who's religious and I'm not!" but you're the exception. When it comes to making decisions long-term, how to spend your money, where you think you'll go after you die, not to mention basic morality (!), and if you have children - that's a huge hurdle."

– Lulu_42

"We worked it out. It's absolutely an exception and not the rule. Don't do it if you can avoid it."

– Alcoraiden

Let's Move Tonight (Literally)

"They need to be ok with cold weather."

"I grew up in the north, live in the south, and I'm tolerating it until I can move back north. If someone says they hate the cold it's an instant turn-off because I don't want to drag someone into a climate they hate."

"The same thing also applies to walkability. I want to move somewhere walkable, and I hope to meet someone with that same goal rather than try to talk them into it."

– ThePresidentCantSwim

"Let me know when you find this mythical northern walkable community."

– Partner-Elijah

My Purr-fect Match

"Cat has to approve."

– Possible-Source-2454

Non-Negotiable

"They need to be male. Kind of important."

– RMHaney

"So weird, I want the complete opposite."

– eightvo

Yeah, the male thing is kind of important for me too!

Do you have anything to add? Let us know in the comments.