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People Break Down What It's Really Like To Marry Your High School Sweetheart

Ever After....

People Break Down What It's Really Like To Marry Your High School Sweetheart
Image by klimkin from Pixabay

Everyone deserves as epic love story, and only a small percentage of the world actually gets one. So its always fun to hear about the times when matters of the heart work out. Everybody assumes that people too young to vote are not capable of understanding and navigating the emotions and drama of love, that's why we're all encouraged to wait until we're older, but the heart is going to act no matter how young. And the mind be damned. And sometimes it all works out, sort of....

Redditor u/glasssofwater wanted to hear the truth about all the stories that continue after "I DO" by asking..... What's it like to marry your high school sweetheart?

12 Years In....

disney love GIF by Mickey MouseGiphy

Pretty great we met when we were 17, started dating at 18.

Been 12 years in which we have done long distance over different continents for 2 years, gotten married, had a kid, bought a house and currently sharing a bag of chips while watching IT Crowd.

We have both changed and matured and fought and laughed and cried together has been wonderful.

SarmedNZ

My BFF

In my case, pretty awesome actually.

We met when we were 15, started dating at 16, engaged at 22. Been married almost 25 years now.

I'll admit it takes a lot of work. There's always something either internal or external to the relationship itself to deal with, but you do. I've never fallen out of love with her, and it makes the bad times better, and the good times amazing.

And there's something about spending all those years with the same person, and then they surprise you with a skill or some story you never heard, and it's like a reminder of why you married this amazing person in the first place.

She's my best friend, and I absolutely cannot imagine my life without her.

Kaertos

past the angst....

It's pretty great. I met her when I was 14 and am now almost 30. I've known her more than half of my life and consider myself lucky to get to share the rest with her. Our first child is due in February and I still think back to high school when we were just two angsty scene kids unaware what the future had in store for us.

MrBynx

10/10

sexy man GIFGiphy

After 27 years I can safely say it's awesome.

Have spent our teenage years together, navigated our twenties, traversed our thirties and are currently slaying our forties.

We are both completely different people than we were almost 30 years ago but our core values and morals are still the same.

But I got lucky. I hooked up with a pimply, badly dressed teenager who has morphed into the most handsome mid 40s man I know... he's now definitely at 10/10.

ARealHousewife

The Back and Forth

Doing well here. Although I did move away when I was 18 for 6 years. In that time we both lived separate lives apart. When I moved back we were both single, got back together. Been together for 10 years have 2 kids as well as foster 2 more.

Manu442

Had something very similar happen here! He moved away for college. We spent 7 years apart. I like to describe it as we had to grow up before we could grow together.

staywithme26

the lucky one

Met when we were 17, started going out together at late 18 years old. Married 32 years, best decision I have ever made. Together we have raised a great son. I know she has my back but will definitely let me know when I'm being a moron. Perhaps the reason we have lasted this long is that I still think I am lucky to have her in my life.

1999falcon

Memories....

romance kiss GIFGiphy

I met my husband when we were 14!!! Married 20, together 30 years now.

I like to hike and I've seen him go from no hair on his chest, to hair, and now it's silver. I agree it's pretty great having a lifetime of shared memories. What's kinda crazy though is that when I looked into his eyes one afternoon in late February 1990, I could see 20, 40 even 60 years in the future, and his eyes were still the same fun, mischievous and kind eyes, and that's the moment I knew I had to marry him. Took him about 8 years to figure it out.

Mumzaa

In Deep

It's pretty amazing. It's a love that develops and changes over time. We got together in 2004 when we were 15/16. Married now for 7 years with 2 kids.

It's a deep love, but sometimes little flashes sneak up like yesterday he was washing the dishes and singing Epiphany from Sweeney Todd and I just had this overwhelming feeling of "this is why I love this man."

The growing together and the doing things together, constantly being at the same stage in life has been amazing.

It's also been great recently supporting each other going back in to education and taking it in turns to piece each other back together. For me, the most important things for us to have made it this far is us developing as our own person out with our relationship. Last year, we survived a pretty awful period where we loved each other, but things were just so distant and off. Thankfully we were able to push through and work things out.

And the biggest piece of advice that has stood us well so far has been to never sleep on an argument.

Ravenclaw_88

Love Lost

Not as good as divorcing her 6 years later. As we continued to grow up and become adults external from the relationship, within the relationship we stayed petty high schoolers. We yelled and screamed at each other and then would just have sex to fix it, which never actually fixed anything.

We broke up over 15 years ago and I have had on again, off again contact with her since. Last time we stopped talking I found out she still thinks I'm the reason for all the bad decisions and bad things that happen in her life and she told me straight up she wished we had never been a couple. I don't need that.

FattyBrent

Being Sure

patrick swayze ghost GIFGiphy

He's my best friend. We dated on and off and were friends since high school, got married after nearly a decade of making sure we were right for each other.

Ryuaalba

All the Reasons....

Pretty fantastic. We started dating when we were 15/16, and got married eventually at 30/31. Been married 12 years now.

Not great stuff: He's only kissed one person besides me. I have had other relationships- we broke up lots between 16-25, and I had one very serious relationship in there. I have slept with other people, and negotiated dating different people and being in love with someone else. I have always worried he would be happier/more fulfilled if he was making a more informed choice. He laughs and says I am his informed choice.

I also could be the very best at something. He doesn't know that- this is just how it is for him. I suppose the reverse would be true too- I could just suck at so many things. He doesn't know. To consider breaking up or losing him- he's been the center of my life since I was just past childhood, long before I was an adult. I literally do not know who I am without him.

The best stuff- I know everything about him. He knows everything about me. We have been together for nearly every important event of our lives, or immediately told the other one about it. The closeness and intimacy are beyond what I think they could be with someone I didn't grow up with. When I said above that I don't know who I am without him- I am not who I am without him. It's like keeping part of who I am inside someone else's body. The reverse is true. We're still very independent, but at the quiet center of who I am, he's there too.

The intensity I feel about him has only deepened. I had an obsessive hormonal teenage crush. It never went away. I love him with a firey passion, but also with maturity, compassion, understanding and respect. To get to be with him for almost the entirety of our lives is a delight that I can't really express.

2beagles

So far.... so good....

Love Kiss GIF by molehillGiphy

Greatest decision I ever made. Met her in 4th grade, didn't start dating until we were 17. Did long distance for two years in college. Transferred schools together. Moved across the country together. Marriage, two kids and dog. Seems to have worked out for us so far.

13k0ny

Home

Comfortable. We dated in high school and then were out of touch for 23 years. When we reunited and subsequently got married, it felt just like going home.

eatyourdamndinner

My Queen

Married a high school sweetheart. She was the prom queen, lead actress in drama attracted boys like moths to a street light. Neener neener, none of the jocks, scholars, or rich guys could capture her heart. Just passed the 30 year anniversary. We married late, she 34, me 29, first and only marriage for both of us.

MrKahnberg

That Man of Mine

We are not married, but i am still together with my high school sweetheart. I can't imagine we will be apart 'until death do us part'. he was my first everything and sometimes I do wonder what being with other people would have been like. I really miss that euphoric feeling of new relationship and we are addicted to each other. he takes good care of me. I love him.

vermillionlove

You Know Me?

Parks And Recreation Donna GIFGiphy

We've been together 18 years, married for 6.

I'm very happy. It's fun to explain the story of how we met and started dating, or causally drop 'well, we've been together 18 years' and watch people try to do the math. We joke about it a lot.

Dale Gribble voice: 'Are you attempting to know me? I am unknowable.' '18 years, hon.' ''Oh yeah.'

Springwood_Slasher

44 years in.... 

Not me, but my parents. They started dating in High School, and got married when they were 19 and 20.

They went through rough patches here and there, but at the end of the day, all they ever wanted to do was make each other happy. They raised 3 kids that all turned out just fine (if I do say so myself).

On their 44th wedding anniversary, my Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 non small-cell lung cancer. From the day of her diagnosis, she was basically bedridden.

She needed help going to the bathroom and showering. Suddenly, my Dad was thrust into the caretaker role that my Mother had been in her whole entire life, and he excelled at it. He was there for her every single day. If he didn't know how to do something, he would ask someone that could teach him. 8 months after her diagnosis, my mom passed. The love and respect that the two of them had for each other was exceptional.

stripedfermata

Challengers

I have to agree with most commenters, it's great. I met my wife when we were 16 and we have been together for 14 years, just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary this week. We're best friends, we know everything about each other, we're aligned on almost every issue (religiously, politically, how to raise kids, etc.) because we challenged each other as we grew up. 10/10 would do it again.

thealphatau

Since Grade School....

Known each other since grade school. I (28/m) and her (27/f) have been together for 10 years now and married for 4. 2 kids later (8 and 2) and there's nobody I'd rather be doing it with. Second child was born with a severe heart defect and spent months in the hospital.

Going through hard times like that make you appreciate the good times together even more.

Even though we both wonder if we missed out on a bit of our youth by being in a committed relationship and having kids early we both know that are happy that we got to grow and mature together. Wouldn't change it for the world.

hudgen

Look Closer

Look Reaction GIF by MOODMANGiphy

Great, but I would recommend waiting until you both are 25 at least and then have a good look at each other. Your character normally develops until this age.

Megameg2000

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REDDIT

People Break Down The First Thing They Do When Entering A Hotel Room

Reddit user BlundeRuss asked: 'What’s the first thing you do when you get into a hotel room?'

red throw pillow on white couch
Photo by reisetopia on Unsplash

My family went on a lot trips when I was young, and we always stayed in hotel rooms. Around the time my brother and I were old enough to stay in a room by ourselves (our parents would stay in another one, usually across the hall), he also became a bit of a germaphobe.

At the time, I actually believed hotels changed the sheets on the beds daily, so when my brother fretted about the cleanliness of the hotels, I reassured him they were fine. He believed me at first, since I was his big sister, but by the time he was 12, he got suspicious.

During one of our trips, he decided to test this by making a mark on his pillow cover with a pen and turning the pillow cover inside out before we left for sightseeing the next morning. When we returned, he turned the pillow cover back, and his mark was still there, proving that the sheets hadn't been changed. He only had to do this one more time, during our next trip, for me to realize this wasn't a one-off.

Ever since, and even now in adulthood, my brother and I always intentionally spill something on our sheets during our first night in order to get clean sheets, at least for the duration of our stay. This, in fact, is the first thing we do.

I'm not the only person who does something a bit quirky like this when they first enter a hotel rooms. Plenty or Redditors have stories about this and are ready to share.

It all started when Redditor BlundeRuss asked:

"What’s the first thing you do when you get into a hotel room?"

​Preparing For Sights

"Go to the balcony to see if it's going to be public nudity or private nudity during my morning coffee."

– hoffarmy

"I love that this doesn’t change your plans, just prepares your mind. Excellence."

– sewahyelah

Show Me The Truth

"Put my bags up on something and check the mattress. I also bought a UV flashlight but after using it at home I’ve decided that bringing it to a hotel would be unnecessary torture. Nothing is clean when you shine the thing on it. And I mean nothing."

– Fatguy73

Temperature Check

"One of my close friends travels a ton for business. She also loves to sleep in a f**king ice box."

"She has found some resource for how to basically jailbreak hotel thermostats. Each hotel thermostat has a specific key sequence that unlocks the lower temps that the hotel normally doesn’t allow guests to set because, you know, money."

– Sp4ceh0rse

"I do this in every hotel."

– jubilee__

Sweet Relief

"Set bags down."

"Look at room for cleanliness."

"Take a dump."

– PuzzledCitron8728

"I showed up early to a hotel after 12 hours straight of driving. Took forever for them to get me in the room (really it was probably only 30 minutes and they were super accommodating)."

"Anyways, I had been feeling the tyrannical gouging of a sh*t demon trying to claw it's way out for about half an hour beforehand. I ran down the hall, opened the door, threw my bag at something, and was kinda hovering over the toilet just in time. Hadn't put cheek to rim yet and my darling baby began his exit."

"It wasn't until after I looked up that I realized neither door was the self-closing kind and you could see all the way in from the hallway."

– coreylahe

"You’ve unlocked a childhood memory. I stayed in a lot of hotels while growing up and I saw someone in your position once, trail of belongings leading to the toilet. So I went and shut the door for him."

– scarfknitter

Disney Magic

"Find the bible and flip through it. When my sister and I were kids, we went to Disney, and I think she asked why is there always a bible in the drawer, waved it by the spine and 20 bucks fell out. So I always check now."

– TyWiggly

"I found $100 that way. 5 crisp 20's,. I was pretty broke at the time too."

– weisblattsnut

Always Check

"First, I look at the area between the mattress and headboard for any signs of bed bugs, then under the sheets. I’ve never encountered them, but I’ve heard so many horror stories that I’m paranoid about them."

– triceraquake

"As someone who worked in hotels, I always double check the door locks and then inspect for bed bugs."

– Chatterbxer

Yikes!

"Look for cameras. I'm a paranoid f**k."

– Gubble_Buppie

"If anyone wants to see an overweight guy in his mid-40s eat pringles in his underwear while reading Stephen King novels, then they have my flabby white blessing."

– oppernaR

"They sell surprisingly easy to use scanners on Amazon. I found a camera in an air bb bedroom alarm clock, threw a towel over it and got the whole stay for free. Some will detect signals but the best way is there’s a looking glass that’s red and it emits a light and you turn off all the lights and look around the room. Any active camera will shine like a cats eyes when you skim over it."

– Vacation_Kinkycouple

The Things We Find

"I check in odd places to see if anyone stashed drugs or money. You would be surprised at all the sh*t I’ve found over the years!"

– Deathbot-420

"We found an axe under the bed once."

– Punkstarbabe

Ick.

"Yank the comforter off the bed and throw it in the corner. they rarely wash those things."

– whatever32657

"I discovered this recently while calling home to say good night to everyone. Dried food stuck to the comforter. Threw that bad boy off the bed."

– DuchessofSquee

"I cleaned an air BnB for a little while and I was so disturbed when they told me they didn't wash the comforter because hotels don't.... Like I guess I get it because they're heavy and they're trying to save water on the washes but yuck dude... Cleaning that air Bnb made me NEVER want to book one because of the sh*t the owners wouldn't LET me clean... I don't think I'd ever survive as a maid for a hotel, I could never travel again lol."

– ModestMeeshka

It's A Process

"Make a condom for the TV remote control. Take the ice bag from the ice bucket and put the remote in it. Now I never have to touch the remote."

– dontknowafunnyname2

"I'm sure disinfectant wipes could do the job."

– Pheobe0228

Check For Monsters...People Monsters

"Make sure no one is hiding under the bed or in the bathroom 😂😅"

– HeadInTheClouds916

"I travel a lot for work…and I’m shocked no one else mentioned this. First I check the closet, under the bed, the bathroom for a hiding serial killer…then check the mattress for bedbugs…"

– pdxmikaela

Today I Learned

"Check for cleanliness and then take pictures Traffickcam."

"Traffickcam is an app where you take specific pictures of your room and then upload them to their database. They use these pictures to check on the location of human trafficking victims."

– slappymasterson

"Take a picture of the room and post it on the Trafickcam app so if the room or similar has been used by human traffickers maybe it will help find someone."

– CatsInTrenchCoat

And thanks to those last two stories, I'm a little scared to stay in another hotel.

Two young girls walk away with their arms around one another
Photo by Andrea Tummons

Small acts of kindness that only a few know about can change the world.

You never know.

One smile can change one person's day.

And that person could carry it on.

So doing it ourselves may be the only answer.Redditor sashayingthru wanted to discuss the ways we know the world is still good, so they asked:

"What small act of kindness were you once shown that you will never forget?"

As someone who has waited on many tables, just tip properly.

You'll go to Heaven.

Strangers

Robin Williams Dancing GIF by 20th Century Fox Home EntertainmentGiphy

"I once walked to a store to buy bags for my vacuum cleaner and I forgot to take my wallet. The shop owner gave me the bags, shook my hand, and told me to bring him to money tomorrow. He put his trust in a total stranger to do the right thing and I did."

Independent-Bike8810

In the Rain

"A man in a full business suit with a briefcase handed me an umbrella in a torrential rain storm and wouldn't take no for an answer. I still had to walk through Times Square to get to the train and I'm sure he got soaked going wherever he was going. A couple of weeks later, I gave the umbrella to a lost girl in my neighborhood when it started to rain and she didn't have one. Felt like the universe wanted it to happen."

"I'll never forget that man though."

im_not_bovvered

Leggo my Lego

"When I was maybe 4 or 5 years old, I made friends with another kid in an airport, and he was playing with a couple glued glued-together Lego cars. Me and that kid played for like an hour with those things and when it was time to go our separate ways and board the plane, the kid insisted I keep one of the cars, and while I insisted he should keep them, he said it was proof that we were friends, and to this day roughly 20 years later, I still have that car packed up with my childhood mementos box."

"That friend of mine was a good kid. Hope he’s doin' well."

givebooks

Don't Cry Tammy

"My husband and I were sitting on our porch holding hands and crying, just feeling overwhelmed because we were waiting to find out whether or not my tumor was cancerous. Our neighbor saw it when he was coming home. About half an hour later he came over with some freshly baked cookies. He didn't even say anything, just smiled, handed them to us, and then went back home."

"Just thinking about that moment has me crying again. From his kindness, not the fear. Tammy the Ti**y Tumor turned out benign!"

Reflection_Secure

Coasting...

Fail Will Ferrell GIF by Paramount PicturesGiphy

"I literally coasted into a gas station out of gas on my motorcycle, then realized I didn't have my wallet. Some lady saw me patting all my pockets and I was upset and offered to fill up my tank. I only let her put $5 in, which on a bike is a lot. But it meant so much to me."

Twours1944

Give people gas as often as possible..

Pay it forward.

Generosity

happy silent film GIF by Charlie ChaplinGiphy

"My realtor took less commission so that I could get my dream home. It was a rare find in a great neighborhood."

SheLight2

Egged Away

"Years ago my car got egged real badly overnight while parked on the driveway of our duplex. We had to go somewhere the next morning so took the wife’s car. Came back hours later and my car was shining like new on the driveway. The neighbor whose name I didn’t even know at that point had washed it for me while we were away."

Ceristimo

Are those still a thing?

"I was in maybe 4th grade and my parents just had my younger sister, so newborn focused. I went to my school lunch, opened my paper bag (are those still a thing?), and unwrapped the foil holding my sandwich. There was nothing inside. It was actually just 2 slices of dry white slice bread and I was sad."

"Literally, my table mates all chipped in various components and made me the most amazing ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. I’ve been chasing that dragon of ham sandwich since but I’m sure it was the response and not the ingredients that I loved."

I_Am_The_Grapevine

Thanks guys...

"19 years old, first apartment, first winter, first winter utility bill. I smiled and told my coworker I'd just pay it, skip lunch, and eat cheap Mac and cheese for dinner. It'll be ok. All that month co-workers accidentally got extra chips from the vending machine. A wife packed an extra sandwich. A box of my favorite crackers would be on my desk when I came in. It was still hard but I didn't starve. Thanks, you guys."

alady12

Just Tears

Big Brother Omg GIF by Global TVGiphy

"I was on the subway, sitting there crying because I had just ended a relationship. I wasn't making any noise, just tears, but the guy sitting next to me gave me some tissues. I'll never forget that."

screamingcupcakes

Some of the best people ride the subway.

Everyone has tissues.

Creey forest at night
Adrian Infernus/Unsplash

People love horror films because they know the terror depicted on the big screen is pure Hollywood magic and completely fake.

But when it comes to true-life terrors, even the most dedicated horror film aficionados can be left trembling in their boots.

Curious to hear some of the most absolutely hair-raising events from strangers online, Redditor Ok-Bid-1179 asked:

"What’s the scariest 100% true story you’ve heard of?"

These real-life stories may keep you up at night.

Befriending A Murderer

"My uncle was in a bar one night and started talking to this random guy. He described him as 'a really nice guy.'"

"He met him a few other times in the same bar. They drank and talked about random stuff. Soon after, my uncle stopped seeing the guy at the bar."

"Idk how long after, but my uncle got notified that he had jury duty. He showed up and found out what it was for. A serial killer and the killer was his friend from the bar. Derrick Todd Lee."

"My uncle was promptly dismissed from jury duty for obvious reasons."

– I_am_dean

People had sinister stories related to jobs.

Late Night Shift Employee

"I work midnight shift at a gas station and I have for quite awhile at various stations in different areas with varying levels of criminal activity."

"I have regulars, of course. I’m a small-statured woman (as is my partner the other half of the week, and we’ve always been partners) so these regulars often worry about us and keep watch on creepy occurrences when they can."

"I had one man who worked in the metro an hour away who would stop in every morning for his cigarettes. He never smiled or seemed friendly, and as I often do, I tried to think of what I could do that might make him smile one day."

"It took many months but I finally pulled it off by having his cigarettes ready on the counter and already scanned for him to pay for as he walked in. He smiled, and then asked me"

“Do you ever get scared on the night shift? You small girl, is not safe.”

"I said I sometimes did but we could lock the doors and hide if we had to, and that the provincial police (think state troopers, if you’re American) had a station close by and came in often to get their highway vehicles washed. I had a good rapport with those police. He nodded and then told me a story about when he first moved to our country from Eastern Europe with his wife and child back in the late 80’s, early 90’s."

"He fell asleep at work one night at the gas station he worked midnights at. When he woke up, the phone had been ringing for hours and his manager was shaking him violently asking if he was alright. He was fine, he said, what was the problem? He was sorry he fell asleep."

"His manager screamed that it was fine he fell asleep, to look outside. All of their motor oil was missing and the outside of the place was a mess."

"The thieves had come and swiped all the oil and left him be because he slept through the entire thing, and then moved down the road to the next station for an encore. At that station, the clerk was awake and fought back, so the thieves stabbed him to death and left him to bleed out."

"When he finished telling me this, he concluded with."

“If you ever feel sleepy just lock the door and do it, it might save your life”

"I don’t work at that station anymore but I think about that guy all the time and wonder how his grandkids are."

"Here is a link to an article talking about how that poor other clerk’s killers were finally found 25 years later:"

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/mobile/arrest-made-in-1990-murder-of-gas-station-attendant-1.2650933

– IgnorethisIamstupid

Trapped

"There was an incident in Trinidad where some maintenance divers were removing a plug from an oil pipeline and were instantly sucked into it. One was able to escape but the other 4 were trapped for days in a small, oil coated pipe for days with only a small air pocket to breathe in before they died. Thinking about it in detail and imagining what it must have been like for them makes me extremely uncomfortable."

– superficial_user

There's no creepier place than being in the woods. Especially when these sorts of encounters happen.

The Wrong Friends

"When I was 17 I was hanging out with 2 friends and they wanted to go smoke in the woods. I didn't feel like it so I drove them and waited in the car."

"After a while I was getting bored and decided to go meet them but there were 4 paths going off in different directions so I just took the biggest one. After walking for a few minutes in the pitch black forest (before flashlights on phones), I come across this dip in the trail and on the other side is a bench lightly visible due to the moonlight."

"On the the bench is sitting a man and another one in standing in front of him but I can only make out silhouettes. Being sure these are my friends I yell out to them before walking over. If you ever walked the woods at night it's just an uneasy feeling all around so I was cautious to begin with."

"Well it turns out, juste after yelling out to my 'friends,' both silouhettes turn around towards me. Not a word, not a sound, the guy sitting down starts sprinting FULL F'KING SPEED towards me in complete silence. I got the absolute f'k out of there sprinting also the other way and tripping over sh*t because I couldn't see anything."

"I finally get out and lock myself in my car, but I was really worried for my friends. Maybe a minute later I see them both coming out of a completely different path, they also confirmed they never saw me or anyone else. My heart still sinks just thinking about that dude sprinting in silence wtf was that sh*t."

– NoFutureGuy

The Homeless Camp

"Weird....I have a similar story!"

"Years ago I remember sneaking out of my friends house at night to really do nothing but walk around the neighborhood and hide from car headlights. We were young and bored. There was a 'homeless' camp that was down in some woods off the railroad tracks not too far from his house. We had seen the trail and knew what was back there."

"One of the homeless guys that lived there was actually an old friend of my buddies Dad, and he had stopped over a few times and my friends Dad let him shower there and everything. He could have worked if he wanted, but legit told us he just liked living 'off the grid'. Just wanted to give you some backstory on the reason why we thought it would be cool and 'safe' to go check it out at night."

"We were a bit nervous at first thinking what if we get there and his Dads friend isn't there...so we were sneaking up on it. It was a longer walk than we thought. We got kind of close and saw there was a fire going lighting up the woods a bit."

"We start sneaking closer but the trail seemed to continue straight, while the camp set off the trail to the left. We got idk maybe 100 feet from the camp (about 30 meters) and we looked down the trail and saw a faint silhouette of what we thought was a person. The silhouette looked like it was coming from deeper in the woods towards the camp. We froze and ducked slightly to the side of the trail."

"I told my friend that I didn't like it, and we should just sneak the hell out. He said he had the same feeling. As I said, the fire at the camp was just enough to light the area well enough to see. We end up slowly creeping slightly off the trail back to the railroad tracks. We get probably 30-40 or so feet (9-12 meters) and I told him I would rather just hit the trail and just slowly walk back because the bushes and trees and everything were hard to navigate and I would rather be able to see something coming so we could book it out. We played football and were both pretty fast."

"We slide out of the brush and see the silhouette has gotten closer, however moving further from the fire, the light was dimmer, but we could still make out someone or something was standing there moving closer. My first thought was that maybe they saw us duck into the bushes and were coming to check, but it just felt off. My friend and I looked at each other and both mutually and silently decided to pick up the pace. Almost on que, we both looked back and the silhouette was now BOOKING IT TOWARDS US ABSOULTELY SILENT. No noise, just fast movement. We high tail it as fast as we can."

Thankfully, the trail was wide so we weren't bumping into each other or anything. Neither of us looked back until we hit the railroad tracks, then hit the railroad track bridge and were on the other side. I looked back as I was slowing down, past the bridge and didn't see anyone. We got back to his house pretty fast and luckily that was the end of it."

– ZekeMoss18

Life is full of many creepy mysteries.

It's no wonder many films are based on actual events.

The ones that terrify me the most are the home invasion movies like The Strangers.

It may have been Hollywood that dramatized events depicted in the film, but there's no doubt such horrific events that have happened in real life are enough to keep us up at night and on high alert.

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@bastardbot/Jon Tyson on Unsplash

Cognitive dissonance is when one learns new information that challenges a deeply held belief that seems to undercut a favorable self-image, that person may feel motivated to somehow resolve the negative feeling that results—to restore cognitive consonance—by ignoring the challenging source.

This isn't the only response to cognitive dissonance, but it's the one most people are familiar with.

This behavior explains people believing something—or following a leader—despite all the contradictory facts. Outsiders look at the situation and are amazed that their adherents can't see the absurdity of the fraud.

But it's a common occurrence.

Just spend some time watching documentaries about cults and you'll see all the proof you need.

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