Aliens, love, tie dye... it's all beyond comprehension and definition. We all have come face to face with moments in life when we're not sure if we're experiencing déjà vu or we're still asleep. Sometimes we're reliving moments or seeing double of people and sometimes, it's just ghosts. The abnormal has very much become a normal part of the human experience. It kind of always was, now we just have to explain it.
Redditor u/queenofbras wanted to discuss the times we've all been left aghast without words to string together by asking.... What was the strangest moment in your life that you still can't explain upto this day?
twin GIF
We passed each other going super-slow, and made eye contact. We both started laughing, and then continued on. My wife was sitting in the passenger seat, and saw him as well. It was super weird, and really fun for whatever reason. We still talk about it 10 years later. I regret not stopping and finding the guy to take a photo together.
Isaac
My friends and I used to hang out at this coffeeshop almost every single night for years. There were six of us. One summer, this guy "Isaac" started showing up every night. He was around our age and was from out of state, staying with his grandparents for the summer. He became part of our group, playing board games with us, talking till like 2 am. He would walk to the coffeeshop and I'd give him a ride back to his grandparent's house at the end of the night. At the end of the summer, he went back home and we never heard from him again (this was pre social media).
Maybe about five years later, after our group had mostly grown apart and we were reuniting while everyone was in town for a holiday, we were sitting at our coffeeshop, reminiscing. I brought up Isaac ("I wonder what happened to him") and nobody knew who I was talking about. I even have a photo of him, which I eventually found and emailed everyone, but nobody recognized him. It's now been over a decade and still nobody remembers Isaac but me.
Off to McDonalds....
This one time when I was little my dad woke me up at like 2am and he said "get ready, we're going to McDonalds". . . . I was soooo freaking confused and kept asking why, but he wouldn't answer anything besides, "because" or "to have fun", the rest of my family (2 brothers, sister, and mom) didn't come with and IIRC they were still asleep when we left.
The play place was closed, and we just kinda sat there for an hour or so eating, then went back home. To this day, I still have NO idea why he frantically needed me out of the house and he swears he doesn't remember that happening, but the whole thing was SO weird that I kept the toy that I got from the happy meal to remember it by, that I still have it to this day....
BECAUSE it's my only proof of this weird freaking night that my dad (almost scarily) hurried me to McDonalds at 2am.
I have 2 thoughts, my sister crapped the bed and they were worried I'd make fun of her??? Maybe they somehow noticed like rats or something in my room??? But were worried I wouldn't be able to sleep if I knew that there were rats and they needed an hour or so to get it out???
Either way, very strange night that my dad refuses to tell me the truth about, which only makes me think it's something much worse??? Like. I'm 23 now, if he said "yeah ur sister pooped the bed and we didn't want you to know" I'd have been like cool cool cool nice good thinking lol, but he REFUSES to believe that it happened? WHAT HAPPENED?!
Ho-Ho-Ho Vancouver
santa claus GIF
Giphy
I saw Santa driving one day and I was so giddy from it my husband thought I was crazy for being so happy.
It was like October or something and this guy was dressed up in a good quality suit and he had a real beard and everything. It was amazing.
You know what... I live in Vancouver, Canada. I bet you be was filming something in the area.
I'm Done
I was at work several years ago, and a coworker (S) had a massive seizure. (He later told us he had never had one before.) Everyone started freaking out, and a man came over and gently held S down because he was in danger of slamming into a desk. When the seizure passed, the man stood up and said "Ambulance should be here soon, so my work is done" and left.
The weird thing? Nobody had ANY idea who that guy was. We were all so concerned about S that we didn't really register that the guy was a stranger until S was taken to the hospital. We were in a building that required a keycard to enter, and it was closed to the general public. There were only 12 of us in that office, and he wasn't one of us.
So who the hell WAS he?
Take the Fire
I spent a night a bit drunk with some friends sketching and sharing new ideas for an art project we were working on. We talked a lot about using a fire extinguisher filled with paint for a background effect on huge canvas or a full room, but were wondering where we could get one for cheap and if it would work as we expected. Around 5 am I leave my friends apartment to take the first subway home and I kid you not, two streets further on my way and in the middle of the sidewalk there is a freaking (empty) fire extinguisher.
Took it home. It was such a strange coincidence, since i never stumbled upon an empty fire extinguisher in the street at any other point in my life. I was pretty sure I dreamt about it when I woke up later, but nope, it was still in the corner of my bedroom!
mama.....
When I was 7 or 8, I used to spend Friday nights at my grandma's house. And she spoiled the crap out of me, so I loved it. One night, though, I suddenly had a strange urge to call my mom. I dialed my phone number - I mean I knew my own number right? A woman answered, and I suddenly blurted out "mom come and get me". I have no idea why, to this day, that came out of my mouth.
Like I said I loved it there, and up until that moment had no thoughts of being picked up. Anyways, the person on the other end starts to sound panicky and says,"where are you??!" It hits me that this isn't my mom, so I just hang up, and go back to watching tv. So weird, and while it seems so minor it's stuck with me for 30+ years.
Papa can you hear me?
fathers day dad GIF
Giphy
I was t-boned in an intersection. Not a very serious accident, mostly just shaken up.
I was out of state at college at the time. Minutes after the accident, my cell phone rang and it was my dad. He said all the sudden he was consumed with an overwhelming urge to call me, and was everything ok?
I told him I was in an accident. He has passed away since but he and I always had a very strong connection. I wish he would call me now, but then I guess it would be the strangest moment.
"oh, girls, she's here"
When I worked in hospice I took care of a sweet man who saw his wife before he died. She had been dead for 5 years.
He was wheelchair bound, but the night he died, he was up and walking. He kept insisting his wife was coming to get him. When the nurse and I got him settled into his room for the umpteenth time, he looked at the empty doorway, and said: "oh, girls, she's here" and then he went unresponsive and died about an hour later.
The Dream
jimmy fallon dreaming GIF by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon
Giphy
I had a dream once and within the next month, everything from that dream happened in real life.
For example, in the dream my wife rearranged our room which is weird because she hates rearranging stuff and then the next week she arranged it exactly like dream. In the dream i also got promoted and then less than a week later i did in real life.
The Transfer
It's probably just poor memory but in primary school apparently we had a new girl who was in our class for half a year before transferring to another school. A few years later in middle school, my close friend (she knew the girl outside of school) brought her up and none of us from the same primary school could remember her at all. Eventually she did convince us that the girl exists and I do have a vague recollection of someone transferring to our class for only half a year, but I couldn't remember having any form of interaction with her before.
joy farm GIF
Was leaving the stable and driving around on these curvy roads leading past several farms. All of a sudden, I had this sudden urge to go back to the stable and get a lead rope (basically a thick rope with a bull snap on one end that you clip to a horse's halter to... um lead them around). I ignored it, continued driving, came around the corner, and there was a freaking massive cow in the middle of the road. I just sat there in my car and laughed like really universe? Ended up waiting for the cow to finish being stupid in the middle of the road and wander off before I could get past it.
Doubles
I had a few weeks of pregnancy symptoms, id been pregnant before and it was exactly the Same. So i took some tests and did them daily until eventually i got weird faint lines. One night i had to stay awake next to my open window all night with headache and nausea. I knew at this point I was certainly pregnant and i was about to get a positive test soon.
So i tried that morning and it came up very faint. I asked my twin was she unwell lately or anything and she was like yeah i was up feeling ill all last night why? I said well I've been feeling sick a lot lately, she said "me too" and sent me a pregnancy scan telling me its early so not to tell anyone..... I had my period a couple of days after.
Looks Fine
I was in a car with my grandparents on our way back home from a road trip...
I was casually watching random cars go by on the opposite side of the highway and whatnot (no iPads or anything in 93) and then suddenly in my peripherals, I saw something that caught my attention....
It was an RV/mobile home and it was literally ROLLING over and over sideways.... It must have rolled 2 or 3 times and then came to a stop, upright, on its 4 wheels...
I kinda gasped and tried to describe what I saw to my grandfather but they didn't really pay much attention to me. I remember my grandmother looking back through the back window and saying "it looks fine"... I guess they didn't believe me.
They didn't even slow down..I have no idea how it happened, what happened to the people or anything. I think about it every few months.
Vacation Daze
I told work I had to go out of town for a week for a family member's (my grandmother's cousin in Texas) funeral. Completely fictitious. ... in reality I just wanted time off to hang out at the luxury home my friend was house sitting, hot tub, full bar, etc.
The day my "vacation" started, I got a call that my grandmother's cousin passed away and they were going out of town for the funeral and expected me to go with them.
Photobomb
george costanza photobomb GIF
Giphy
My Mom was looking at an old photo album and talking about a party that she organized for her coworkers more than 25 years ago. She said that it was nice of me to have help her there setting up the tables etc...
I have zero recollection of that party, nothing, so I thought she was joking. Then she showed me the pictures and I'm there!!! Wtf! It's not like I was a kid. I was maybe 19 or 20.
When in a Mazda....
Friends and I in my crappy Mazda smoking weed in the ally behind my gfs house. Neighbor walks out and starts punching an electric pole until his hands look like hamburger meat and there is blood soaking his white shirt. He calmly walks back into his house. We uncalmly get the hell out of there.
Take Care
When I was in my teens, my dad relapsed into his drug and alcohol addiction again. It was the last straw for my mom and I, and we took off in the car at night to go for a drive and get out of the house. We were both angrier than we'd ever been.
As we drove down the street, each streetlight we passed popped and went dark, for at least three blocks. At the time it really felt like our anger was so destructive that it was affecting the world around us.
My mom and I still talk about that night and wonder wtf was going on with those lights.
Edit: since I've never gotten so many upvotes before, I'll take this opportunity to hijack my own comment and advise everyone to treat your bodies kindly. My dad ended up dying at 55, alone in rehab, after lying down for a nap. He didn't feel well and nobody took him seriously because he was a junkie in rehab. His heart gave out after years of abusing it. He was extremely flawed, but nobody deserves to die alone and ignored.
Take care of yourselves while you can.
The Light Show
Ok, this happened at my grandma's house. I was lying awake on the couch in the middle of the night, when this kaleidoscope of colors and lights appeared on the ceiling and began moving around the walls. I silently watched it until it disappeared and went to sleep. I shared the living room with my sister, and my grandma slept in a chair to keep us company. Since it was dark and I hadn't heard anything, I assumed I was the only one still awake to see it.
The next morning at the breakfast table, my grandma brought up the "light show" she had seen the night before and didn't seem to know what it was.
She described what I'd seen perfectly.
After she left the table, my dad and aunt both seemed very concerned that she might be losing her mind. In my little kid brain I thought if I told them I'd seen it too they might think the same about me, so I kept quiet about it.
If it hadn't been for the fact she'd seen it too, I would've chalked it up to a number of things. But I honestly don't know what to make of it.
The Arrangement
meeting startup GIF by chuber channel
Giphy
When i was 9 i was told to clean my room and we would go to the local video store to rent a video game for the weekend.
I clean my room, my mom approves of the cleaning job, we go to the store and i get my game. Whole trip lasts 20 minutes tops. Get back and all my toys are spread out across the floor in neatly organized lines, very deliberate looking. No one else was in the house. Nothing missing. Just this strange toy issue. My guess is it was a friend of mine either screwing with me or looking for something of theirs but no one ever confessed.
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The old wives' tales.
They are the stories of legend.
I think we all need a big DEEP Google dive though.
Where did they originate?
WHO ARE THE OLD WIVES!
You don't hear about them as much anymore.
It's like science and logic are suddenly a thing.
But they sure are a good way to keep your kids and their behavior in line.
Redditor the_spring_goddess wanted to discuss the tall tales we've all been fed through life, so they asked:
"What is an old wives tale that people still believe?"
"Wait an hour to swim after eating."
What a crock!
So many summer hours wasted.
I want revenge for that one.
Say Nothing
Giphy
"An undercover cop has to tell you he's a cop if you ask him."
LonelyMail5115
"Pretty much most advice when it comes to cops are old wives tales. I’m not even a cop but most of the advice you hear is pretty off."
I_AM_AN_A**HOLE_AMA
Say Something
"That you have to wait 24 hours to report someone missing."
Severe_Airport1426
"I really think this one is important and should be the top regardless. As it’s a piece of advice that needs to be relearned and the only way to do that is through awareness."
crappycurtains
"This used to be true. I think they changed it after some guy named Brandon went missing back in the '80s or '70s. You used to have to wait 24 hours if the missing person was an adult because they had 'a right to be missing' and then everyone realized that was stupid and stopped doing it."
AlbinoShavedGorilla
Body Temps
"That drinking ice cold water after eating oily foods will solidify the oil and permanently remain in your body. I informed my coworker that if your body temperature ever reached that point, you’d have bigger problems than weight gain."
chriseo22
"Oh, I have a cousin who 100% believed this. One of those guys who believed every early 2000s internet rumor and old wives tale. One night I chugged a big glass of ice water after dinner and he started freaking out and saying my guts were gonna harden."
"I sarcastically told him to drive me to the hospital if that happened. Obviously, nothing happened and the next morning I said something like 'Thanks for being on standby in case my guts filled with hardened oil.' He just walked off muttering under his breath."
apocalypticradish
Arms Down
"When I was pregnant, I was told by young and old alike that I should NOT raise my arms above my head or exert myself in such a manner because it could cause cord strangulation to my unborn sons and daughters."
Fatmouse84
10 Years Actually
Unimpressed Uh Huh GIF by Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Giphy
"Chewing gum stays in your stomach for 7 years."
"I remember accidentally swallowing a piece of gum when I was a kid in like 1995 and just accepting my fate like welp, gonna have this in my stomach til high school I guess."
Gecko-911
I was so afraid to sallow my gum when I was young.
This tale is haunting.
High/Low
Hungry Debra Messing GIF by Will & Grace
Giphy
"You can tell the sex of the baby by how you carry."
LeastFormal9366
"Pregnancy certainly wins awards for the most old wives tales. So much absolute BS was repeated to us by everyone we talked to."
IllIIIlIllIlIIlIllI
The Cursed
"If you’re a woman and you wear opal jewelry but opal is not your birthstone (October), you’ll never be able to have children, or will be widowed, or just generally have bad luck or something. You can counteract this by having a diamond in the same piece of jewelry as the opal, though."
"I have a nice opal ring that my parents gave me years ago, and I’ve had other women give me this 'advice' unprompted more than once when I’ve worn it. I have absolutely no idea where it started, but I’m pretty sure this little chunk of silicate rock has no concept of what month I was born in, let alone of how my reproductive organs work."
SmoreOfBabylon
Stay In
"Going outside with wet hair will make you get pneumonia. Or an earache. Or maybe arthritis. Depends on which old wife you listen to."
"Jokes on them - I haven't blow-dried my hair in decades and usually leave the house with wet hair in the morning. On winter mornings, the tips of my hair get frozen. No ear infections or pneumonia or arthritis yet."
worldbound0514
Dreams and Facts
"You never make anyone up in your dreams you've seen everyone in your dreams somewhere else before and never make anyone up entirely."
"How would you possibly prove that to be true? My partner adamantly believes this and tells me this 'fact' whenever I have a dream about someone I've never met before."
mattshonestreddit
"My late wife used to tell me that before she met me she would have dreams of standing at an alter on her wedding day but could never see the guy's face, no matter how hard she tried. After meeting me the face was filled in with mine. Don't know if it's true but one of those things I like thinking of every now and then when I miss her."
Darthdemented
Cracked
Getting Ready Episode 2 GIF by The Office
Giphy
"Some people still believe cracking knuckles causes arthritis."
Choice-Grapefruit-44
"There's a doctor (Donald Unger) that cracked his knuckles a couple of times a day for 60 years, but only on one hand, just to prove it. Both hands remained exactly the same."
MacyTmcterry
I love my knuckles.
Do you have any tall tales to add to the list? Let us know in the comments below.
