My mother cannot handle anxiety. She doesn't do feelings well... well sad feelings. She's great with love. So because of this she laughs, incessantly, at the most embarrassing moments. Someone has been murdered, she laughs. Lost your home in a fire, laugh. Your dog was stuck by lightning? Hysteria. It's all a defense mechanism because of her discomfort with emotions. But sometimes it can come off as a tad.... inappropriate?
Laughing is good for the soul. A deep, hearty laugh can save you years on your life, it can even burn calories. And in this day and age Lord do we need some laughter. There is a caveat, some of us do need to be aware of our surroundings when we bust a gut. For instance....
Redditor u/Pegi111 wanted to discuss the times a hearty chuckle may have been a bit ill timed by asking.... What is the worst thing that you have laughed at In public?In need of Autotune....
american idol singing GIFGiphyMy dad's funeral. My maternal grandfather got very emotional, and when he's emotional, he loses his English and lapses into Welsh. He's also a trained singer, so halfway through one of the hymns he starts bellowing it out in Welsh, which no one else in the church could speak (we live in Scotland). It was funny and awful at the same time.
Just STOP!
I happened to witness the immediate aftermath of a car accident between this woman and a younger guy who seemed to be a new driver.
The young guy had a STOP sign and the woman was cussing at him, telling him he should be paying more attention and that he will kill someone if he drives like that. The poor dude was practically speechless and still reeling from the shock of the accident.
Just as I was about to go on with my day, here comes a delivery guy on a scooter. He stops for half a sec to take stock of the situation and goes "Hey, lady! Leave the poor kid alone, you were going the wrong way on a one-way street" while pointing at a sign that confirmed what he said.
Suffice it to say, I pissed myself laughing at her as she went back to her car realizing she was at fault after all.
"I just wanna live"
I pissed myself laughing at my husbands funeral. He had a pretty morbid sense of humor and one of the songs he wanted played was "I Just Wanna Live" by Good Charlotte. In the moment the whole thing just seemed so absurd that I just cracked up laughing. However because most people could only see my back they all assumed I was just crying. But honestly I think that my reaction was pretty normal given the emotional distress that day.
Walking Like Deer....
elaine benes dancing GIFGiphyOne time in college a few friends and I took a couple giggle stamps and went for a walk down the main drag of town, taking it all in.
At about the time that things were really coming to a head, a car crashes into a stone wall on the other side of the street at like 25 miles an hour. Without missing a beat 5 girls who were dressed to go out and were all wearing tall heels hop out and all run in different directions away from this car. They all looked like baby deer learning to walk.
The driver stumbles out seemingly intoxicated and then proceeds to try and reverse himself off the wall and leave the scene but ends up ripping off the front end of his car and then getting stuck.
Anyway I almost collapsed from laughing at all of this and after roasting the driver from across the street instead of helping like the Seinfeld gang for about 5 minutes we decided to leave.
'Come on and Celebrate'
sarcastic state of the union GIFGiphyWhen my dad died we were trying to sort out funeral stuff. We're a religious family and he had chosen Hymns and Bible readings before he died. One of the hymns was an old school 80s praise song called 'Come on and Celebrate.' It involves some cringeworthy synchronized clapping. We're also a pretty musical family so we sang that song in full voice, clapping away and giggling to ourselves knowing how disappointed dad would have been with us if we hadn't given it our all.
Or so I thought.
I used to be a wedding planner. One wedding was set on a coastal beach. Really great day, I had been working on this for months. Now, the couple decided that the ring bearer would be their labrador and he would have the rings on a ribbon around his neck, fair enough. So a bridesmaid would let him off the lead at the beginning of the aisle and he would trot down to the happy couple. We did test runs and he was really good so he was the least of my problems.
Or so I thought. I'm right at the back with my schedule, ceremony starts but the dog had different ideas, he stormed down the aisle (almost knocking the bride over) past the couple, down the beach and into the sea with the RINGS. Half of the groomsmen running after him ending up drenched in the sea. I literally had tears running down my face with laughter, there was nothing all I could do, had to balance against a wall with my heels embedded in the sand.
Coping....
After the loss of my sister last year which was my first real experience with death and planning a funeral I will never question anyone's behavior at their loved ones funeral. The brains coping behaviors are weird. I went from hysterical laughter to full snot face crying back to hysterical laughter in 2 seconds over and over flat the entire day. There are no "wrong" reactions. I'm sorry for your loss.
DADDY!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED?!
Eddie Murphy Shut Up GIF by BounceGiphyClearly tired dad and his, I'm assuming, 5 year old daughter in a supermarket, following behind him pointing out things that she thinks they need in an obnoxious voice.
Girl: Daddy, do you know what WE need?
Dad: silence
Girl: Daddy!! Do you know what WE need? DADDY!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE NEED?!
Dad: A muzzle.
Had to duck into the next aisle so fast and burst out laughing, the people in that aisle had no idea what I'd just heard and looked at me like I was laughing at voices in my head.
Sit with Us....
I was out with a cousin that I had not seen in quite a while since she lives in another country. We were at a cafeteria/bar type thing. Since she was staying a few days only, she asked me if it was okay if some friends of hers that she hadn't seen in years came along. Told her sure and 10 mins later they come sit with us.
One of them (they were 3) starts telling us whats up with his life and casually drops "oh my father also died this summer" (as if he had bought a new phone or sth) and I almost spit my drink... I really tried not laughing but he didn't help. I left out a tiny giggle and he continued telling how his father died casually. I had to look at my phone to not lose it.
Kidney Needed....
jack nicholson laughing GIFGiphyI was doing storefront fundraising at a WalMart for the non-profit I'm a part of. I pitched a guy on the way in and his reply was "I'll donate to someone else as soon as someone donates me a kidney."
I expressed my sympathies and moved on.
The guy I was fundraising with pitched the man again as he walked out of the store. The man must've said something derogatory and my partner looked at me, shrugged, and made a funny face. I laughed and the guy wheeled around and started screaming and cursing at me for laughing at a man who needs a kidney transplant.
He ended up calling the store and saying I was mocking his plight and we were asked to leave for the day.
Perfect Plank....
My neighbor (60F) was about to open her gate but then she saw us, and she quickly turned around to say hello. Well, she perfectly face planked to the ground while doing so, got up and acted like nothing had happened and continued talking. I tried to ask her if she was okay but couldn't stop laughing. I must have looked like an butthole, it was the most perfect plank I've ever seen.
the nut job
Kick GIFGiphyA teenager was harassing a middle aged woman in a wheel chair.
The teenager tried to kick her in the face..... she caught his foot so he fell on his face, she held his foot up and repeatedly kicked his nuts with her giant special boot.
On the Floor....
I was in a restaurant and there was this kid a few seats ahead of me just being loud and annoying, so when he got out of his seat to do god knows what, he tripped and fell on his untied show and face planted into the hardwood floor, i laughed out loud so hard and i got a lot of nasty stares but it was worth it.
So Stupid...
new girl facepalm GIF by HULUGiphyI joked about my friend and said he looked like he was having a seizure before my idiotic self realized he actually was having a seizure
Edit: He was fine. Something happened that triggered a ptsd flashback. He has since gotten counseling.
ya'll know me!
On jury duty for a drunk driving manslaughter case. He agreed to an interview on scene of the accident, drunk as hell. After the officer identified himself on the tape, drunk dude started hollering in a thick southern drawl "ya'll know me! My daughters a street walker down in (nearby town)". I started laughing at that. With the wife and family of the victim visibly upset, staring at me.
Then guy admitted he spent the day drinking at a strip club, with a n open 12 pack of beer in the passenger seat with empties on the floor.
Man, that trial was a joke. Why didn't he plead guilty? No defense to speak of, they even had video of the accident, not to mention he consented to a BAC test. And this was the guys 5th drunk driving offense.
Ashes to Ashes.....
At my grandma's funeral, when it came time for interment, all of us who'd gone to the cemetery were asked to stay some 50 yards away as they were sodding the whole new area of the cemetery we were in. However, my grandpa wanted to sprinkle some dirt on her casket, so they permitted him to do so, with my mom, aunt, and uncle alongside.
A few moments later, we heard a really loud thud--evidently, because of the nature of the dirt there, instead of being able to find a small handful of loose dirt, he picked up a little clod or two and tossed that into the grave. Hearing the thud in the distance, my wife and sisters and I couldn't resist busting out laughing. Luckily grandpa was too far away to hear it.
Sing Out....
sign language GIFGiphyDuring my graduation ceremony, I was in the front row. We all got up to sing the school's anthem. The song was also gestured (?) in sign language. For some reason I found the person's gestures really silly and I was barely containing myself from erupting into laughter.
An Attack
When the polish president died in a plane crash in 2012 (I think) there was a nationwide minute of silence. For some reason I couldn't stop laughing, it was like an attack of just laughter because of nothing.
Anyways my family got pissed and took me away to a room where I sat alone in the darkness and laughed for few minutes till my whole core started to hurt.
"thou art butt dust"
My younger sister and I were altar serving on Ash Wednesday. We were probably about 13 and 11 years old.
The priest is making the cross on each parishioner's forehead with ashes and saying "remember, man, that thou art but dust and to dust thou shalt return."
My 13 year old brain decided to interpret that as "thou art butt dust" and I snorted.
That set my sister off and we were both sitting there laughing our asses off and trying to stifle it as much as possible.
One Punch...
fight punch GIF by Harlem GlobetrottersGiphyI was working at a McDonald's cleaning in front next door I saw a guy walking and some guy comes on his bike behind and lays him out with one punch.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.
Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?
But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.
It would be so great to be sure there is something else.
But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.
Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:
"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"
Sensations
Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."
PeachesnPain
Recovery
"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."
"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."
"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."
good_golly99
Take Me Back
"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."
"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."
rayrayrayray
Free
The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."
TooReDTooHigh
This is why I hate surgery.
You just never know.
Shocked
Giphy"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."
Admirable_Buyer6528
The SOB
"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."
"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”
1-cupcake-at-a-time
Colors
"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"
Hannah_LL7
"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"
huntokarrr
The Fog
"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."
"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."
Fluffy-Hotel-5184
Through the Walls
"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."
"She's quite alive and well today."
Hot-Refrigerator6583
Well let's all be happy to be alive.
It seems to be all we have.
Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.
The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.
Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.
Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:
"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"
Redditors didn't see these coming.
Shiver Me Timbers
"I’m always cold now!"
– Telrom_1
"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."
– r7ndom
"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."
– mr_remy
Drawing Concern
"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."
– dee-fondy
"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"
"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."
– LizardofDeath
Unleashing Insults
"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”
"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."
– alanamablamaspama
Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight
"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."
– KeltarCentauri
"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."
– KatMagic1977
"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."
– Jaew96
These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.
Shopping
"I can buy clothes in any store I want."
– WaySavvyD
"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."
– ganache98012
No More Symptoms
"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."
– colleennicole93
Expanding Capabilities
"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."
– Ramblonius
People Change Their Tune
"How much nicer people are to you."
"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"
– LiZZygsu
"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"
"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"
– awholedamngarden
It's gonna take some getting used to.
Bones Everywhere
"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."
– Princess-Pancake-97
"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."
– bekastrange
Knee Pillow
"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."
– snic2030
"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."
– Strongbad23
More Mobility
"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."
"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."
– dma1965
People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.
But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.
That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.