JOIN
OUR EMAIL LIST!
SIGN UP

People Explain Which Things They Thought Would Be Easy Until They Actually Tried Them

Image by congerdesign from Pixabay

I'm a writer. It's both a talent and a skill. It takes hours and hours and hours and hours to refine. I get paid to do what I do because people trust me to do a good job. That's what makes me a professional.

So you might be surprised to hear that many people believe that writers dilly and dally all day long. This mindset carries over into the job market: Many writers are underpaid and undervalued. Many have to fight to set their own rates and freelancing can be both difficult and time consuming.

After Redditor CMBGamer2018TV asked the online community, "What was something you thought would be easy, until you tried it?" people chimed in with their own observations.

"I grew up on skis..."

Snowboarding. I grew up on skis and when I tried snowboarding I literally just rolled down the entire mountain like a slinky on the stairs.

Terds4Nerds

"But the jump again..."

Playing the guitar. The jump from not being able to play anything to playing basic chords and a couple songs you like isn't that much and it makes you feel like such a b@dass. But the jump again to a working musician is astronomical. I tried and just got burnt out and it wasn't fun anymore.

37bagsofdragonass

"Even just that very first part..."

A lot of the parts from that Ninja Warrior show. I'm a very physically fit guy and always thought that first course looked like a breeze.

Then I found a local gym with the different elements set up. Even just that very first part where you hop across a few platforms was tough.

ckuiper

"I understand it's far easier..."

Learning a second language, I understand it's far easier as an adolescent but, whew, conversational German for a English speaker is very hard for me.

antiquasi

"Has anyone tried..."

Has anyone tried to learn to do a handstand as an adult? How is that SO DIFFICULT.

schapnootmies

"When I was still in college..."

Maintaining a proper work/life balance. When I was still in college, I'd either procrastinate way too much or I'd work nonstop. I was never able to find a balance where I was still getting s*** done but not burning myself out.

yeetgodmcnachass

"I never really put much thought..."

Making (and maintaining) friends as an adult.

I never really put much thought into this, until I had no friends left in adulthood, and realized how easy it used to be as a kid in school in comparison.

MaeveTheBrave

"Faking it..."

I am not a really confident person but I keep working on my confidence. There was a time when I tried the "fake it until you make it" approach. Faking it is harder than expected.

theredditer91

"After renting a car..."

On the first trip to England:

After renting a car, it proved to be a considerable challenge to drive on the "other side of the road" from what I was used to - especially in the roundabouts and on major highways.

Back2Bach

"Why don't I..."

Oh, get a job? Just get a job? Why don't I strap on my job helmet and squeeze down into a job cannon and fire off into job land, where jobs grow on jobbies!

rnilbog

"As someone who's played for eight years now..."

Playing the drums well. As someone who's played for 8 years now, I can comfortably say that it is harder than it looks. To be able to keep time and stay 'in the pocket' for the entire song all while showing some technical ability is HARD. And I've seen so many new drummers just play rhythm but their, own, wonky, disjointed version and man it's frustrating.

Dessy1024

"On paper..."

College. On paper, as a child, you think that college is just adult school, but after not eating dinner for 3 days and having about $12.50 in my bank account, I can say with confidence that I was wrong.

SimpNation_24

"I don't do it as much now..."

Parkour.

I don't do it as much now and i do know some stuff but I still can't do a backflip. I'm too much of a b!tch.

DefinitNotKev

"Trying to interact with other adults..."

Being an adult. It absolutely f***** blows.

Trying to interact with other adults that have been curled throughout their life suck when you come from a home that raised you in the thinking that you carry the outmost responsibility for yourself and your own actions.

sloppyblacksmith

"I only found out in high school..."

Playing the piano. I love playing the piano when I was in elementary school but nobody for some reason would tried to correct me or tell me that I suck thus I embarrassed myself constantly in front of my music class whenever I volunteered to play the piano with me being literally oblivious on how much I suck. I only found out in high school that I played the piano wrong the whole time when my sister started to give me real lessons. Makes me wonder what my music teacher was thinking the whole time.

SophieCamuze

"I thought estrangement..."

I thought estrangement was gonna be easy. And, well, it is for the most part. 70% of the time it's stupid f****** easy. In that, well, I can bury it in some dusty corner and forget I am estranged.

However, there two times of the year which suck absolute @ss. The week leading up to my birthday and the late part of November through January 1st. These events always sneak up on me. I find myself in a s**** mood the days before Thanksgiving, scratch my head trying to figure it out, and then realize it's the holiday season. The one time of year where everyone talks, non-stop, about being with family/how great their family is/etc/etc/etc and I, willingly without family, have to listen to society tell me just how great they have it.

TBH, I low-key hate the holiday season. Especially since afterwards people always ask how it was for me and that's a damned if I tell the truth, damned if I lie, scenario. Either I tell them it was 'aWeSoMe PoSsUm, GrEaT!" and die inside because it was actually miserable OR I tell them it was miserable and watch them squirm because they suddenly realize how much it would suck to be in my position. I may honestly tell my friends just not to even ask how the holidays were for me, this year, just to save us that song and dance.

EgyptianDevil78

"They don't tell you..."

Using a compound bow. My dad pulls back the bowstring so effortlessly like it's a slingshot. Then I go to use it and it's literally impossible for me to even make it budge. They don't tell you that you need to be a bodybuilder to use one.

CurryNB

"Educated and fascinated..."

Parenthood. Do you love kids? Have a good job? Steady income? Good health benefits? Good car + home? Supportive spouse, family and friends to help out? Are you healthy and excited to have kids? Educated and fascinated on learning as much as you can to be a great parent? Awesome! It is still the hardest thing you'll ever do and you'll question everything you know and wondering if you made the wrong choice every. single. day.

rosinblush

"The image seems so perfect..."

Drawing human figures. The image seems so perfect in my mind until I try to actually put it on paper.

KipsyKakes

"Part of me says it's okay..."

Writing music. When I first started off producing, I was totally ignorant to music theory, song composition, etc. After years of doing it and taking a music theory 101 class, I still struggle with writing a cohesive song. It's easy to map out a very basic song: intro, verse, pre-chorus tease, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, chorus, chorus, outro. That's a fairly generic layout of a song. But whenever I'm writing the stuff, I go off on tangential riffs, and next thing I know I have a song that's intro, verse, pre-chorus tease, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, bridge, bridge 2, solo, bridge 3, verse, chorus that's also different.

Part of me says it's okay because it's my music and I can do with it what I like, but that also won't lead to other people liking it.

MaelstromNyxus

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

People Describe The Most Traumatizing Thing They Ever Experienced As A Child

Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay

Life is hard. It's a miracle to make it through with some semblance of sanity. We are all plagued by grief and trauma. More and more people of all backgrounds are opening up about personal trauma and its origins. Finally! For far too long we've been too silent on this topic. And with so many people unable to afford mental health care, the outcomes can be damaging.

All of our childhoods have ups and downs and memories that can play out like nightmares. We carry that, or it follows us and the first step in recovery is talking about it. So who feels strong enough to speak?

Redditor u/nthn_thms wanted to see who was willing to share about things they'd probably rather forget, by asking:

What's the most traumatizing thing you experienced as a child?
Keep reading... Show less
childhood

People Divulge The Real Reason Why They're Still Single

Image by klimkin from Pixabay

Being single can be fun. In fact, in this time of COVID, being single can save lives. But the heart is a fickle creature.

And being alone can really suck in times of turmoil. None of us are perfect and it feels like that's all anyone is looking for... perfect.

Now that doesn't mean that all of us are making it difficult to partner up. Sure, some people are too picky and mean-spirited, but some of the rest of us are crazy and too much to handle. So one has to be sure.

The truth is, being single is confusing, no matter how much we try to match. So let's try to understand...

Redditor u/Mcxyn wanted to discuss some truths about love and our own issues, by asking:

Why are you single?
Keep reading... Show less
being single

Chefs Divulge The Most Important Tips That Amateur Cooks Need To Know

Tiard Schulz/Unsplash

Whether you're an at home parent, a college student just leaving the nest, or a Food Network junkie, there are a few basic tips that everyone should know.

Chef's gave us some of their top tips for amateurs and beginner at home cooks that will really make a difference. They are trained professionals with years of experience in the kitchen, so they definitely know what we're all missing.

If you're looking to improve some of your cooking skills and techniques, but you're still learning how to boil water correctly, this list is for you.

Redditor BigBadWolf44 wanted in on the secrets and asked:

"Chefs of Reddit, what's one rule of cooking amateurs need to know?"

Let's learn from the masters!


What a common mistake!

"A lot of the time when people add salt to a dish because they think it tastes flat, what it really needs is an acid like lemon juice or vinegar."

- Vexvertigo

"Instructions unclear I drugged my dinner party guests and now they're high on acid."

- itsyoboi_human

"Yes! Or tomatoes. They're pretty acidic too and go with so many things. Our dinners are so much better once the garden tomatoes are ripe. Or if a dish is too acidic, oil/butter or a little sugar can help add balance to it."

- darkhorse85

"Like tomato and eggs. Every Chinese mom makes those slightly differently and I haven't had a tomato egg dish I didn't like yet."

- random314

"There's a book called 'Salt Fat Acid Heat' that comes highly recommended to amateur cooks."

- Osolemia

"Reading even just the first chapter about salt made a lot of food I cooked immediately better, because I finally understood salt wasn't just that thing that sat on the dinner table that you applied after the meal was cooked."

- VaultBoy42

"Salt is important for sweets. A batch of cookies without that little hint of salt doesn't taste quite right."

- Osolemia

Unfortunately, this tip might not be accessible to everyone. Many people who contracted COVID can no longer use their sense of smell the way they used to.

"Have a friend that lost his smell from COVID, and now he only recognizes if food is salty, sweet, sour or bitter."

- AlphaLaufert99

"Just wait until he gets his sense of smell back and a ton of foods smell like ammonia or literal garbage now. Yeah, that's fun... It's been 7 months for f*cks sake just let me enjoy peanut butter again!!!!!!!!!"

- MirzaAbdullahKhan

You can't take back what you've already put in.

"You can always add, but you cannot take away."

- El_Duende666

"I find people's problems usually are they're too scared to add rather than they add too much."

- FreeReflection25

"I see you also grew up white in the mid-west."

- Snatch_Pastry

Safety first!

"Not really a cooking tip, but a law of the kitchen: A falling knife has no handle."

- wooddog

"I'm always so proud of my reflexes for not kicking in when I fumble a knife."

"If I drop anything else, my stupid hands are all over themselves trying to catch it (and often failing). But with a knife the hardwired automatic reaction is jump back immediately. Fingers out of the way, feet out of the way, everything out of the way. Good lookin out, cerebellum!"

- sonyka

"Speaking of KICKING in. On first full time cooking job I had a knife spin and fall off the counter. My (stupid) reflex was to put my foot under it like a damn hacky sack to keep it from hitting the ground. Went through the shoe, somehow between my toes, into the sole somehow without cutting me. Lessons learned: (1) let it fall; (2) never set a knife down close to the edge or with the handle sticking out; (3) hacky sack is not nearly as cool as it could be."

- AdjNounNumbers

"Similarly, NEVER put out a grease or oil fire with water. Smother with a lid or dump baking soda in there (do not use flour, as it can combust in the air making things worse)."

- Metallic_Substance

How else will you know it tastes good?

"Taste the food."

- OAKRAIDER64

"Also don't be afraid to poke and prod at it. I feel like people think the process is sacred and you can't shape/flip/feel/touch things while you cook them. The more you are hands on, the more control you have."

"No, this does not include situations where you are trying to sear something. Ever try flipping a chicken thigh early? That's how you rip a chunk out of it and leave it glued to the pan until it's burnt."

- Kryzm

Here's one just for laughs.

"When you grab a pair of tongs, click them a few times to make sure they are tongs."

- Kolshdaddy

"People really overlook this one. You've gotta tong the tongs a minimum of 3 times to make sure they tong, or else it can ruin the whole dish."

- BigTimeBobbyB

If you're looking to get into cooking or to improve you technique, pay attention to these few tips.

Salt generously, add an acid to brighten things up, and don't forget to taste your food!

If all else fails, you can always order take out.

Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.

cooking

People Describe The Most Inappropriate Thing They Ever Did As A Kid

Victoria_Borodinova/Pixaba

As part of the learning process, children often do embarrassing things before they learn a little more about the world and all the different implications therein. While the inappropriate moment is usually minor and ends in laugher some instances are truly mortifying.

One such instance involved a little sister who was around 6 at the time. It was the 90s and at the height of the youth-focused PSAs (think the frying egg representing your brain). One type was a safety PSA about stranger danger. The speaker would remind the children that if a stranger tried to take you anywhere to yell “Stop, you're not my mommy/daddy" to raise the alarm.

Keep reading... Show less