It can be tricky looking back on your childhood without rose-colored glasses. Sometimes things from the past can be misconstrued and misremembered as wrong or unfaithful to the joy of our past. However, there are those memories that never fade or dimmer in our hearts, that light up our souls, and keep us going into adulthood.
Reddit user, u/James_T_Hart, wanted to know what to memory makes you want to go back when they asked:
What's your best childhood memory? Why?
One Perfect Day
There was one day in the summer of 2003 when me and all the neighborhood kids just hung around outside. We flew kites, played sports, got ice cream from a truck, etc. We spent the whole day outside doing fun stuff. I remember going to bed thinking that it was a perfect day. I still think about it sometimes.
Who Needs Money To Have Fun?
GiphyGrowing up I didn't realize how poor we were. My parents were amazing at providing for us. We loved watching baseball games and I wanted to go to a game so bad. We never could afford it.
To make up for it, while we were at school, my mom made up tickets to that night's game and money for us to "spend". When we got home she had set up chairs in front of the TV and numbered them. Gave us the tickets and money and told us to go clean up before the game. Come game time we lined up at the doorway, my dad took our tickets and told us how to get to our seats. After the game started my parents went to the kitchen and had a tray of hot dogs, candy and soda. "Hot dogs! Get your hot dogs!" We got out the money my mom made and bought whatever snacks we wanted.
Best baseball game I've ever been to.
A Night Full Of Stars
Being a farm kid, sitting behind my older sister on a horse, ambling around our yard in the dark, looking up at the stars while my sister sang with the softest most beautiful voice I've ever heard. I fell asleep leaning on her back as she sang.
Epilogue: The next day at school I tried to eat a stick of chalk to make my voice softer like my sister's. It was a terrible failure.
A Thought And A Blessing
8th grader Amanda, my first hard crush, telling 5th grade me that I was cute on the school bus... I don't know if I've ever been quite that happy again in the entire rest of my life. Don't tell my wife and kids I said that.
Bringing Work Home With You
My step father designed theater sets and installed a jungle design in my room, after the play was over
We'll Find A Way To Make Room
Family vacation to Colorado to ski. They piled all the grandkids (me and 7 of my cousins) in the back of the van and removed the bench seats, replaced them with air mattresses. They hooked up a TV and VHS player and we all watched the original scream movie while eating road trip snacks and annoying the life out of our grandparents.
We stopped the moment we got to where there was snow to have a giant family snowball fight. We took pictures the whole ride on disposable cameras. I think my older cousins mooned a few unsuspecting strangers. 18 hours there and 18 hours back and the ride was just as good as the actual vacation.
A Backyard Is A Wonderland
My parents house had a huge prairie field beyond its backyard. There was a lot of wild life, giant ponds, and tiny forests scattered throughout a giant plain. As an introverted child I remember going on so many adventures here until the sun came down.
One particular moment that sticks with me was sitting on my fence, overlooking the fields watching the sun set with my dog after a long day of playing. It's not a particularly eventful moment but I remember thinking that moment was perfect.
As a kid that grew up reading Calvin and Hobbes, I feel so fortunate I got to grow up in the area I did. It was like I was living the life of my favorite comic.
Let's go exploring!
You Don't Need A House To Make Home Memories
Probably the time when my dad was building our house. In the summer me, my mom and dad would sleep in a trailer. My mom would drive to work from there and I was always either playing around, try to help my dad or annoy him ( I was 10).
A lot of times I was at my aunt's house that was across the street, there I would play with her dogs and cat. Sometimes my grandma and aunt that are living in Germany would visit us and then most of the family of my dad's side (that we rarely see) would come and we would have a few days of partying and bonfires.
Cousin Summers > Any Other Summer
My grandparents lived on Jamestown (Conanicut Island) when I was a kid. I had 9 cousins, and they would set us loose in the morning, put out lunch at noon at a picnic table, and tell us to be home at dark. They were down by the Beaver tail end, so we had minor car traffic on the one main road, and a vast open meadow and woods to play Manhunt in.
I eventually moved to NYC, but I cannot fathom not having that formative experience summer after summer. It was the kind of thing that people write books and make movies about. Almost Wes Anderson-like in the mists of time, but now as I'm about to be a father I realize that recapturing that is likely near impossible in this day and age.
Misunderstanding A Practical Joke
My family on my dad's side owns a cabin on a small island, we used to go fishing but i never caugth any fish. (You probobaly wont understand the next part but ok) I liked to lay on the little rock dock/pier and watch the small fishes.(the part) my dad had just thougth me a little trick, if you yelled, "tosk!" (Idiot) Into the water, people would think you saw a "torsk" (Codfish) because the words are so simular.
They would run up to the water and see nothing. That is when you say "haha, en tosk/ Haha, an idiot". they would see their reflection in the water and think it was a Codfish, but then you call them an idiot. But that time i actually saw a "Torsk/Codfish". I yelled to my dad because i got excited but he did'nt believe me.
I've tried to convince him to this day, but he never believes me!
Precious Time With A Precious Few
When I was younger, we had an indoor amusement park in the city. My father would surprise me by saying we were going to play at the arcade area. We would spend a couple hours playing arcade games like animal hunting, race car driving, things like that. He would do this to all 3 of his children, by themselves, just to spend alone time with them.
Since that time, that amusement park has since shut down, and was replaced by a Bass Pro Shop.
It may be gone, but the memories made there won't be.
Movie Theater Tag! New Olympic Sport!
when i was 4/5 my brother who had to have been 17/18 took me to a movie. nobody else was in the theater and we spent a good 10-15 minutes playing tag
Getting The Same Thing Every Time
My father never made much money but my best memory as a little kid was going to the gas station with him to get a 99 cent icee and he got a coffee. I miss him, but I will cherish those memory's as I get older even tho he's gone
You Fight to Grow Closer To Each Other
Fighting with my elder brother for silly things!
By just remembering these moments from my childhood makes me smile in my bad and good times. Thank god!
Then we have become best friends and I always can count on him.
Working Together
My mom had taken us to Chipotle, a rare treat, and we got home pretty late. I was about seven and at that point had three siblings. My youngest sister and mom went to sleep as soon as we got home, leaving just me and my other sister. I, being the hero I was, climbed on the counter and got the iPad off the top of the fridge and pulled up the Pbs Kids app. My sister grabbed the leftover chip bags and we sat on the floor in front of the couch watching Arthur until we fell asleep at like one in the morning.
I love this memory because it's one of the few times me and my sister really got along. Depending on what's going on we can be a great team or mortal enemies and this was a change from the normal enemies thing.
Grandpa Waffles Equal Best Waffles
My grandmother making me waffles in the morning.
I would watch Saturday morning cartoons like Tom and Jerry, Huckleberry Finn and of course, Penelope Pitstop.
They're Times We're Never Getting Back
Sitting in front of the 19 inch fatback tv playing Grand theft auto: San Andreas w/ my brother when it was released is one of the best memories I carry with me.
Sitting up well past the hours of our bedtime, turning the tv volume all the way down when turning the ps2 on in fear our parents would hear us & eating endless snacks / whatever else we could get our hands on & doing it all over again the next night. Everything about that game & those times bring me a nostalgic feeling, almost indescribable.
He committed suicide in 2014, I miss him everyday.
The Only Invitation That Mattered
GiphyI was maybe 5 or 6, and I woke up in the middle of the night to use the restroom. It was that perfect time where everything is quiet and dark and it just feels so still. When I walked through the living room my grandfather was sitting in his chair at the table, drinking whiskey and eating buttered saltines.
He invited me to sit with him and have a snack, which felt amazing to me since individual time with him was extremely rare.
The room was lit only by the warm glow of the nightlight from the kitchen. I don't remember if we talked except for when he told me I'd better be back off to bed, but I remember how it felt. I remember his presence. How big his silhouette looked, sitting across from me. How calm and soothing it was just to be there.
It's that kind of memory that just wraps itself around you and envelopes you in warmth. It's one of those moments where everything falls away and nothing else exists. Just dark, quiet, and some buttered crackers. He died of cancer not long after that, and that's one of the only memories I have of him.
Standing Up For Your Kid
Watching my stepdad call the principal of my school in 4th grade out on his bullsh-t right in front of me.
Because it was the first time i had a father figure in my life who cared enough about me to stand up for me.
Remember what he called out?
My principal kept making bs claims that my mom wasnt properly taking care of me, clean clothes etc.My mom is a neatfreak so i had clean clothes etc 100% of the time and i never had issues about going hungry or anything of the sort.To this day i cannot understand where the claims were coming from. But they stopped after my stepdad called him a "twat who doesnt do his job properly, who needs to get his head checked".
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.