Life is full of interactions with people. Most jobs involve talking to strangers for inordinately long period of time. Sometimes, you leave with a positive spin on humanity. Other times, you'll have a too-close-for-my-tastes interaction with someone, giving you the permanent heebie-jeebies for the rest of your life.
Reddit user, u/TheGamingHaxer, wanted to hear the creepiest creeps who've ever creeped when they asked:
What are the creepiest situations you have been in with strangers?
Starts Out So Awful...
Was in downtown St. Louis on my way to a Blues game and a little lost. A homeless guy approached my buddy and I and asked us for some money. We gave him some cash and asked him if he knew which way to the (then) Scottrade Center where the game was. He said sure, follow me.
Cue the guy leading us through some super sketchy looking back alleys. My buddy and I start shooting eachother glances like "oh sh-t we're about to get murdered aren't we?"
Came out of the alley, and sure enough he had led us right to the Scottrade Center with a great shortcut. Super nice dude.
Mightier Than The Sword
GiphyHitch hiking at 0400. Guy picks me up, his eyes are all pupils. Drive in silence for a minute after I thank him and introduce myself. He's asks if I have a weapon. I say no. He violently pulls a blue bic pen from his side door and thrusts it at me, while making intense eye contact, "here. Take this. If anyone tries to hurt you, stab them with it and bail".
I take it, thank him, he then tells me this is as far as he's going and I thank him for the ride and hop out; it's a straight stretch of highway, I think he realized he armed his passenger and was afraid I'd stab him.
Stop Timing Me!
Went to the toilet at work, upon my return my co-worker comments on the length of time I was doing my business and offered solution to reduce how long it took.
You Know, Grass.
This was probably creepy to the poor guy at the time but it's pretty funny to look back on it.
I once flew to Denver with my dog and for obvious reasons, I only gave her minimal food and water before the trip so my first priority when we landed was to get her some food and water and take her out to pee. She is very well trained, and perhaps alittle picky when it comes to doing her biz and the Denver airport is in a desert. In the absence of the grass she prefers...she simply didn't want to pee.
So (in my infinite wisdom) I went up to a parking attendant and asked if he knew where I could find some grass.....in Colorado.....RIGHT after weed was legalized. (which was pointed out to me later)
He looked at me funny and was like "no I can't help you" but I was kinda desperate so I said "really? I just need some grass for my dog" he gives me an even funnier look and says no and walks away. I was like wtf and eventually she settled for peeing on a non grassy surface.
It wasn't until I told the story to someone later that I realized what a dunce I was being in context. So much facepalm.
"You Don't Remember Me?"
Was at a restaurant. Waitress is like I know you, I was like oh I am sorry I dont know you. Shes like didnt you go to such and such high school, I am like yeah. Shes like you dont remember me, I was like no. Kept escalating personal info I still dont remember her, suddenly she snaps starts cussing and crying, all of this in front of my kids and wife.
They literally had to drag her away kicking and screaming. I dont know who she was and I have never done anything that would have caused that. I always think who the f-ck was that.
Turning The Tables
Was taking an uber to get home. Uber driver kept asking me about whether or not I had a boyfriend. I told them specifically "No, and I have no interests in dating ever. Single life ftw"
He didn't say anything until after one of the fellow pool-passengers had gotten off and then it was just us. He then started asking my why I had no interest in dating. I explained my reasons why.
Silence until I was close to getting home. Then he started saying that it was important that I get a boyfriend. "What about whenever something goes wrong and one of your items break? Who will fix it?" "Well I have friends who can help with that." "What about going to nice places?" "Again, friends do those things too."
Right when I was about to get out of the car, he insisted that he was going to be my boyfriend and I needed to give him my number. Seeing as he wasn't going to take no for an answer, I twisted it around and asked for his number instead.
I then reported him to Uber because Screw that guy! No means no!
Mixed Up Doors
GiphyAn older woman came up to me and my girlfriend at a motel, she told us she couldn't get into her room, I asked if her keycard didn't work and she told us no, it did but she wasn't strong enough to open the door. We walked over with her and saw that she was trying to get into a storage closet.
I told her this wasn't her room, and she got angry and told her she had just put her stuff inside the room. I showed her that it said storage closet and that her keycard didn't work because there was no where to put the key.
She refused to believe me and went to the front desk. When she walked away, a kid came out of the closet and told us that the woman had been following her because she thought she was her Granddaughter, but they weren't related at all. She told us the woman tried to push her into her car, but she had ran away and hid in the storage closet. I asked her if she wanted me to call the police and she said no and ran off.
The older woman came back with a staff member and he opened the door to the storage room after she said she had left something inside of it. She looked really confused when it was empty and stormed off. We told the employee what had occurred and he said he'd report it to the police. We left the motel after that.
Starts Out So Wholesome...
This happened a few weeks ago
I had just received some bad news while I was walking home after hanging out with some friends. I was walking down the street crying when I noticed a guy sitting in a parked truck staring at me. I was too busy with my own thoughts I just kept on walking (with music in my ears).
Soon I felt someone grab my shoulder and turned me around. It was the guy from the truck. He had seen me crying and stopped to ask me if I was okay. I took out my earplugs and tried to tell him I was fine, and I just wanted to go home. He hugged me and I couldn't help myself from bursting into tears. It felt like such a random act of kindness.
Then suddenly his grip got tighter and I felt uncomfortable, but he wouldn't let me go. I looked up at him (because he was way taller than me) and begged him to just leave me alone. He then tried to kiss me and pull me towards his truck, saying how pretty I was and asking for my number.
I just panicked and tried kicking him but he was way bigger than me. I screamed for help and luckily two men were close enough to hear me and ran over to get the guy to let me go. I've never ran that fast home. And the worst part is that it was in broad daylight and he was just abusing the fact I was in such fragile state :(
neverletmedr0wn
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.