Life is full of grand and crazy moments. When we find ourselves in these moments we often find ourselves at a fork in the road as well. We believe we're pumped and raring to go. But once we're wobbling on the precipice, we feel it, a light tremble, the first trickle of sweat, the final body encompassing deep breath before life could forever be altered, they haunt us, because uncertainty is a fickle mistress. In these crucial seconds we can either retreat or push forward. And once we push forward... history begins.
Redditor u/twitchylittleferret7 wanted everyone on Reddit to tell us about the times when only moving forward was the option by asking.... What was your biggest "crap, no going back now" moment?Quick & Fast!
GiphyPsychedelics, particularly DMT because it all happens so quickly and intensely. KingThommo
Salvia. Never again. Only lasts five minutes, but holy crap does it feel like an eternity. It's like your entire reality gets smashed into thousands of pieces and you're desperately trying to piece it back together, or getting thrust into the space between the multiverses and you're trying to figure out which one you belong in again.
Having your consciousness merged with a red solo cup on the dresser is the kind of experience a man needs no more than one of in his life. Dahhhkness
Philmont.
Happened to a friend of mine in Philmont. He went to the bathroom and had to cross a small stream to get there. The sky opened up for a few minutes and he still hadn't come back. We heard yelling a little later and he was stuck because that small stream had quadrupled in size and was now a raging river. Mail540
Tide Falling.
Canoeing over a waterfall. JadedLit
First time I did a waterfall I thought I was gonna die. I'd been whitewater kayaking for over a year, had all my safety trained friends there with me, yet that feeling of going over and looking down at the hole just made me go 'yep, I've gone too far.' Exverius
Rip Away.
Last summer I replaced my roof. Standing on the ladder at the corner of the house with the shingle stripping shovel, I just stood there for 5 minutes thinking if I wanted to do this or not. Then I ripped off the first few shingles, and there was no going back! Veritas3333
Moving On.
GiphyI made a budget yesterday to figure out how much I'd need to move out. If I work two more hours than planned at a starter job I've lined up, I could do it easily, with all the optional expenses.
That's when it hit me that I'm not in college anymore and I actually could have the money to live independently. I_Ace_English
Jekyll and Hyde....
When my abusive husband was doing his weekly ritual of interrogating me and accusing me of some made up infidelity and goes "Well?! What's the deal here, are we just done??"
Before I could stop myself I was like "You know, yeah, yeah we're done."
He didn't know, until that moment, that I had already spoken to a divorce lawyer and the police and had all my ducks in a row to take the screw off.
But I was planning on actually meeting with the lawyer before I told him, so then it was 2 weeks of awful Jekyll and Hyde bullcrap before I could leave.
I have to say, even though I was like "oh crap," it did feel so damn good to say it though.
Forget that guy. woodsywitch
"I can't wait to find out."
I ran away from an abusive home at 19. I called my dad while I was at work later that day to let him know I was okay and not to come looking for me (he's a narcissist and I was so scared he'd tell the authorities something crazy so they'd track me down for him- like my boyfriend had kidnapped me).
I'd left my car keys on the kitchen table (so he couldn't charge me with stealing it, as he bought it for me), emptied my bank account (because he was friends with the small bank owner) and taken everything I could with me- and that was a pretty big one. He said "you'll never make it without me and my money" and I just said "I can't wait to find out."
That was seven years ago now, and I'm making it. notnowihaveaheadache
The Wings....
Giphy"Here, try this hot wing."
Took a bite and for the next 18 hours, I could only focus on how this was a crime against humanity.
And for those now asking, it was The Last Dab XXX on a drumstick. It was coated all over. I just ate one big bite.
And then I went and shoved my head under a cold shower.
Then, it was bed and bathroom for several hours as I threw up most of it, but some got digested.
I knew going it that it was gonna be hot. My former roommate was a hot sauce aficionado. He never once handed me a wing that was less than a habanero sauce. The question was "am I about to have ghost, pepper-x, Carolina reaper, habanero, etc." Ipride362
1500 Miles.
GiphyMoving 1500 miles away with 2 weeks worth of grocery money, and a 1-star hotel confirmation that would last 1 month, to hold me over Until I started making some money. Mattl54o
PULL!!!!
Got a general anaesthetic for wisdom teeth removal. After waiting what felt like an eternity in a little prep room, I was just thinking about using the restroom just for something to do when I'm swarmed by nurses or whatever. Before I could react, they stuck things all over me and one of them got the drugs in me and I could immediately feel effects.
I remember vividly thinking "well hell, no going back now" as they wheeled me to theatre. And then the procedure and recovery went as smoothly as they could've gone. Reddit
The Tides.
GiphyStepping off that sandbar I could barely reach to swim out to the girl caught in a riptide... and not knowing how a riptide worked. It took what felt like hours but, spoiler alert, we made it.
Too early in the season for lifeguards. I remember calling out to people walking their dogs on the beach but we were so far out they didn't even look towards us. BlueFalconPunch
That wasn't three!!!
First time I went sky diving was a tandem jump and the guy told me on the ground "once we get in the door we'll rock back and forth 3 times, on the third time forward just roll out the door." So, me being the trusting sort thought that was a solid plan. We get up to altitude, open the door, I put my feet on the little platform and cross my arms just like he told me to. He rocked back once and pushed us out the door immediately. My only thought was "That wasn't three!!! Oh crap, we're falling!" Tenragan17
The River Runs...
When I was younger, letting my older cousin talk me in to a canoe ride down a flooded river. We'd planned it days in advance but there was a lot of heavy rain in the area and the normally calm river was near flood level and quite rough. I really didn't want to do it but I didn't want to let him down either so I still went.
I knew as soon as we saw the river this was a terrible idea. The whole thing was a crap show and I honestly though we were going to die. We had no control and at one point we got stuck nose down and a large rock, knowing if we tipped out we were drowning. We somehow made it out and to the shore where we walked back with the canoe. Mcfangus
Winnemucca....
I hopped a freight train once, and the moment it hits 15-20 mph, you're just along for the ride.
But the real "no going back" moment came when the train stopped on a siding outside Winnemucca. After waiting there for like 5 hours, I decided to walk into town and get some ice cream sandwiches. As soon as I got 50 yards from the train, I realized: if it starts rolling now, I'll be too far away to chase it down. I'll just be stuck in this town for a while.
EDIT: For you kids out there, riding freight trains is dangerous and illegal (and dirty and loud and unreliable). Don't do it!
Also, I should point out that Winnemucca is home to some of America's best Basque restaurants, fantastic cowboy heritage sites, and it's the gateway to the Black Rock Desert! It's got something for everyone--not just stranded hobos! cortechthrowaway
Thanks Dad....
GiphyWhen I was about to get on the plane to my first semester of med school, my dad, never one for sentiment, said "well, you're now actually worth more dead than alive, don't screw this up." Dr_D-R-E
FLY....
During take off on my first ever flight at the age of 30. I have a real intense fear of heights. Michaelwordenbr
I hate look over edges, so maybe I have a fear of falling more than heights. Like looking out a plane window is fine but if my head's against the glass it's not. SomeSaltyWalnuts
East Vail Chutes in Colorado.
Hiking back country snowboarding with a guy. Got stuck in a flat area and needed to hike out in deep powder. It was getting dark and kept coming out of thick trees to 50 foot plus cliff areas. It was getting darker and we didn't have much light left and finally came out to another cliff area with about a 10 foot cliff, 20 feet of landing and then a second 10 foot cliff area that had a narrow landing to an open glade.
It was either go for it and don't fall and get hurt or start making a snow tunnel and get ready to sleep on the mountain for the night at East Vail Chutes in Colorado. We both made it through the cliff jumps safely but it was sketchy. When we got to town we both had a couple tall whiskeys and the first bar we got too and I was still shaking. Could have possibly died if we had to stay on the mountain over night or got seriously hurt (and then died) making the jumps to get to an area we could get down as it was getting dark but it was either jump or start making a snow shelter.
We were definitely not prepared with back county gear and got lost in the area even though we had both ridden it a few times with some experienced people who had taken us down before. Scary and something I will never forget. magicted43
Throwdown!
Walking into a MMA fight and the cage closes behind you. Pretty ok I would say. I got punched in the face a lot but subbed my opponent with an armbar. It was just an amateur level fight but you learn a lot even there. Like you don't really hear your coach you are way too consumed by what's going on at least in the first few fights.
Also, you can't really improvise so a game plan is pretty important because you will just revert to the basics you practiced. Also, you get tired as hell. Just stuff you don't really understand if you're never in a fight. podfather2000
Time to Start....
Getting in the ambulance after suffering a grand mal seizure from alcohol withdrawals.
When I finally said enough is enough and decided I needed to quit drinking before it killed me, I thought I could detox on my own as I was terrified of hospitals. I was wrong. I spent a week detoxing in the ICU, and now, almost a full year later, I'm still very happily sober and I'm completely thriving. HorseMeatSandwich
No Trees... No Problem.
GiphyMountain biking with some friends on a new trail, which wasn't even a bike trail. We hiked most of the way up since it was too steep to ride up. Carried our bikes all the way up. Rested at the top for a bit and then rolled over the edge. I remember as my front tire crested and gravity started taking over I thought, "there's no way I'm stopping now, unless a tree stops me." ProjectSunlight
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "
" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.
Reddit user DuckyMomo_12 asked:
"What’s something that would be 100% better if it was slightly shorter?"
Time At Work
Excited Happy Hour GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy"Average work hours"
- friendofjay
"Seriously. My current company has us work 37.5 hour weeks with a paid hour lunch. I don’t know if I could go back to the 40 hour/unpaid 30 min lunch again. It seems like such a small change but it feels like a lot."
- cageygrading
"Everything is getting more expensive right now because of corporate greed. Don't buy the bs that it's just inflation."
"Your bosses are making profits and squeezing you for everything you're worth in the process. Remember that while you bust your @ss for them."
- ravenfire47
"So would you take a pay cut so you can work less?"
- Pathwil
"If you work less, yes. But if you do the same amount of work in less hours, no."
"I moved to US a the beginning of this year and that is something which drives me crazy. People are so inefficient when they work, here."
"Why not just do your job rapidly, with great care and concentration then leave to have your life?! I was in Germany, UK and France before and that's what people do. You do your job and when it's finished, around 3 or 4 pm, they just go home or to gym, or other places. Having time for you is the reward for working well."
- OnTheGoodSideofLife
"Yeah that's a good way to look at it"
- Pathwil
Unwanted Hair
"My nose hair."
- HunterRemarkable550
"Dude... tell me about it. I didn't need excessive nose hair at 26, why TF do I need it at 36."
"Seriously, I can trim for minutes and the next morning I got nose hairs coming out my nose tickling the sh*t out of me!"
"Oh and there is one cheeky hair all the way up in my left nostril that will grow all curled up in my nose and all of a sudden it just starts poking out, seriously now, this thing has grown to about 2 inches long. if i pull on it, I swear to god it feels like it tugs on either the back of my head or my left eye."
"I got nose hair for days."
- Osborne85
"I just bought a beard/hair trimmer that has a nose/ear hair accessory, my nose hairs weren't excessively long but I feel like it looks much better now!"
- radekvitr
"This is fortuitous cuz I wondered if I'd ever get to tell this story! Literally, cleaning/fixing things in my new home about 3 hours ago."
"My nose got tickled and I i couldn't rub it because I had wood glue gloved hands. So I'm washing up and staring in the mirror at all the stuff my (generally maintained, but neglected because I can't find sh*t) nose hairs kept out of my system. It was AMAZING! DUST WAS DANCING IN MY NOSE HAIR LIKE I'VE SPUN CHARLOTTE'S WEB."
"I, honestly, felt lucky to get a chance to appreciate my nose hair. And I hope 1 day you do, too. As for me? I'm still left in awe like that'll do, pig, that'll do."
- unbridledboredom
Lines For Fun
Episode 2 Waiting In Line GIF by The SimpsonsGiphy"Lines at any amusement park."
- TheNonMurderingSort
"Go during September or October. The lines are much shorter and the weather isn't too hot or cold"
- darkaurora84
"One year my father's company and maybe a couple others rented Disneyland for one night. There were enough people that it didn't feel empty, but not so many that we couldn't just walk right up and immediately get on any ride. I was old enough to be on my own."
- cutelyaware
"One of the big perks of staying at one of the Disney hotels is they have certain nights that the park closes for everyone but the people that are staying there. We chilled at the hotel for most of the day then went in late and walked up to every attraction we wanted. My kid loved space mountain and we must have ridden it 10 times in a row. Glorious."
- olcrazypete
Personal Height
"Me. I hate hitting my knees on the seat in front when using public transport"
- hdhdhdhdzjursx
"Tall gang represent. Got the opposite problem tho, 31 inch inseam, all my height is torso. Crack my head on every ceiling in every personal vehicle I've ever owned bar one"
- Megalon84
"I don’t fit on airlines. Flying sucks…"
- Jak_n_Dax
"Frequent festival go-er, I always stand in the back because I hate blocking other peoples view"
- Zymper
"You took the words right out my mouth"
- LateTeenAnubis
This One Is Advance
"Queues. This is a two for one, as the word queue would also be 100% better if it was shorter."
- kriminellart
"The word queue is just the letter Q with a bunch of extra letters waiting in line."
- ecodrew
"Underrated."
- PM_meyourGradyWhite
"I've seen people using 'cue' like 'cue up', but idk if they're just americans that suck at using the right word because we don't call lines 'queues' as often."
- souleaterevans626
Rest
Tired Baby GIFGiphy"The amount of time you need to sleep"
- WomenAreNotReal
"How I wish 5 hours was enough..."
- 1ne3hree
"I honestly wish I could sleep more, maybe it would help with my loneliness. I usually need 6 or 7.5 h based on prior activity"
- Sad_But_Realistic
Court Appointees
"Supreme court appointments."
- Debasque
"Justices should serve an 18 year term, with each one staggered every two years."
"A: that is still plenty of time so that the court can be "above" politics, but a lot more sensible than a lifetime."
"B: it would eliminate this hair-on-fire panicked emergency that happens every time one of them suddenly dies and needs to be replaced. Every president gets to appoint two new justices per term like clockwork, predictable and calculable. No more political wrangling over who controls the Senate vs who is president vs how much time there is before the election and all that BS."
- DerCatzefragger
"Agreed. Lifetime is a bit much... I do believe in term limits across all branches of US govt . By all means make a difference for the people that voted for you or for the party that appointed you. But, a lifetime appointment. 🥺🙄"
- slowclicker
NFL
College Football Running GIF by Boomerang OfficialGiphy"Football (American) games. Especially things like replay reviews and timeouts after kickoffs and change of possession. Sure, guys would get more tired and worn down late in the games but that would be part of the strategy."
- sometimesimtoxic
"I grew up watching football with my dad. I always hated it (and still do) and always thought why do people enjoy watching a minute play with five minutes of whatever after before the next one, it's so goddamn boring to me."
- cozyroof
"A football game is played in 4 quarters, each 15 minutes long, with a 12 minute halftime in the middle. So do the math and a football game lasts. . . 3 friggin hours!?!? And the last 3 minutes of the 4th quarter accounts for 45 minutes of that time!"
- DerCatzefragger
"As a big American Football fan, I completely agree. I think the biggest culprits are the endless commercials but 3 hours is just too much. The players would adapt and you would likely see some reduction in size, especially on the line. Being 400 Lbs with that amount of PED assisted muscle is questionable as it is."
"Same thing with baseball but the purists like the pitchers taking 20 minutes before each pitch for whatever reason. I like Soccer too and watching a match get knocked out in 1.5 hours and getting on with my day is great."
- DustinAM
More Days To Enjoy
"Work week, 4 day work week, 3 day rest would be fantastic"
- Piemaster113
"I used to do 4 day work week, and I preferred it more than 5 day work weeks. Sure, I had to spend 10 hours at the office, but that 3rd day off gave me a day I could take my Mom to the doctor if needed."
- ryukin631
"The job I worked the longest at had me on a 4 on/4 off schedule. 12 hour days. I was there for 8 years, honestly loved that job, and one of the cool things about working 12 hour days for 8 years was that it made transitioning to 8 hour days a breeze. The downside was 2 day weekends f*cking suck."
- Mister_McGreg
"I would love that. You need the middle day. Then you get a day to rest/decompress, a day to have fun/do things, and a day to do chores/get sh*t in order for the week."
- pamplemouss
New Movies
"Most recently, Gray Man. They need to chill with the 2+ hour movies."
- olnog
"If the writers really knows what they are doing with the story and the actors nail the, well, acting, I don't mind 2hr movies."
"For me the main issue is that they tend to cut short, as if they halfway through filming realize that 'Oh shoot, this movie will end up 4hrs long'."
"I'd rather have a 4 episode mini-series with hour long episodes instead."
- ActualTechSupport
"I feel like any bollywood movie not clockin in at 3 hrs is pretty short. But the good ones make it seem short. Ex: Three Idiots, PK"
- rabid-
Which of these resonated with you most?
More importantly, what needs to be on this list that you don't see?
Gripe with me in the comments, folks! It's always a good time.
RedditorDangerous_Mobile9188 wanted to discuss what aspects of life still leave confusion.
"What do you genuinely not understand?"
Life is full of quandaries that I give up on trying to figure out.
Everywhere?
Emoji Corona GIF by BallcomGiphy"Why people can't use a public restroom without literally pooping all over the freaking toilet."
Natural-School5690
Around the grooves...
"How a single needle can run through the grooves on a record and produce a fully layered and 'separated' sound. I mean, I get how it works in theory. But like... how TF does it work?"
LandofRy
"I know how it works, and I understand how it works, and I was gleefully trying to convey this knowledge to a friend when I realized that I am not able to explain how it works, which essentially means that I don’t actually get how it works."
smelllikesmoke
Meow Team
"The thought process of a cat trying to jump on a shelf that is clearly filled with stuff and doesn't have space for it to land safely."
Mikrosarvinen
"The opposite, actually... how on earth does my cat jump on a shelf filled with stuff and somehow always land elegantly with all four paws between all the stuff without dropping a single thing? It surprises me every time."
WanderingArtichoke
"50% of cats have a 6th sense to avoid everything and 50% of cats are clumsy as hell. 100% of cats think they have the skill though."
KneeHumper
Clueless
"How consciousness works."
DarthDinDjarin
"I'm shocked no one has replied to this. Because yea. I haven't the slightest clue and i honestly don't think scientists know exactly how either. Such a complex system that turns into our thoughts and feelings, this is one of those things that REALLY made me appreciate the intricacies of our bodies."
r-Newbiedonthurtme
10/10
So Excited Reaction GIF by OriginalsGiphy"Every time my grandmother sees me, I seem to grow taller and more attractive."
JoeyMMuelle
I love grandmas. They understand everything.
S.O.S
Role Playing Reaction GIF by Hyper RPGGiphy"How people can raise a functioning family at the age of 18 or 19? I can't even hold my own life together."
Radioactivocalypse
Staying Put
"Squatter rights! They confuse the hell outta me."
roomtempcoff33
"Right! So you’re telling me, I can get evicted/foreclosed for missing some payments… but you can’t get rid of squatters who declare a house theirs ? I should just become a squatter then haha."
violet-ack
"Squatting is basically the same. It's not that they just get to live there, but the landlord has to use the proper legal mechanism (eviction) to get rid of them. And sometimes, that can take quite some time."
banality_of_ervil
"Steps"
"How crypto mining works... like what exactly are these huge setups doing and why do GPUs matter so much? I've read several articles about it and I still don't get it."
Tripper-Harrison
"This is an oversimplification, but they're trying to solve a math problem. If they get the answer, they get rewarded with crypto. But the math problem is very very hard. There's no 'steps' to find the answer, it's just guess and check."
"So you need to make as many guesses as possible to see if one of your guesses is right. And it just so happens that GPUs are very good at making these guesses. So if 1 GPU can make let's say 22,000 guesses every second, then two GPUs can make 44,000 guesses every second. 10 GPUs can make 220,000 guesses every second, and so on."
PierogiMachine
I'm Lost
"The wave-particle duality."
FishySwede
"This is the one man. For me this is the biggest mystery. Look, I don't care how the universe came to be. I mean I do, but this is much crazier to me. HOW DOES REALITY REACT DIFFERENTLY BASED ON OBSERVATION ALONE I sear this haunts me at night. Do i even exist man."
yungbandido
"Long story short, observing something at the quantum level is not as benign as observing, say, a runner on a racetrack. In observing something so small, the mere act of doing so affects the behavior/outcome. Imagine having to knock the aforementioned runner over in order to know where they are on the track. That's more or less how it was explained to me."
BaronMusclethorpe
Magic
Ross Mcelwee Photography GIF by FilmStruckGiphy"Cameras, I’ve been explained and seen explanations 100 times. It’s still magic to me."
Salty-Director538
Maybe there are just somethings we're not meant to understand.
RedditorBig-Courage-7297 wanted to know what some people really thought when they looked into a mirror.
"How hot do you think you are? Why?"
Depending on the minute and the era, I fluctuate in my response. Oh, and depending on my sodium intake.
Middle of the way...
Mackenzie Ziegler Makeup GIF by Brat TVGiphy"5, am not ugly nor a beauty."
son-of-sumer
"'Perfectly balanced, as all things should be' JK... you probably look great."
math_math99
Alright
"I give myself a solid 'alright for an old guy' out of 10."
TungstenkrillYup.
"Comparing myself to when I was young I feel like a 2. However if I look around at other guys my age, I'm doing pretty great. Simply still having a full head of hair puts me in the top 15%."
sarcasticorange
"Occupying the latter half of the age bracket here too. And while I’ve never considered myself wildly attractive, one of my wife’s work friends once remarked to her, 'you didn’t tell me your husband was a silver fox!' I keep that one in my back pocket for gloomy days."
Ryanbikes2
Mama Said...
"My mom said I'm a 10/10."
gamer25677
"His mom also said I’m a 10/10. Im starting to think she says that about everyone who’s been inside her."
AlwaysMooning
"Don't listen to these jealous haters you be that 10/10 and strut your stuff."
"Learning to love yourself, doesn't mean you don't see your own flaws but know where to improve and where and how you want to grow. Appreciate the goodness within even when it's hard, and work to have your ideal to be reflected on the outside too. Loving and forgiving yourself is the greatest peace you'll know, because everyone else might be gone at the end and you'll be left with you and your memories, make good ones. Spread positivity. 💕"
SevWagoner
Changes with time...
"I think most people's scores fluctuate with age. I like to think I was a solid 8/10 in my early 20s. Then my metabolism crashed and I was working a desk job. I got real fat, got lazy, less effort, dropped to a 4/10. Got my s**t back together, lost the weight, started putting in the effort again, back up to an 8 if not higher in my 30s."
"Then I had a traumatic event in my life and I slipped into a dark place for many years. I put on weight again, stopped putting in the effort, general depression stuff, 5/10. Now I'm in my 40s, working on keeping my weight down, putting in some effort, solid 6/10..."
"But no matter what has happened, how low or high I've been... my wife has always considered me a 10. She's the best woman I've ever met and will always be a 10 to me too."
Bannon9k
Oof...
Freaks And Geeks Photo GIFGiphy"6 or 7 on a good day? 1 when I try to take a picture of myself."
baconpoutine89
God I hated picture day. Still do.
Bad Hair GIF by TV LandBless You
"I have days where I think 'God da*n, look at me. I’m God’s gift,' and then other days where I think 'how does every mirror not break?'"
Conconharni
"Actually though. Part of it is I used to be super athletic but due to an injury now can’t, but go**amn, I could look quite literally like a sculpture of a Greek god or hero, but also a balding baby-faced creep. Also occasionally homeless. More often the two latter than the former"
Walshy231231
Getting Higher
"I think I was a 6 growing up. But now that I've matured into my late 30s I'm a solid 7."
Ok-Type9999
"This is me except as a kid I’d give myself a 3. Long-haired greaseball in my teens but now in my 30s, exercising for the past decade has really helped me out. Solid 7/10."
Fine-Difference-6896
"Man, I went from 4 to 8 to 5 in the span of 20 years. Metabolism is a *itch."
ELL_YAY
Bad Views
"I just remind myself that the me that looks bad in in some pictures/at some angles is the same me that looks good in other pictures/other angles, just a different version. There are some angles and types of lighting and mirrors that for whatever reason, will make just about anybody look bad. There is no such thing as someone who looks good when the phone camera opens itself and shows a view of you from under your chin."
StreetIndependence62
Boy Magnet
ichabod crane mirror GIFGiphy"I was objectively pretty hot when I was younger. Now I am an older hot, which is weird. Younger guys really dig me but I’m like, you weren’t even born when the Challenger blew up and I was at Uni."
dearabby1
We're all beautiful. Just keep saying that. Maybe it'll stick.