When miracles or dèjá vu happen to others on just an ordinary day why are we so keen to dismiss it? When we tell people we came in contact with someone famous or describe how we single handedly saved a school bus chuck full of nun's from a fall off a cliff it seems impossible to believe. Strange and fantastical things happen every so often. They are rare moments witnessed by few. We can't all be everywhere at once to solidify a story. Soon in the future we'll all live in state controlled surveillance so it'll get easier to prove one's wild tales.
Redditor u/fourtaco wanted to hear some personal tea spillage and we'll see what's real by asking..... What is something about yourself that is completely true but that nobody would believe?
KABOOM!!
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I was parked in a space and left ten minutes before a car with a bomb parked there and blew up.
What's in a Name?
Both of my parents have a twin sister named Jenny.
My mom has 4 sisters and 3 brothers-in-law named Jeffrey. (My "Uncle Jeffrey", "Uncle Jeff", and "Uncle Skip".)
The fourth sister was dating a guy called "Ben" for a while until she got a good look at his license... Geoffrey Benjamin! Probably the dumbest reason to end a relationship, but I can't say that I blame her.
Liking your Sound
Peter Gabriel complimented me on my guitar playing when I was 5.
Art Garfunkle told me I have a lovely way about me. I did just get him a big glass full of vodka though. I was about 14 and first got him a big glass of water but guess I was wrong bout that one.
Good Company
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When I (24M) was 7 my parents were housing some young film makers and they had Steve Buscemi over for dinner. Really really nice guy, just as everyone says.
Jump!
I jumped out from a moving bus to escape kidnapping.
I asked a dazed and scared looking young woman at a fast food restaurant if she needed help and she said yes, she wanted to know where she was. She'd just been dumped in the parking lot by some guy who'd kept her against her will for the past day.
Luckily my teenage daughters were with me. They helped make her feel safe going with us to the police station (offered hospital, too, but she refused).
I did not doubt her but any question of her story was erased when we got to the station, which was closed. I called 911 and before I could even explain the situation to dispatch, several police cars pulled up, surrounding my car.
Turns out she had been reported missing and in danger so the cops had been trying to triangulate where her phone was. The phone was dead, so while we were driving to the station, I let the young woman borrow my car charger. She kept trying to turn it on, but the charger was so slow her phone kept shutting off again. The cops were following the pings each time the phone turned on.
Steve and Mindy
I never forget names or faces. Like ever. I realized this nearly two decades ago working at a telemarketing company. I never forgot a name and to this day can think of several names I encountered that stood out. Later I worked at a nightclub and one day this couple came in - we'll call them Steve and Mindy. We chatted for about a minute or two, three years later Mindy runs into the bar hollering that someone assaulted her boyfriend. I said "O no! Is Steve okay?" She looked at me like she's seen a ghost and I did think O, she's probably surprised I remember them.
Later she asked how I could remember them and I just said that I never forget anyone I meet and have any substantial interaction with. I just don't forget names or faces ever. Almost 100% of the time they are permanently etched into my memory. Don't remember birthday or what day of the week it is and after six years still don't have my plates memorized but forget it, if we met one time for five minutes twenty years ago, I still remember you. Weird but true.
The Middle
All my family has pretty cool middle names and when people are like what's your full I get to my middle name which is thunderstorm and they just don't believe me until I get someone in my family to back me up.
Edit 1: since a lot of you want the other middle names are: Morningstar, firefly, honeybee, and still water.
Edit 2: I forgot to mention I actually have two middle names the other one is Liam.
Edit 3: thank you for my first awards kind strangers.
I'm Up
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I can wake myself up if I don't like the dream I'm in.
Live and in Person
In 1982 I met and had a long conversation with Joe Perry the guitarist for Aerosmith in a bar. I told him what kind of guitar I was playing at the time. He said he had one somewhere up north at a girlfriends house but never played it. I told him he should find it. A few months later his new album came out and he was holding the guitar. In 1996 I jammed onstage with Tommy Chong.
Finding Sight
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When I was younger I was river tubing with some family. Stupid me forgot to bring eye drops for my contacts, and one popped out into the water.
Later we come to a shallow end, and this little girl FINDS MY CONTACT!!! Like, what are the odds?!
In case you're wondering, yes I popped it back in.
Looking back I don't know what the bigger miracle is,
Losing a contact in a river, and finding it again.
OR
Not getting my eye infected when I put it back in.
"We should be friends!"
I have been dreaming of a girl since I was a small child. She would appear in any dream I was having at the time and talk to me/play games. This happened almost daily for years until I was 12. I thought maybe she had been my wife in another life.
One day I told her that we couldn't see each other anymore and that I needed to move on with my life. She cried and I felt horrible as I said goodbye. I stopped dreaming of her after that and regretted it badly for the next 23 years.
3 years ago a woman that looks just like her walked up to me and said "We should be friends!" I don't think I have ever had anyone just tell me to be their friend out of the blue like this.
She is now currently my best friend and I look forward to every conversation we have. I have never met anyone that has mentally changed my outlook on life as much as her and I am so grateful to have met her.
Old Al
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My family ended up on the West coast because Al Capone was rubbed the wrong way by my grand uncle. He was murdered while visiting my great grandpa's farm.
Beach Days
A whale hit me with her tail and broke my rib while i was trying to save her and her pod. (50+ pilot whales beached themselves on a beach i lifeguarded). I doubt anyone would believe me had there not been witnesses (the beach patrons helping with the whales with the lifeguards).
13 Years Later
I've died once, I was hit by a car and was left in the street for 20+ minutes, my pancreas liver and small intestines were ruptured, I broke my left elbow, left shoulder, left collar bone, right wrist, pelvis in 6-8 places and my skull. They declared me legally dead for about 10 minutes in the ambulance but were able to resuscitate me. I had Amnesia for a month, and lost the majority of my memories before the age of 13. This year was my 13 year anniversary of it happening. I'm mostly fine now but I have a limp when I get tired most people believe I did in fact get hit they just believe the part of me dying.
Edit: I was also in a coma for a month.
Running from Evil
I married really young and my ex husband ended up killing several people during our marriage. I had to separate from my daughter for our protection because he was still at large. After nine years, I finally reconnected with her. People think I abandoned her but as long as she knows differently, that's all that matters. We're safe and out of his reach now, and I couldn't be happier.
Edit to add: He was finally apprehended two years ago, and immediately after I was reunited with my daughter. I didn't abandon her, we were forced to separate for our protection and had to move far away from our little house.
I didn't know where she was and she couldn't know where I went. I honestly never thought I'd get to see her again, so just having her in my life again is a miracle. I don't know why he did the things he's done, but I take comfort in the fact he is now in prison and his appeals have been denied. May he rot in there for every single life he's destroyed, including the childhood my daughter should've had.
Early Bird
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I had a house with an indoor pool at age 25. Made 15k on the weekends playing blackjack in Vegas. I was retired at 26, and then homeless and bankrupt from divorce at 28.
Once on this Island
I grew up on a tiny island, unrelated to Africa.
Nelson Mandela held my hand and walked me to school as his plane refueled there.
** Edit **
Lots of questions on where this island was. It was cocos islands in the Indian Ocean back in the 90's
Lots of people calling fake. I wouldn't believe a stranger on the internet either, but I do have photos of me as an oblivious little kid trotting next to him like it's no big deal. Kid me had no idea that my life had peaked at that moment.
You're Cool
Gang members tried to rob me and I told them no.
I was alone in downtown Minneapolis and two Bloods tried to rob me but I laughed and said "I don't have money on me because so many people see a skinny white guy and try to rob me." (I was lying and I don't know why I reacted that way).
One of them stared at me for like 5 seconds then said "Ok, you're cool" and they walked away. Minneapolis doesn't have (nearly as much of) a gang problem now, but definitely did then.
This happened when there was a parking lot across 7th St from First Ave (the club where Purple Rain was partly filmed).
More detail if you want it: the first one asked for money and I said I didn't have cash. The 2nd appeared out of nowhere, like suddenly his face was right next to mine and he said "I don't think you heard him. He said he wants your money."
Broken
Broke my neck, didn't know until a nurse was helping me with physio after surgery for a punctured lung.
More info in the small chance people see this. Punctured the lung spontaneously, they call it a spontaneous pneumothorax. I have no idea how I screwed up a vertebrae in my neck, had a hairline fracture.
Edit: Huh, I guess some people did notice this. The worst part for me now is not the neck which they fixed promptly, it's the fact that in the back of mind I am still aware the other lung could go at any time. It's been a decade and I am still all to well of that fact. The comments below will explain how possible that is because both lungs are often susceptible, these blebs are a ticking time bomb.
I can't Recall
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I can barely remember details past a few months ago, I have essentially no recollection of what things look like. Big events and things like that work fine, but details are gone and half the time I cant tell if I actually remember something or I remember someone telling me about something.
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When we're intoxicated, or even the slightest bit tipsy from having a little too much to drink, our immediate perspective on things is hazy.
But there's nothing like a bit of alarming news or a jarring incident to snap us out of the fog and focus on the moment.
Sometimes alcohol isn't always to blame for our impairment.
It can be a state of mind, like a perpetual numbness from being complacent in life, and all it takes is one shocking moment to rattle us back to our senses.
Curious to hear from strangers online about this type of scenario, Redditor Known_Challenge_7150 asked:
"What’s one thing that sobered you up real quick?"
These individuals were witness to shocking events that sobered them up right quick.
Bleeding Out
"Got out of a taxi and found a naked man profusely bleeding from his head crawling up the driveway in my condo. Called him an ambulance completely forgot I was absolutely wasted until 45 minutes later when I'd helped him translate and in to an amublance and stepped in my front door."
"Later a few days later learned he'd slipped in the tub and literally crawled out for help. Poor dude. He was fine but I genuinely thought he was going to die there."
– DongLaiCha
Tragic News
"At a bachelor party and we got a phone call that the groom’s father had suddenly passed."
– accountnameredacted
Bottom Of The Barrel
"I went to visit my parents back in July. I was homeless and deep into fentanyl addiction so I lost a lot of weight. My folks could see it. They knew something was up. Anyway, I spent the night and I was getting ready to leave in the morning and I looked at myself in the mirror for a good long time. I finally had enough and told them everything. They took me to detox, from there I went to rehab. Graduated in August and been living with them ever since then. I have 160 days clean and sober."
– Crotch-Monster
A reality check can be enough for some people to snap out of it.
Like Father, Like Son
"Was driving a drunk friend home, he had been on a bender again and was smart enough to call me for a lift rather than try and drive. As I helped in to his house his mother came down the stairs and said 'your as drunk as your father' and went back upstairs. I haven't seen him drunk since then, he still drinks but the thought of turning into his dad scared him out of hard drinking."
– psycospaz
Busted
"Flashing blue lights."
– FiddleOfGold
"This sobered me up just thinking about it."
– redmaple_syrup
Losing Sight
"Woke up to no sight in one eye. I had cataract surgery so just thought one of the lenses had slipped and it was an easy fix. Eye doc says nope, you had a stroke. I loved soy sauce, teriyaki sauce and salty food, which caused high blood pressure, which caused retina damage. Over six months was able to get most of my eyesight back with medication, and all back within a year. Trying to navigate life with one eye was very sobering. Started taking HBP much more seriously."
– MissHibernia
Quitting The Bottle
"Looked up someone I went to highschool with who was an awesome guy. Found out he had been dead for 3 years from alcoholism, at age 33. I made an overnight change. I hadn't started drinking that night yet, 10 months ago. Haven't touched it again since."
– omgtater
These disturbing moments were enough for Redditors to immediately come to their senses.
Unplanned House Guests
"Me and a buddy Woke up in someone’s living room, realized neither one of us knew the people, they were just nice and let 2 drunk guys sleep on their living room floor. We didn’t even say goodbye."
– Oneinsevenbillion75
Serious Health Warning
"Elevated liver enzymes."
"And the knowledge that this sh** was gonna kill me and I just couldn't orphan my family over it."
"So I opted for recovery, instead."
"Clean and sober since June 5, 2009."
– Far_Meal8674
The Joyride
"Grew up in a rural area. The little town hosted dances at the hockey arena, everyone (adults and kids) went and they overserved everyone, regardless of age. I was maybe 16 or 17 and was absolutely sh*tfaced, and jumped in the back of someone's truck with about 8 other people to go back to someone's cottage for after dance drinking. The driver (still don't know who it was) started racing one of his buddies and we whipped around small dirt roads, flying around blind corners on the wrong side of the road, going god knows how fast. It was basically a disaster waiting to happen. It was crazy scary and I was sober and thankful to be alive when we finally arrived."
– foxfood9116
The human psyche is a fascinating thing, isn't it?
How we can automatically focus on something urgent at a crucial time, even after getting buzzed from drinking too much alcohol.
But as we're in the thick of the holidays, it's a good reminder to drink responsibly and stay off the roads if you drive to your celebratory destination.
Cheers. Stay safe. And happy holidays.
We've all complained or vented about something in our lives which, in the grand scheme of things, wasn't exactly a problem, or is very easily solved.
Then there are those who complain about things that others almost hope will happen to them at some point in their lives.
These are known as "first world problems", as they are problems that pretty much only the world's one percent faces.
From having to fly business class instead of first class, or being served Roederer instead of Dom Pérignon, these complaints are often met with amusement, bewilderment, or even anger.
Redditor jennimackenzie was curious to hear the most absurd "first world problems" anyone ever complained about, leading them to ask:
"What’s the most ridiculous 'first world problem' you’ve seen people get worked up over?"
"Tale As Old As Time..."
"I once knew a mom who was legitimately devastated, to the point of tears/grief, because a doctor predicted her 8 year old daughter's final height to be around 5'2","
"Which wasn't tall enough to get cast as Belle at Disney World."
"That was the child's (and her mother's) only dream in life, apparently."
"Didn't appreciate my suggestion that she could be Minnie or Mickey."
"Lol!"
"Only a face character would do!"- TravelLovingMom
"Must Be Funny, In A Rich Man's World..."
"My boss from about a decade ago was this insanely rich dude who always went to the bank to get fresh and crisp currency."
"He'd call the bank in advance to make sure they had some on hand."
"I think he was a germaphobe."
"He had a trash can that he'd throw $1 and $5 bills in that he thought was 'dirty' and regularly just donated it vs spending it."
"I asked him why he did this and he said it was too much trouble and asked if I wanted it."
"I said f*ck yeah dumped it into my bag and when I got home it was close to $400 in singles and fives.
"Another time, he wanted to upgrade all the computers in his studio, so we went to a store and bought 10 PCs."
"They all had $150 mail in rebates and he wasn't bothered to go through the trouble of mailing them in."
"3 weeks later I received $1500 after spending a whole afternoon filling out all those goddamn forms."- azninvasion2000
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Who Wore It Better?
"When I was about 19 years old, I was at my boyfriends family BBQ."
"I was wearing this pretty floral sundress."
"His cousins girlfriend showed up in the same dress and she was SO mad that she went and changed."
"I will never understand being upset when someone is wearing the same thing as you.'
"Did you really think that your shirt you bought off the rack is going to be unique to you?"
"No."- mertsey627
Seeing Red! Or Blue In This Case...
"The blue of the balloons wasn't quite the same as the bridesmaid's sashes."
"Years ago my wife and I attended a wedding."
"It was very low key."
"The dinner was in the dining hall at the university where the couple met, cinder block walls and all."
"It was a Baptist wedding - no booze and very serious."
"The dark blue balloons attempting to liven up the hall were a slightly darker shade of blue than the sashes on the bridesmaid's dresses."
"The bride lost here sh*t and absolutely raved for nearly an hour."
"I can't remember how they finally managed to talk her down."- mechant_papa
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See You In Court!
"Rich neighbors who end up in expensive court battles because they disagree about where a tree can be planted or whether the color of a fence fits in with the street’s 'amenity'."
'These disputes get really heated and rack up huge lawyers’ bills."
"The most pathetic part is after the judgement when they are arguing about who should pay the other party’s costs."
"Lots of affidavits filed citing the 'emotional distress' they had to endure, or painting themselves as brave warriors who were forced to take a stand to fight for 'justice'."
"Also lots of pompous litigants insisting that the judge refer to them by their 'Dr' title."
"An absolutely insane dumpster fire of entitled rich people problems."- ElectrocRaisin
It's Always People With Money Who Don't Want To Pay!
"I work in a public library."
"People will get so so mad if they have to be put on a wait list for a book."
"A popular book that just came out."
"Ok our services are not only free but so are the books."
"You’re welcome, a**holes."- Switchbladekitten
A Warm Butt Is A Happy Butt!
"My own."
"We have a bidet toilet seat (Fabulous! Everyone should have one!) and not only does it wash your bum and blow dry it, but the seat's heated!"
"It's shocking how much a heated toilet seat makes the whole process more agreeable."
"Except: We had a power outage and I went to use the toilet and the seat was cold!"
"Unacceptable!"
"This shall not stand!"
"I was really upset because it didn't feel good."
"Then I stopped and thought: This is the most first-world problem anyone's ever had."
"I was really pissed because my heiny was tepid."
"I got over it."- DeathGrover
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Holy Matrimony!
"Weddings are a gold mine for this question."
"People get so hyped up over their 'most important day of their life'."
"They'll destroy friendships, go into debt, and have crazy expectations."
"It's not always the couple who go crazy, either."
"Sometimes, it's the parents or another family member who feels entitled to control the wedding."
"It's just a party."
"Be considerate of guests, have plenty of food and drinks, and enjoy it."- magicrowantree
When Fast Food Isn't Fast Enough...
"Having to pull off to the side to wait for a drive-thru order to be brought out to you because your food isn't ready and there's a line building up behind you."- demanbmore
In Case You Don't Think Customer Service Employees Are Undervalued...
"I was working the return desk at a Target next to a military base so I have so many stories."
"One of my favorites was a lady who had her baby shower before revealing the gender and was livid that she had received floral newborn diapers when she’s having a boy."
"It was a huge box of super expensive, all organic diapers, that we didn’t carry and therefore could not return."
"I cannot accurately express her fury and disgust."
"How dare either suggest her boy could wear feminine diapers."
"I suggested she donate them if she didn’t want to use them and she instead threw away the entire box."
"When she left we pulled it out and threw it in our donate bin."
"There have also been multiple times where mom’s order massive toys and when we bring them out to the car they get furious that they aren’t wrapped."
"We don’t offer wrapping services."
"Here’s the thing, if you don’t want your kids to see the toys you got them for Christmas or their bit to day DON'T BRING THE CHILD WHEN YOU PICK IT UP."
'I’ve had multiple women scream and curse me out that I had ruined their kids Christmas by bringing the toys they ordered out to the car like they requested."- clever-mermaid-mae
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Happiest Place On Earth!
"I used to work for Disney."
"That in itself should tell you everything."
"However for fun I'll give you two specific stories one form our tech department and one from my wife who worked bookings."
"I specifically worked for their call center to help with technical issues with magic band and the website."
"Suddenly got worse huh?"
"A right of passage call everyone has at least one story of is the 'Dome call'."
"Basically there is a subset of Disney Guest (TM) that believes if it rains at Walt Disney world there is someone that will push a button to encapsulate the whole of Disney property in a dome to keep out the rain."
"I'm not kidding."
"If this button is not pushed they call our tech department to angrily ask why."
"My wife worked booking."
"Pretty much everything including Bibbidi Bobbidi boutique and Pirate's league."
"These two things did roughly the same thing difference being price and theme."
"BBB was expensive did more and was focused on princesses, pirates league did a bit less and focused on mermaids and pirates."
"Lady called up my wife, and got pissed about BBB being booked up (It goes FAAAAST)."
"Karen: 'Im going to give the phone to my daughter and I want you to tell her how you are ruining her vacation by not letting her do BBB'."
"Wife proceeds to explain how pirate's league is so much cooler and how she can be a mermaid or pirate and basically gets the kid to start demanding to their parents about how they want to be a mermaid instead of a princess."- trollsong
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The horror!
Being booked into a junior suite at Disney World instead of an executive suite!
It's almost as bad as having no money for groceries, or no food to feed you children...
Said absolutely no one.