Believe it or not, it takes little to show someone that you care.
After Redditor seamonkeybuns asked the online community "What's a simple romantic gesture that actually means a lot?" many chimed in and proved that sentiment true.
"I'm pretty badly allergic to red dye..."
I'm pretty badly allergic to red dye in food/drinks, not to the point of anaphylactic shock however my throat starts to close up almost immediately. I'm usually careful but I've slipped up twice while with my boyfriend. The first time way worse than the second, the first I luckily found some extra Benadryl as he watched me rip through two first aid kits at our job (grocery store, different departments). The second time was in his Jeep after eating a mint, which wasn't nearly as bad, some coughing and swelling but much easier to manage.
I was actually embarrassed to ask if he had any type of medication in his car because at that current moment we were fighting over something stupid. I made a comment about leaving some Benadryl in his console or glovebox in case I ever needed it, to which he didn't think would matter since he purposely looks at the ingredient lists now ever since incident one happened.
A couple days ago, after making a joke about drinking something with red dye to be able to get out of work, told me he put Benadryl in his Jeep so 'that plan wouldn't work'. I didn't believe him until he physically pulled a box of it out.
Not only does he make an extra effort to read ingredients now for me just in case but he also keeps extra Benadryl nearby so if we're ever out somewhere and I need it immediately. I still can't get over how sweet that is..
"Remembering something..."
Remembering something they said along time ago that hasn't been talked about since. Shows you listened and cared enough to remember it.
"When she looks at me..."
When she looks at me and smiles for no particular reason other than she's happy to be spending time with me.
"Kissing their head..."
Kissing their head or cheek as you go by or just stopping to give a hug randomly.
"Light hand on the thigh..."
Giphy
Light non sexual touching.
Light hand on the thigh while riding in the car. Brushing your hand over the small of their back when passing behind. Drawing your fingers over their skin affectionately when sitting together.
"Then we yell back..."
My fiancé always gives me goodbye kisses every morning. Even if I'm dead to the world, drooling, or have horrible morning breath. He kisses me 3 times. First time is to find my lips/wake me up enough, second one is a good long kiss and the last one is the goodbye kiss. Then we yell back and forth saying "I love you " "I miss you" "have a good day " until he walks out the front door. It's so simple and a lot of times I'm too far asleep to actually talk so all my replies are mumbles but they absolutely make my day.
"Acting like you're proud..."
Acting like you're proud to be with them, especially in front of your friends. Not cringey PDA but like occasionally handholding, arm around etc. I felt like my long term ex was embarrassed of me and that we were more than just friends, and not until I dated someone else I realised how simple and important it is.
"My boyfriend..."
My boyfriend always boils water when I visit without asking because he knows I always like a tea.
"Bring me my favorite razor..."
Forehead kisses, effort that is put forth without me having to demand it, blatant honesty, simple grabs of my hips or waist or shoulders in public that make me feel safe, super subtle gestures that show you give a sh*t even if you're being a mouthy ass or a tease
Grabbing simple sh*t from the store for me just because... stuff like that. That's what shows you give a f*ck and pay attention. Bring me my favorite razor or bath bomb or even toothpaste, whatever. That shows deeper meaning than a lot of grand gestures do.
"Sometimes my boyfriend..."
Giphy
Sometimes my boyfriend will gently grab my chin and kiss me. It makes me absolutely melt. He also randomly shows up with coffee some mornings and I'm always happy about surprise caffeine.
"Well, if it's a guy..."
Well, if it's a guy or in my own personal case, I'd like to think that affectionate gestures such as bear hugs or say petting/stroking someone's head is pretty meaningful. A lot of us didn't get the affection we needed from our parents, especially guys. They are expected to be "manly men" and don't get affection nearly at all. Remember, it's perfectly OK to be a soft sensitive man. And remember, give all your strong friends tons of hugs-they may not show it but sometimes, we really do need them.
"When they show up..."
When they show up to support you without being asked. Someone I was seeing once showed up to visit me in hospital without being asked. It was such a huge gesture for me. If i didn't have an IV in I would have scaled him like a monkey climbing a tree.
"Making sure..."
Making sure they get to their destination before leaving. For example: wait to see your SO go up to their apartment after a date, and probably wait for a while later just in case.
"We only started going out a month ago..."
We only started going out a month ago (Tinder), but a couple of things make me smile already:
-He works really hard at his job, and had to stay late at the office last night, but he still rang me as he was going to bed, even though he was knackered.
-When I went to visit my parents in Holland and he rang me to tell that he'd been doing some research and he found out that the Dutch created orange carrots (that made me melt, really showed he wanted to show an interest in where I'm from).
-If he has to take a call from work while I am there, he touches my arm or hip every so often during the conversation. Makes me feel like he'd rather be spending time with me instead, even though his job is important to him.
"I really like it..."
I really like it when my wife snuggles up close to me and tells me that she loves me. Unfortunately, due to some past traumas, she doesn't do it much (we are still deeply in love and she shows her affection in other ways) so it's a lovely surprise when she does
"Some things that mean a lot..."
Some things that mean a lot to me are when they get me coffee whenever we wake up, washing my body/helping me rinse in the shower, cuddling me when I haven't asked, and good night kisses.
"Whenever I'm putting on my makeup..."
Whenever I'm putting on my makeup, my husband always steals a kiss from me right before I put my lipstick on. It's not much, but it's such a sweet little habit we have and it means a lot to me.
"He always gives me..."
He always gives me the cherries off his sundaes and milkshakes.
We're not cuddly sleepers, but I always fall asleep with his hand touching some part of my body, and I often wake up with his hand under my pillow.
We never, no matter how angry we may be, hang up the phone without saying I love you.
And lastly....we met in high school and started dating 19 years ago. Before we even started dating, we were at a party with one of those white elephant parties. I REALLY wanted this goat beanie baby thing, but this chick and all her friends kept stealing it. By the end of the game, I didn't have it and was super bummed about it. Monday morning rolled around and he showed up with a shoebox wrapped in the Sunday cartoons. Inside the box was a goat like the one I'd been trying to win. Stupid me...still took me another year to realize he was into me and for us to become a couple.
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Real life contains the scariest horrors you could ask for. So aren't we all living in a horror movie, in a way? At least, these people sure freakin' were.
MisterSnowman69 asked: What was a moment in your life that felt like a horror movie scene?
In the words of the legendary Mary Vivian Pierce in the film Pink Flamingos, “Murder merely relieves tension”. I’m sure the following Redditors felt differently.
Nothing scarier than the woods at night.
Went into a real deep woods hike for only the second time in my life.
My gps broke and had to rely on my compass. Got turned around a few times because I couldn't remember the direction I came from, and it was getting dark. Lost the trail way.
But the woods are weirdly silent in the dark and alone.
It was around 2am by the time I found the trailhead.
Darn foxes.
the simpsons react GIFGiphyMy friend and I got lost late on one foggy night in the Italian countryside. There were rats all over and every once in a while we heard someone scream.
I've never been more sure I was about to get murdered than I was that night.
It was probably a red fox that was screaming.
Could've also been a lynx, but they are much rarer in Italy.
At least she wasn’t speaking in tongues.
My mom is quite the sleep talker, but it's usually pretty short and incoherent when it happens. One night as a teenager, I woke up to her scream-yelling the Hail Mary prayer (my bedroom was across the house and upstairs).
Difficult to get back to sleep after that one.
Sometimes scary sh*t ends up just being funny coincidences. Super funny. Right?
Don’t give them any ideas.
I was exploring an abandoned mental asylum and then got the scare of my life when a scary looking person inside one of the rooms was just staring at me without moving. Turns out some joker had left a cardboard cutout there.
And now I have plans this weekend... Just need to find a couple of cardboard cutouts and to break into the local abandoned asylum.
Don’t you hate when that happens?
Evil Dead Horror GIF by Coolidge Corner TheatreGiphyI was driving home on backcountry roads at midnight in heavy fog. Like can't see 10 feet in front of you thick. Suddenly I see an all-white silhouette running in front of the car. Every hair on my body stood up. I immediately think "oh god, oh f*ck, it's a f*cking woman in white, I'm gonna f*cking die"
Nope just a drunk who dove into the ditch.
Gotta love paranoia.
When I was about 12, my parents went out for dinner leaving me home alone. We lived out in the country, on a private road with only three other houses, surrounded by cow fields and wooded areas.
I went into the the kitchen and glanced out the window towards the trees and there in the fading light I could see a person walking slowly through the woods. They were wearing all black, moving slowly and appeared to pause behind trees. My heart started pounding so hard in my ears I couldn't hear anything else and I was weak and shaky from fear. I froze and just watched them. Would they come to the house? Where were they going?
This was before cell phones but I suddenly remembered my mom had left the number of the restaurant by the living room phone. Slowly, I made my way towards the living room, trying to watch this stranger in the woods.
Just as I entered the living room, all the lights in the entire house went out. By this time it was nearly dark outside. I started openly sobbing and in the dark I heard a weird boom like noise. That was it, I ran to my parents room, hid under their bed and sobbed. That's where my mom found me hours later (it felt like).
Well, turns out the stranger in the woods was a stupid cow that had busted through a fence, the lights going out was from an accident a few miles away (hit the power line) and the boom was the pilot light in the gas stove. Man, I have never been that scared in my life though!
I have a lot of questions.
A naked man who was covered in blood chased me across a park at 2 in the morning. I was totally alone. He just wanted money for a bus (????) and luckily nothing bad happened but I thought I was going to die.
But of course, the genuine horrors do exist. And they aren’t scary in a fun horror movie way, they’re actually terrifying because they can happen to anyone.
A scary few seconds.
car chase GIF by Mayans M.C.GiphyI am a "baby" in a car seat in between cousins in backseat. Dad is driving. This is in the 80s and it is my aunt's insistence that I am in this seat even though I am like 5.
A sleeping semi driver is coming over into our lane and there is a cliff on other side. Basically my dad did some amazing driving but semi blew us up. I am uninjured sitting in the seat swinging my legs while everyone is unconscious. They all wake groaning. Dad doesnt wake up.
Long story short just minor scrapes and dad has broken leg. But the crunch of metal and those few seconds/minute of being the only "alive" person was quite fear inducing.
Glad they’re all ok now.
Two days after my now boyfriend told me he liked me he fell from a zip line and broke his back. Almost died. 6 months later he got into a car wreck from a drunk driver - almost died. 6 months after that, he passed out and had to have emergency brain surgery, again, almost died. I now have severe anxiety/separation anxiety/and ptsd. That whole year was a f*cking nightmare
Edit: we're both okay now, the brain injury was almost a year ago. But TBIs take a while to heal so he still has side effects. Thankfully our relationship is still strong; he's physically getting better and I'm healing emotionally too. Lucky for him, the trauma of the injuries has caused him to forget the majority of the pain and memories of those incidents.
ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Driving home from work at 23, listening to my favorite song.
I pull up to a red light, and see this guy on a motorcycle coming up next to me in the other lane. I rolled down my window to compliment his bike when he stops. He doesn't, and runs the red light. He hits a car going at least 55mph. His motorcycle shatters apart, he goes flying, hits the hood of another car, and lands on the ground and rolls into the curb (no helmet). The car he hit with his motorcycle was totaled. I had to step over his body to talk to the police. He was still alive when they got there. I regret not holding his hand. It was just a normal day, and all of a sudden it felt like the rug was pulled from out beneath me. He was only 18.
Edit: The song was Sunny by Boney M., for those curious
What did we learn today, kids? Foxes scream like humans, shadowy figures are usually cows or drunken rednecks, and once again, PLEASE WEAR A HELMET WHEN YOU RIDE ANY KIND OF BIKE.
Scary sh*t surrounds us. But where there is horror, there are heroes. So next time you think you see a scary figure in the woods, know that Bruce Campbell is probably right around the corner
Hypocrisy is everywhere; it's like a disease. And sadly everyone does it. Some of us indulge in smaller doses than others. But some people live their life by it. Like how can you support civil servants, like police, firefighters, etc... yet try to find ways to hide money in order to not pay taxes? Tell me... I'll wait.
Manga...
Hungry Night Court GIF by LaffGiphyItalian moms that say you're too fat then say I'm making grandma cry by not finishing my pasta.
Asian moms too! Not only that if you try to not eat, they make to go containers for you. Oh, sorry I have to leave, RUNS AT LEAST HAVE SOME FRUIT.
Phonies...
Celebrities positioning themselves as champions for social justice while launching a clothing line with no comment on the labor conditions their garments are made in.
Sexy Times...
The Porn Industry
Why is prostitution considered a crime, but it becomes perfectly legal once a camera is put beside them?
I think the first amendment helps with that one. There's been many a supreme-court case about whether porn is protected speech.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
You can get away with WAY more crap, in general, when you're attractive.
But we all kind of aspire to attractiveness and it's not like it's attractive people's fault, exactly. So what is there to be done?
So true. Money and beauty are treated like virtues and they aren't. They're luck of the draw. It probably helps you to be a better person if people assume that you are gentle and clever just by looking at your face or wallet.
KIDS
GIF by MOODMANGiphyPeople screaming at you if you don't want Kids and Kids are the greatest thing in the World and then turn around and whine how expensive they are and how annoying yadda yadda.
Yeah see... humans are a mess. And too often then not, personal conviction and dignity are just a myth, or a punchline. Double standards have always been a way of life. And many of us have begrudgingly learned to navigate.
Fashion
Fashion Model GIF by NYFW: The ShowsGiphyIf a skinny person wears something out of the ordinary, it's a fashion statement and awesome. It can even just be something like a crop top or overalls.
But God forbid a fat person wear the same thing.
Distractions
The hypocrisy hypocrisy. People love to call it out but rarely notice it on themselves and if they notice it then it's something completely different or a distraction.
That's the worst. I hate that I have to hate that. But if I don't hate it, then the hate will just continue. So, really, my hate comes from my love of an end to hate. So anyone who hates my hate hates love. And we must hate anyone who hates love!
My Morality
My own personal hypocrisy; When I was a lot less well off financially, delivering pizzas trying to get through college, I kept a cup of coins in my car. When a homeless person would approach me for spare change, I gave them the cup. Most of the time it was nearly full, so there was probably 20-30 dollars in there.
Now that I have a good salaried job, even if I've got a few bucks in my wallet, I tend to not even make eye contact anymore. I know it's awful, I know it makes me crappy, but the last 4-5 years have made me a jaded craphead towards people in general. I used to be so hopeful and I wanted to help everyone, and tried to live a life that reflected that.
Now, while my general and political morality is pretty much the same, my personal morality has gotten more grey. I'd jaded, I hate people, I assume the worst of people I used to assume the best of. I don't really care about the strangers around me like I used to, but I still expect everyone else to.
Placing Blame
Victim mentality.
It's so freaking frustrating when it becomes entrenched. "You did this, it's your fault" "you should've known to do x, its your fault" Yeah bro your problems aren't my problems and if all you do is make excuses and blame me for them, it's not going to be my fault when you don't develop as a person and accomplish your dreams. I'm sure they'll find someone to blame though.
In D.C.
Donald Trump Reaction GIF by Election 2016GiphyPoliticians work part time, are given free housing, education, and health care, and exempt from the everyday violence we experience, but refuse to lift a finger to help us.
At this points most people running for a position in the government are only in it for the benefits of being a politician and the amount of money they can embezzle. Well in my country at least.
Just speak a truth and live it. Yes, it maybe hard. But what part of life isn't? Hypocrisy is just lying. Plain and simple. And it's a sin to lie.
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