Life is full of crazy possibility and unbelievable coincidence. You have to wonder if fate and destiny are actual things. I mean what are the odds that we could come face to face with family or old acquaintances in the darkest rooms at the farthest corners of the Earth? Or how in the world do you wake up one morning next to a long lost relative? The surreal is plausible, even on a planet of billions. The Universe definitely likes to have some fun. And the world may actually be smaller than we think.
Redditor u/TruckerGabe wanted to see who else can attest to life's great "coincidences" by asking... What's your best "it's a small world after all" story?
The Bloodline....
I was selling some books online years ago and some guy reached out. We agreed upon everything and decided to meet after we had realized that we live in the same town. During the meet-up we also discovered that we have the same surname; it turned out that we're actually long distance cousins. I gave him a discount and we still keep in touch to this day. Miss_Keys
Auntie Em?
A few years after I found my natural father, he sent his sister to bring me $ when I was in a mental hospital. I'd gone there because I was having trouble dealing with PTSD. So anyway, we were sitting out on the smoker benches, and I realized it wasn't JUST that she looked much like my real dad, she looked familiar. I asked her where she had worked. Turned out she was a teller at the bank branch where I did all my adoptive mother's banking for almost 20 years! My mom was agoraphobic, so I ALWAYS did her stuff for her. I'd dealt with my real aunt for years.... telerisghost
School Daze....
I was in Japan with my boyfriend and saw my favorite high school teacher sitting at a restaurant we were going to eat at. We live in the US so it was a weird coincidence. Luxuryserena
The Mean Girls....
GiphyI was holidaying in Europe and went to a lovely little restaurant in Greece for dinner. I was dining alone, and the girls (about the same age as me) from the table next to me started talking to me mid way through my dinner. Turns out we were all from Australia, but different parts of the country. At the end of the night I added them to Facebook and went on my way. The next morning I wake up to an angry text on my phone, from one of my best friends from Uni, asking why I added the girls to Facebook. Turns out they used to bully her all through high school before she moved to my state for Uni. Fruitloops_for_B
Tristan! Come Back!!
Was on vacation in Phuket, Thailand. Finished my beach book by one of my favorite authors. Tristan Jones. Went in to a used bookstore near the beach, found a new book by him (which was weird, he's fairly obscure) in the "new arrivals" box. Store owner said it had just been dropped off, 20 minutes earlier. By the author, who had also autographed it. AkumaBengoshi
Berlin! The city of.... Um... Coincidence!
I worked with a girl at a movie theater in the US for about three years. Years later I ran into her in the parking lot of IKEA in Berlin. We'd both just moved there. ArmyOfDog
Alaska Tales....
I grew up (mostly) in Alaska. After college and some failed career paths - joined the Army. Outside of going overseas, was stationed pretty much as far away from Alaska as you can get in upstate NY.
Before you're assigned *your* barracks room, they put you in a transition/temp room. My roommate at the time?... from Alaska. Not just Alaska, but the same town I grew up in Alaska. We were some years apart so we barely knew the same people but it was nuts. TacticalNaps
He can't hide Forever!
One time I saw my dad (who left us) in a public bathroom. So I ran out because I was like 8 and scared. Bumblebee4Life
"It makes sense that you'd find a piece of s**t in the bathroom." Pacatrack
Fate is the best reference!
GiphyI went in for a job interview a few months ago. My interviewer mentioned he recently moved back from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I told him how my cousin was living there for work, and I had visited him a few times. Ends up, he lived 2 apartments down from my cousin and was good friends with him. I got the job. ShayBriar
My Best Friend's Wedding....
GiphyWas on a boat party on the Thames in London and got talking to one guy from America who was traveling around Europe, he ended up joining our group for drinks after. Travelled across to the US the following year for a friend's wedding and turned out he was the brother of the maid of honor.... CrispyBaconAndSyrup
"What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever heard teacher say in class?"
And Anyone With Such Closed Minded Views Shouldn't Be Teaching...
"Had the Head of the Department in college claim in class that anyone who actually needs accommodations for mental health issues should not be in college to begin with."
"This was while we were discussing 'Death of a Salesman' and the discussion had veered over to unhealthy pressure and social standards for success."- RavensQueen502
Wait what?!
"My very well-respected Biology teacher in college spent almost an entire lecture telling us that Jamie Lee Curtis was a hermaphrodite."
"It seemed oddly personal to him."- Urbane_Cowboy
Sad On So Many Levels
"Not heard but my freshmen year high school teacher once pulled a bottle of Jack out of his desk and took a shot during class."
"He was dying so towards the end I think he just stopped caring."- Mangothefello
Can't Take The Heat, Then Stay Out Of The Classroom...
"High school science teacher told my class that a kilometre was longer than a mile."
"Refused to budge when refuted and kicked out several students for doing so."- SupersonicDebris13
"5th grade teacher: 'Mount Whitney in California is the tallest mountain in the world'."
"5th grade me blurts out: 'No it isn't, Mount Everest is."
"Whitney is not even the tallest mountain in the USA, which is Mount McKinley in Alaska'."
"I got in trouble for 'contradicting the teacher'."- gtmattz
get out GIFGiphyIt's Not Just Students Who Are Bullies...
"I had a teacher ridicule a fat kid about his lunch choices in front of the whole class."
"He ran out crying as she was making fat guy blimp gestures and telling him he was going to be huge as an adult."- SnooOwls5859
Some Dramatic License It Seems...
"I had a literature teacher who told the class that he didn't believe in dinosaurs, because the universe is only a couple thousand years old."
"The bones were put there by Satan."
"Thank f*ck he wasn't a science or history teacher."- AllBadAnswers
of montreal dancing GIF by Polyvinyl RecordsGiphyEveryone Deserves Nice Acomodations...
"My English teacher told us that he genuinely believes that the Rothchilds own a hotel for aliens in the Bermuda triangle."- TroyLear77
Well, Then...
"We had this kid in our 6th-grade class."
"Very dark skinned kid from Africa."
"His name was Tajak."
"Every now and then when we'd line up to go to another class or lunch and the lights would go out some of his friends would go 'where Tajak at?'"
"Anyway one day we had a sub and we we're lining up for lunch, the lights went out and there went the 'where Tajak at?' and the SUBSTITUTE TEACHER who was also black went 'Boy you darker than night'."
"6th grade was f*cking wild."- 11221mikew
Sad Premonitions
"Psych teacher in high school told us that 1 in 10 of the people were friends with in high school would be dead within 5 years of graduating."
"At the time I thought it was hyperbole, but it turns out he was being conservative."
"3 of the people in my high school friend group were dead by the time I was 22."- Reddit
Do They Really Need A Reason?
"'Now girls, don't you let them boys touch your breasts'."
"'It'll give you cancer'."- jondru
Maybe Should Have Checked With The Geography Teacher?
"A teacher in Elementary school claimed during history class that the Colosseum was in Greece, as an Italian kid I was very confused, this was in Mexico."- Spascucci
So Much For Instilling Hope...
"Didn't hear this personally, but read in a book about a guy who recalled his teacher skipping chapters in a textbook and saying 'You will not need to know this when you are down in the mines'."- futanari_kaisa
The mark of a good teacher is that students will take everything they hear from them with them for the rest of their lives.
Though, the less-than-wonderful teachers may also say things their students will never forget.
Redditor RedditPenguin02 wanted to make a list of the best inquiries to make when starting a relationship, so they asked:
"What is a good question to ask before you start dating someone?"
From what I've learned in my past, always ask... "Are you into Buffy the Vampire Slayer? The TV show."
If it's a no, then it's a dealbreaker.
I Do
Shocked Schitts Creek GIF by CBCGiphy"Are you married?"
wrenchmonkey135
"I would ask that. If they said no, the next question was 'Would your wife agree?'"
"If they laughed, they were telling the truth. If they got indignant and pissed off that I thought they were lying…they were married."
"Worked every time."
Squibit314
We Lived!
"Do you clap when the plane lands?"
dont_u_know
"I swear people used to do this all the time when I was a kid (early 2000’s), and I don’t think I’ve heard anyone do it in 5+ years. I guess 9/11 really made people afraid of flying for about 10 years and then most folks decided they didn’t need to applaud when the plane landed safely?"
jmims98
Family Planning
"Do you want kids in the future? If one person wants kids and the other wants to stay child-free, then they are not compatible. And it is better to try dating someone else."
GoodAlicia
"It confuses me whenever some couples who disagree on this end up in a conundrum because one expected the other to change their mind. This is something I bring up early cause I see no future with someone who wants kids when I do not."
GoodAlicia
"You should always put childfree on your dating profile. It's not a small thing. Either you agree on it or not. If I had to date, I would put childfree on my profile too."
GoodAlicia
Carb it on...
"Do you like bread? That is the extent of my flirting skills."
HumpieDouglas
"Being German, bread is like a frickin' cultural phenomenon here, we have around 300 kinds of bread, there's a bread museum, every time I go on vacation I'm like yeah it's nice here but the bread ain't it yall, never as good as home lol. So yeah, valid question and the only answer to this is an enthusiastic yes."
Nayeliq1
Room Temperature
Frosty The Snowman Winter GIF by filmeditorGiphy"What temperature do you set the thermostat to throughout the year?"
OneFingerIn
"Haha this one always gets me as someone who needs low temps - you can always put on more clothes, I can't peel my skin off to get cooler."
djdante
The thermostat is a dealbreaker for me.
It's gonna be 60. Love it or move on.
Discovery
Blown Away Wow GIF by AminéGiphy"When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
"Opens a window to how they think."
youcantkillanidea
"If that was really early on in the dating I’d think it was a bit of a head-f**k question. I’d probably find that question a red flag, tone dependent, although I agree with the sentiment."
LivestockMarc
Personal Time
"Aside from major differences about finances, kids, politics, or religion, a big one is; What are your hobbies? If they don’t really have any, you may be the next hobby, which isn’t going to work unless you’ve got that kind of time. If the hobbies are time-consuming ones generally done with a SO."
"But you have no interest in them, that could be an issue as well. If only one of you likes camping, wanted to spend vacation lounging instead of exploring, didn’t like sports, etc either that partner is annoyed or the other feels like they don’t get to enjoy what they love."
Githard
Past Issues
"Ask them about their exes. If they think every single one of them is an a**hole... they are likely the real a**hole."
CantTakeMeSeriously
"I have mixed feelings about that - I've been in three previous relationships and all three were emotionally abusive towards me (one wasn't nearly as bad as the other two, though) in various ways. I know this is a common sentiment and it always makes me afraid that people won't believe me or something.
"I mean, I realize in your comment you said 'likely' and not '100% sure' and there's plenty of room for nuance."
phiore
Values
"I would try to take care of any dealbreakers. If I find out that she has different political values than I do, it's not going to work out in the long run, so I wouldn't bother. Same thing with other factors (religion, financial values, etc.). I would also ask how much cuddling she likes to engage in, as I prefer a lot."
SkullKrusher9000
Essentials
Tell Me More To Do List GIF by Disney ChannelGiphy"When I was dating my three essential questions were always kids, sex, and money. If you're not on the same wavelength for any of those three things, just don't even try."
KhaosElement
TRUTH PLEASE!!
"So, how much personal debt do you have?"
"Source: the guy who dated a woman with huge debts and was asked to pay for everything and then some".
"After that, I'd go with, 'Have you ever been diagnosed with borderline, narcissistic, or histrionic personality disorders?"
extracensorypower
The questions are basic.
Just ask for the truth.
Do you have any good Qs to add to the queue? Let us know in the comments below.
