Love is a beautiful thing but, also an insane, confusing, arduous life experience. Trying to find love can test anyone's most solid mental resolve. But we continue to try. And every date can lead to the best and most out there stories. At least there is that.
Redditor ItsMeMaple wanted to hear how off the rails other's love lives are to feel better about theirs by asking:
What was the worst dating experience you've had and why?
In the Family.
Giphy"On the very first date this woman decides to tell me she had an affair with her brother-in-law. Couldn't leave the bar fast enough."jzhoodie
Cue awkward conversation.....
"Went on a first date. Waited 60 minutes for food at the restaurant. Cue awkward conversation. Went to a movie and the movie jammed in the middle and we had to wait 20 minutes for them to fix it. Cue awkward conversation. On the way home, the car broke down and he insisted we couldn't call any of my brothers or sisters for a ride, so we walked 4 miles home. In the snow."
"We have been married for 37 years."4ninawells
Bye Girl Bye.
"I got catfished but for some reason I felt too mean calling her out on it because she was a nice person, just not my type, and she had obviously used another woman's photos. Other than that she seemed very kind and I didn't want to hurt her feelings."
"So we still went to my place where eventually during a movie after some hints she finally just asked me, "Do you want to have sex now?" Again I felt bad, so I made up this lie about how I really wanted to, but I was a devout Christian and it was a war inside me. I got her a soda and we finished watching Captain America."
"At the end of it she asked me if I was gay and I said no, then she kinda rolled her eyes while we said goodbye."Kamehwik
Date ended there and then.
"I went on a date with a guy who not only felt that I was emasculating him because I won't let him pay for my meal and drinks. It was a first date and I believe in splitting the bill on the first date so that no one feels they owe the other. He kept demanding that I let him pay and I kept saying it's fine when he blurted out "just let me pay damn it. How the heck else am I gonna get lucky tonight?"
"Date ended there and then. I don't sleep with people of the first date either. It made my school year awkward though because we shared a lot of classes but for the most part I avoided him." Lark1987
Mr. Complex.
"Mr Complex, ugh. It was seriously like he was a crappy movie stereotype come to life."
"He made a couple of snarky comments about me wearing heels on the date even though I wasn't. We were the same height (5'7") and I guess imaginary heels was the only way his mind could grapple with the concept. When we got to the restaurant, I opened my door to exit the vehicle and he began screaming at me for "making him look like less of a man" by not letting him open my door for me. A LOT of the dinner conversation was about how women don't appreciate "a male provider" "anymore".
"I was young and stupid so we ended up going back to his place and it was the only time I've actually had an "is it in?" moment. Afterward, he recalled that he's pleased many women before and they all said he was one of the best they'd ever had. Before I left, he let me know we were actually at his sister's house and she was in the bedroom next to us and to try not to wake her up leaving."
"What a sad dude. I hope he got therapy."Much_Difference
Just Twice.
Giphy"Not me but I was heavily involved in setting up the date. I set up a good friend, a girl with a guy I used to work with."
"Later that night after the date, she called me up and said "I think I'm related to him somehow." We go sleuthing on Facebook and text each other updates. And after an hour of talking to some distant relatives, we are dead certain that he's her nephew a couple of times removed."
"She calls me up sobbing saying they had already had sex twice after that first date. "Slash1909
Al Those Wings.
"First night I stayed over at my partner's house. We both thought her family had gone away for the weekend and were somewhat vocal as a response. The morning proved us wrong when her mother congratulated us over breakfast she had specially prepared."
"She offered us tips and practical advice, also gave us a thumbs up. Best MIL ever. Mortifying at the time however."
"They had a large house, and her mother was keeping herself occupied in a wing we had no reason to enter, so we didn't know/expect her to be home."Lazy_Raccoon
All Cued Up.
"Oh so many."
"Being an American immigrant of Russian Jewish decent and not married by 21, my mom naturally signed me up for a dating service. I have always been pretty open minded so whatever. Cue (or queue) a line of men (some in their 40s, some younger, most creepy) who were looking for anything resembling a woman that would lead to a green card."
"Personal favorite was a Dolph Lundgren lookalike who showed up in a suit, grabbed his heart Bill-and-Ted style, and proclaimed that I was the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen (spoiler, I am decidedly not) and he must marry me. Preferably by the 29th of March." Spectrum2081
It's All Aight!
"As someone who just got tinder thanks for making me laugh, feel self conscious about how i might end up here and how this could possibly happen to me." MeatBuu
"Hahah that's perfectly natural. I feel the same way every time I download Tinder, as do the friends I've spoken to about it."
"At the end of the day it's best to just be open minded with it. I've dated some incredible people through the app, as well as had some mind-blowing sex. I've also been through some horribly awkward dates and hookups, so you'll be right!"Justforfun_x
With the BF.
Giphy"Met a lovely girl over Tinder, we really hit it off and had a great conversation, decided to meet in person for coffee the next day."
"She showed up on time, looked just like her pictures - and brought her boyfriend."confettiicecream
The Good Start.
"Dinner went pretty well, he was funny, sweet, so we decided to uber to a bar."
"On the way there we're holding hands and chatting, the guy immediately pulls his half erect member out and asks the uber driver to reroute to his home."
"The uber driver threatened to call the cops, kicked him out of the car, and drove me home free of charge."meghanarsenic
Not Ready...
"I went on a first date with a guy. he was very educated and polite. he was friends of a friends and they set up us. they failed to mention that he just got out of a 5 year relationship and was not over her in the slightest. We went to a restaurant he frequently took his ex to, which i found out 10 minutes into the date. i would try to change the subject when he mentioned her but it was obvious he needed someone to vent too. so i spent the date letting him get out his thoughts/emotions about his ex. he wasn't a bad guy, he just wasn't in a position to be dating anyone."tinydancerxo
3 Bottles In.....
"She ordered three bottles of wine at dinner. I had maybe three glasses total. Which means she had 9 glasses on her own. When she tried to order a 4th one the waiter cut her off. She caused a scene and got us kicked out of the restaurant. I called her an Uber and while we were waiting she pissed herself in the parking lot. Basically poured her into the back seat of her Uber and went home. She texts the next day- "hey sorry I missed our date last night, I must have taken a nap and slept through it. Reschedule?""
"For context "mean bar" is a bar my ex works at. Blackout had originally suggested we meet there for drinks and I had to explain that she works there and is kinda crazy and I probably shouldn't take a date there. She knew that's what I called the place. When I first said I'll get back to you I was really contemplating a second chance because she's smoking hot. But ultimately my big head prevailed over my little head."Reddit
A Knight's Tale.
Giphy"Sophomore year of college, my roommate and I decided to double date. It was the first date for both of us and we invited the guys to our apartment to watch A Knight's Tale. My date got drunk within 20 minutes and spent most of the movie face down in my lap mumbling "It's just so anachronistic!" while my roommate and her date cuddled and laughed at me."HugOWar
'what the hell, why not'
"My only blind date..."
"My college roommate had a date, asked me if I'd come along and take out his date's roommate."
"I thought 'what the hell, why not'
"We arrive at their place to pick them up."
"My date comes out, she's cute. She looks at me and just says, "Oh hell no". She goes somewhere else."
"I drown my sorrows in pitchers of margaritas...find out they have a 2 pitcher per person limit, and we're at 6 pitchers already."
"I call a buddy to join us. Buddy arrives, sits across from me. Order 2 more pitchers of margaritas."
"Buddy tells me he had plans with a girl he'd been dating for a bit, but the plans had just fallen through, so let's get f'd up."
"Three minutes later, the girl he had plans with arrives on a date with another dude...sits at the table right next to us."
"We call another buddy to join, so we can get 2 more pitchers of margaritas."
"In retrospect, we should have gone home after the second pitcher of margaritas."AMMJ
The Widower.
"Didn't quite get to the dating part. My best friend was a guy and his girlfriend didn't like me hanging out with him. She decided she wanted to set me up on a date to get me out of her hair. My best friend asks me to please do this to get her off his back. Apparently the guy she wanted to set me up with was her coworker's brother. He was a young widower and a solid guy. I reluctantly agreed and she gave him my number. This guy called me and we talked. He told me that he was a widower. We talked about his job."
"He didn't ask me out. Three more conversations over the phone and he still didn't ask me out. I finally told him if he wanted to go out on a date it would have to be soon as I was leaving on a lengthy trip soon. He said he was waiting. I asked him what was he waiting for? And his reply was.... the funeral. His wife's funeral. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I noped out of that asap and told him he should wait a while to date. Was sooo mad at my best friend and told him his girlfriend could screw off."Roo514
"I don't believe in dental hygiene"
"They walked into the restaurant immediately said "I don't believe in dental hygiene". I believed them as they had black teeth and gums that I could smell from several feet away."
"I could not tell if it was a joke, or some sort of experiment, but it was hard to focus on much else. It was easily the most disgusting mouth I've ever seen."Seigest
Hissy Fits....
"Probably any of the dates with my abusive ex when she would throw a public tantrum to 'test' me."
"For example, the last time we went out together before I managed my escape we were going to the zoo. She wants to cross the road, I ask why and point out we can't get to the zoo from that side, she immediately goes into a screaming hissy fit, shouting, tears, the whole works, right there in the middle of the street in a very busy city."
"I was pretty used to it and done with the whole thing by this point in our relationship, previously I would have been desperately trying to comfort her but this time after she wouldn't tell me what was wrong I just walked away. Tears dry up, comes running after me, finally explains there's a shop across the road she wants to visit. 10 years later I can still feel the exasperation with how bloody stupid the whole episode was."Aypreltwenny
A Goat?
Giphy"I went on a tinder date that ended in me leaving because his friends showed up at his place with a stolen goat. They wanted to kill it and try to get in touch with the spirit world. I wish I was kidding." LN3132
One second thought, perhaps we'd be happier alone than dealing with some of these stories.
- Parents Describe The Most Awful People Their Kids Have Ever Dated - George Takei ›
- People Describe The Worst Restaurant Experience They've Ever Had - George Takei ›
- People Break Down The Worst Date They've Ever Been On - George Takei ›
- People Break Down The Worst Things They've Seen In Online Dating Profiles - George Takei ›
- People Describe The Worst Physical Pain They've Ever Experienced - George Takei ›
- People Describe The Best Non-Sexual, Non-Drug Related Sensation They've Ever Experienced - George Takei ›
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.