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People Share Their Best 'Right Place At The Right Time' Experiences

People Share Their Best 'Right Place At The Right Time' Experiences
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

There are certain moments in life that are inexplicable. Somehow the Universe lined up your life with that of something else's, and by pure luck, you just happen to be in the right place at the right time to change your's, or someone else's, life. And the stories you're about to read are from just a few of the lucky ones.


Here are some of the best accounts of being in the right place at the right time. M1racle asked:

What was your best "right place at the right time" moment?

​Pure luck can truly save a life. It just depends on who is around to help.

It was fate.

“A buddy and I were driving down a remote highway in rural Alberta, two hours from anything. We were passing the only other vehicle we had seen in a while, when there is a huge shudder. The guy in the vehicle we are passing is pointing frantically at our front right tire, and his eyes are huge. The tire explodes. My buddy who is driving barely gets the vehicle under control in order to eventually get it slowed down and stopped in the shoulder.

That vehicle we just passed? A AAA tow truck, and I'm a member. He pulls over, checks my card, and changes the tire while we take a smoke break. We were back on the road in 10 minutes.”

Sugarfoot00

Rip currents are no joke.

Ocean Surf GIFGiphy

“Outer Banks North Carolina. I went down to the beach kind of early and I noticed a group of people right at the water's edge looking concerned, pointing etc. As I get close to them I realize there's a person perhaps 50 yards offshore floating on a little raft you'd see in a pool. I know there are nasty rip currents there, but I slowly start walking out in the water thinking as long as I don't get too deep I'll see how far I can get. I end up getting within arms reach of the girl on the little raft, when I realized her boyfriend and a guy probably in his seventies are holding onto the far side of the raft, as well. I ended up pulling them in and probably saving the old guy's life because he was really struggling to keep his head above water. Once we got the shore, he collapsed and was vomiting sea water until the ambulance showed up.

It was pretty stupid on my part, and I was probably right next to the rip current, not in it or I would have been screwed too. Anyway, none of my friends saw this, but the next day as we're down there, one of the group came over, handed me a beer and told them the story like I was some incredible superhero. So that was cool.”

ASA-firepower

​Thank goodness for that nurse.

“It was actually my father.

He had received a double bypass about 12 years before and was now semi-retired.

My parents had a spot at the "First Monday Trade Days" in Canton, Tx. where they sold various things he restored/built. (It's like a very large swap meet). They generally set up on Wednesday and were open through Sunday. He had an awning he set up over his spot so he stayed in the cool shade. Normally, either my mother or sister were with him to set up and help run things. For whatever reason this time he was on his own.

According to the bystanders, he was reaching up attaching some rope to the awning when he had a heart attack. Technically dead before he hit the ground. It just so happened that the lady who had a booth a few spots away saw it happen and was a registered nurse.

She immediately started CPR while others called 911. When the ambulance arrived, they used a defibrillator and were able to bring him back.

He coded again in the ambulance on the ride over and they were able to bring him back again.

At the hospital, we were told that he would probably never recover as he only had about 15-20% heart functionality. (Spoilers - he recovered).

It turns out that despite his sticking to a heart healthy diet, his heart was deteriorating after the bypass (they only last around 10-15 years or so) and when he had his heart attack, the doctor reckons he had about 30% functionality. The heart surgeon said the only reason he survived is that his heart was so used to functioning on such a low level, that it wasn't as much of a "shock to the system" as if a person with normal function had that kind of event.

They gave him a pacemaker with a built in defibrillator, and he is still plugging along over 5 years later.

But if it hadn't been for that particular nurse being right there and seeing it happen....

They still stop by every year and give her a basket of goodies by way of thanks. (mailed it due to the CoViD last year).”

Thechervil

​Being in the right place at the right time can also mean massive career changes in just a split second.

​Knowing Excel pays off.

“I showed up to the temp agency for my first job on the day they were about to call a business back to tell them they didn't have anyone who knew Excel. I knew Excel very well, and after temping at the business for two months, got hired on permanently. I've been here for 30 years now.”

Jaycatt

People Break Down The Creepiest Research Holes They've Ever Fallen Down | George Takei’s Oh Myyy

​Now THAT’S cool.

You Shall Not Pass Lord Of The Rings GIFGiphy

“Got called up as an extra on Lord of the Rings, sent to the Minas Tirith set. Immediately greeted by "Hi Dingo!", make up artist was a friend from high school who had me set up in hero (close camera) Gondorian armour.

Got paid to hangout on a cool movie set, chatted to Sir Ian, can see myself in RoTK doing some stuff. And the ice cream truck came too!”

Dingostealingbaby

Dodged a bullet there.

“I went to a job fair, nearly two decades ago. Handed my resume around. Had a brief stairwell interview with a the PI of a small cancer research lab. Got called back, and part of the interview was with the tech I would be replacing. They did everything they could to signal to me all of the red flags that she was a terrible boss. Body language, odd statements, the PI was nuts and they almost said it outright. But I needed the job.

She called me back saying that while I was a great fit for her, actually her husband needed me more, would I work for him even though the position wasn't yet posted? In a much larger more prestigious lab because he was the Dept Chair, doing things better suited to my skill set (small animal surgery). And as it turned out, he wasn't nuts, he was a great boss. (His wife was really nuts, this was a close call). Two years later his recommendation got me in to medical school. I learned a lot and had a great experience.

Always interview like it's a great job, you don't know who's watching.”

Procrast1natrix

Most of all, cool happenstances like these always make for a cool story.

Score.

“I bought a single ticket to Kanye's performance of 808s And Heartbreak at the Hollywood Bowl. I was in the center nosebleed section. Pretty crappy seats but I was cool with it. I went for a walk around the venue before the show started. When I got back to my seat someone was sitting there. After I got the courage to confront him we talked and he was super apologetic he said his friends were there and he just wanted to talk to them. Since I was alone I just said "hey man if you want to switch seats that's fine, my seats can't get much worse".

He just smirked and made a comment about it being my lucky day then he gave me a paper that gave me a near front row box seat. The crazy thing is mid way through the show I saw him in a different box seat. I can only assume he was someone important.”

Nick_Full_Time

​A very cool find.

hockey stick GIF by NHLGiphy

“Not necessarily the best, but today I was in a thrift store looking for a laptop bag strap, and found a really nice hockey stick. I picked it up, and it was a CCM composite, long enough for me, and a lefty curve. I carried it around for a while before I noticed the nametag on it.

After a Google search, I paid $4 for a game-issued but unused 2008-09 season stick belonging to Pittsburgh Penguin Maxime Talbot. (It has the NHL logos, inventory barcode with serial number, and player's stamp.)

The thrift store is within sight of the Pens practice facility, and there have been 2 sticks identical to this one at auction in the past few years. He's holding an identical stick on his trading card.”

Jef_Wheaton

​Living the dream.

“I was doing an event for NASCAR in Las Vegas. We were at the end of the event, and had to get the cars from the display area to the trucks they use to transport them. This was something that we had planned on doing at 4 am when the crowds were low, but no one wanted to do that.

So, while we were having a meeting with the Las Vegas PD and the drivers, the LVPD captain said, "Why don't we just do this right now(9 PM)? I'll just shut down Las Vegas BLVD and we can drive the cars right down the street." Everyone agreed that was the best option, but one problem was, there were only 11 drivers for 12 cars. The question then went out to the group, "Does anyone know how to drive a stick?" Everyone kinda stared blankly at one another until I said, "yeah, I can."

And with that everyone went to hop into their cars, I got an incredibly brief tutorial on how to flip the right switches in the right order to start the car, then I was just left to my own devices. And that's how I ended up being able to drive a NASCAR car down the Las Vegas Strip. And, I only stalled it 4 times!”

Nickelnomics

​I lied- THIS is living the dream.

“I was at a fancy waffle place with some friends. The manager came out of the back and said they were testing new flavors of whipped cream for future waffles and asked if we'd like to participate since they didn't have many staff.

We all got to try lots of fun infused whipped creams. It was a good time.”

Wiggysbelleza

Dumb luck can really pay off. My best advice is to follow your gut- you never know where it’s going to lead you.

People Reveal The Weirdest Thing About Themselves

Reddit user Isitjustmedownhere asked: 'Give an example; how weird are you really?'

Let's get one thing straight: no one is normal. We're all weird in our own ways, and that is actually normal.

Of course, that doesn't mean we don't all have that one strange trait or quirk that outweighs all the other weirdness we possess.

For me, it's the fact that I'm almost 30 years old, and I still have an imaginary friend. Her name is Sarah, she has red hair and green eyes, and I strongly believe that, since I lived in India when I created her and there were no actual people with red hair around, she was based on Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo.

I also didn't know the name Sarah when I created her, so that came later. I know she's not really there, hence the term 'imaginary friend,' but she's kind of always been around. We all have conversations in our heads; mine are with Sarah. She keeps me on task and efficient.

My mom thinks I'm crazy that I still have an imaginary friend, and writing about her like this makes me think I may actually be crazy, but I don't mind. As I said, we're all weird, and we all have that one trait that outweighs all the other weirdness.

Redditors know this all too well and are eager to share their weird traits.

It all started when Redditor Isitjustmedownhere asked:

"Give an example; how weird are you really?"

Monsters Under My Bed

"My bed doesn't touch any wall."

"Edit: I guess i should clarify im not rich."

– Practical_Eye_3600

"Gosh the monsters can get you from any angle then."

– bikergirlr7

"At first I thought this was a flex on how big your bedroom is, but then I realized you're just a psycho 😁"

– zenOFiniquity8

Can You See Why?

"I bought one of those super-powerful fans to dry a basement carpet. Afterwards, I realized that it can point straight up and that it would be amazing to use on myself post-shower. Now I squeegee my body with my hands, step out of the shower and get blasted by a wide jet of room-temp air. I barely use my towel at all. Wife thinks I'm weird."

– KingBooRadley

Remember

"In 1990 when I was 8 years old and bored on a field trip, I saw a black Oldsmobile Cutlass driving down the street on a hot day to where you could see that mirage like distortion from the heat on the road. I took a “snapshot” by blinking my eyes and told myself “I wonder how long I can remember this image” ….well."

– AquamarineCheetah

"Even before smartphones, I always take "snapshots" by blinking my eyes hoping I'll remember every detail so I can draw it when I get home. Unfortunately, I may have taken so much snapshots that I can no longer remember every detail I want to draw."

"Makes me think my "memory is full.""

– Reasonable-Pirate902

Same, Same

"I have eaten the same lunch every day for the past 4 years and I'm not bored yet."

– OhhGoood

"How f**king big was this lunch when you started?"

– notmyrealnam3

Not Sure Who Was Weirder

"Had a line cook that worked for us for 6 months never said much. My sous chef once told him with no context, "Baw wit da baw daw bang daw bang diggy diggy." The guy smiled, left, and never came back."

– Frostygrunt

Imagination

"I pace around my house for hours listening to music imagining that I have done all the things I simply lack the brain capacity to do, or in some really bizarre scenarios, I can really get immersed in these imaginations sometimes I don't know if this is some form of schizophrenia or what."

– RandomSharinganUser

"I do the same exact thing, sometimes for hours. When I was young it would be a ridiculous amount of time and many years later it’s sort of trickled off into almost nothing (almost). It’s weird but I just thought it’s how my brain processes sh*t."

– Kolkeia

If Only

"Even as an adult I still think that if you are in a car that goes over a cliff; and right as you are about to hit the ground if you jump up you can avoid the damage and will land safely. I know I'm wrong. You shut up. I'm not crying."

– ShotCompetition2593

Pet Food

"As a kid I would snack on my dog's Milkbones."

– drummerskillit

"Haha, I have a clear memory of myself doing this as well. I was around 3 y/o. Needless to say no one was supervising me."

– Isitjustmedownhere

"When I was younger, one of my responsibilities was to feed the pet fish every day. Instead, I would hide under the futon in the spare bedroom and eat the fish food."

– -GateKeep-

My Favorite Subject

"I'm autistic and have always had a thing for insects. My neurotypical best friend and I used to hang out at this local bar to talk to girls, back in the late 90s. One time he claimed that my tendency to circle conversations back to insects was hurting my game. The next time we went to that bar (with a few other friends), he turned and said sternly "No talking about bugs. Or space, or statistics or other bullsh*t but mainly no bugs." I felt like he was losing his mind over nothing."

"It was summer, the bar had its windows open. Our group hit it off with a group of young ladies, We were all chatting and having a good time. I was talking to one of these girls, my buddy was behind her facing away from me talking to a few other people."

"A cloudless sulphur flies in and lands on little thing that holds coasters."

"Cue Jordan Peele sweating gif."

"The girl notices my tension, and asks if I am looking at the leaf. "Actually, that's a lepidoptera called..." I looked at the back of my friend's head, he wasn't looking, "I mean a butterfly..." I poked it and it spread its wings the girl says "oh that's a BUG?!" and I still remember my friend turning around slowly to look at me with chastisement. The ONE thing he told me not to do."

"I was 21, and was completely not aware that I already had a rep for being an oddball. It got worse from there."

– Phormicidae

*Teeth Chatter*

"I bite ice cream sometimes."

RedditbOiiiiiiiiii

"That's how I am with popsicles. My wife shudders every single time."

monobarreller

Never Speak Of This

"I put ice in my milk."

– GTFOakaFOD

"You should keep that kind of thing to yourself. Even when asked."

– We-R-Doomed

"There's some disturbing sh*t in this thread, but this one takes the cake."

– RatonaMuffin

More Than Super Hearing

"I can hear the television while it's on mute."

– Tira13e

"What does it say to you, child?"

– Mama_Skip

Yikes!

"I put mustard on my omelettes."

– Deleted User

"Oh."

– NotCrustOr-filling

Evened Up

"Whenever I say a word and feel like I used a half of my mouth more than the other half, I have to even it out by saying the word again using the other half of my mouth more. If I don't do it correctly, that can go on forever until I feel it's ok."

"I do it silently so I don't creep people out."

– LesPaltaX

"That sounds like a symptom of OCD (I have it myself). Some people with OCD feel like certain actions have to be balanced (like counting or making sure physical movements are even). You should find a therapist who specializes in OCD, because they can help you."

– MoonlightKayla

I totally have the same need for things to be balanced! Guess I'm weird and a little OCD!

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

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.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

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.