Spooked People Share Their Most Unexplainable Experiences With The Paranormal

There's no such thing. Right...?
[rebelmouse-image 18349167 is_animated_gif=Well, maybe, but, maybe not, too. The world is full of unexplained things, and the paranormal--a subject of great controversy--is so impossible to prove, aside from word of mouth stories. Even skeptics have had their fill.
Redditor u/MegaMango000 asked: Redditors who don't believe in the paranormal, what's the scariest experience you've had that you still can't rationally explain? Serious Replies Only.
Here were some of the spookiest stories.
Poltergeist
[rebelmouse-image 18360378 is_animated_gif=I had a lot of weird things happen at my parents house growing up, but I still consider myself skeptical of anything paranormal.
The master bedroom has a walk-in closet where the light would constantly come on by itself, especially when I was home alone. The dogs were also weirdly obsessed with the closet. One would sit in there for hours, and the other would always stand and growl and bark. Even years after I moved out, my mom still has this happen on the regular.
The freakiest time was when I was 15 and my parents were out for the evening at a work party. I was in my room playing a computer game and listening to music. Suddenly I got a really uncomfortable feeling like someone was behind me. I turned around, and there was a black shadowy figure in the middle of the room. As soon as I saw it, it moved towards me and I could literally feel it move through me. I noped the f out of the house and sat outside until my parents came home.
The most recent time was after I moved out and was at my parents to do some laundry. As I was loading the dryer, I clearly saw somebody walk by the laundry room door and into the furnace room. I assumed it was my dad, but it turned out they were both upstairs at the time.
My mom is also a complete skeptic, but she almost wanted to come stay with me one time because she swears she saw a dark figure crawl across the kitchen floor. She also says she's seen the chandelier swinging one time during the night.
I've never had anything weird happen to me anywhere else but that house, so it's kind of freaky. I'm really not sure what to think.
Poor Puppies
[rebelmouse-image 18360379 is_animated_gif=Stayed with a friend for a couple months post divorce. He had an old farm house and I bunked in the top floor room. One night as I had just gone to bed I heard creaking on the floor just in front of my bed. After a couple seconds, I rolled over and just ignored it.
After a few minutes, I hear it again. I roll over and sit up. I see what looks like a blur (mist perhaps, who knows) pass by the end of the bed. At this point I'm more confused than anything.
Suddenly, I hear what sounds like light footsteps on the stairs - about 7 in total. A small creak, possibly the door opening to the downstairs and then the dogs go ballistic. I run downstairs and now we are all awake. The dogs are focused on the stairway and bark like mad for about 3 minutes.
No real explanation, but after telling my buddy and his wife what I heard we were all creeped out for a few days. I stayed there for a few weeks and nothing else ever happened.
WTF
[rebelmouse-image 18348544 is_animated_gif=I was laying in my bed sleeping one night and I woke up feeling uncomfortable. My daughter has health issues and years of worry about her condition caused us to be light sleepers. When I woke up this night I watched a white figure come down the hall from my daughters room and go by my door. At the same time my dog slid off of the bed (he didn't get up just slid) and followed the white figure.
I was freaked out so I got up and followed the dog to our front door. The dog was facing the door looking out the glass in the door down the street. The moon was lighting up his face and I noticed his eyes were completely shut. I put my hand on his neck and he jumped... He was 100% asleep.
I checked my daughters room and she was happily sleeping and in good health. I've often wondered what visited and how often its visited our home. Ive also wondered if I've ever been the one staring out the front door instead of the dog completely asleep...
NOPE
[rebelmouse-image 18346705 is_animated_gif=1. On my first nursing job, I would work in a unit that served as an overflow, and that unit would close if the census was low (less patients in the hospital). The hospital was only a few years old, but there were strange things happening like the TV turning on its own in a room where one patient died and patient doors closing. I always joked that sun-downing in a hospital could might as well be someone being possesed.
2. Two of our coworkers has the bright idea of going upstairs to that unit, turning on phone video, and asking aloud to the spirits to show themselves. I didn't join them since I was busy. But to their disappointment, nothing came of it and even the possessed TV did not turn on. But later, when they reviewed the video, they turned up the volume on their phone. They started to hear audible whispers and that freaked them out.
3. Not my story but a veteran coworker. She got consent from family for a patient for a surgery who was paranoid "I'm going to die...I'm going to die...I know I am, you bring me there I die." The patient didn't have any significant medical problems, no red flags with anesthesia history, and the surgery was a simple ex-laprascopic gallbladder removal.
The dude died on the table.
Can't Explain
[rebelmouse-image 18353831 is_animated_gif=Repost, not really scary just a portion of it I can't explain:
So, this was about 13 years ago. My wife and I moved into our brand new condo in July of 05. We were new to the area, and knew no one besides my dad. Fast forward to April 07. We had some "weird" things, such as the tv turning on in the middle of the night and a few glasses shattered on their own when no one was in the room. Strange... but we just explained it as new construction/wiring and perhaps the glasses were weakened by the move/age.
We joke about it, and eventually I'm due to drive back to Chicago to do my oral defense for my Masters Degree. I take showers daily, as does my wife. Don't remember the actual dates, but lets say Monday my wife and I take our showers, no worries. Tuesday, I take a shower and get out. Our bathroom has a full wall mirror over the dual sinks. In the steam, at the VERY VERY top is written, "Chicago". I'm like, "Uh... that's odd." Call to my wife and ask her, "Why did you write that?" She is just waking up and comes in, is confuse and starts to get mad at me cause SHE didn't write it. I quickly write in the steam below it without thinking... as does she. The writing doesn't match either of us. Plus, it is written at the TOP of the mirror. We have ten foot ceilings. Both of us would have had to have gotten on the counter and stood to reach it.
I run through the condo (its not very big) everything is locked. We had no people over inbetween the daily showers, and hadn't had anyone over in weeks (still didn't know many people here). My wife is not a prankster, she has never pranked me in in the two decades I've known her.
The kicker, the next night I had an incredibly realistic dream of my grandma who passed in 05. She was on my bed, rested her hand on my leg and said, "Don't worry Hyperion, that b-stard is gone." Nothing weird happened after that. I can explain away everything except that writing though.
Wormhole
[rebelmouse-image 18347117 is_animated_gif=When I was in middle school, I had just come into my classroom and sat down in my desk that was directly across from the door, so I could see out in the hall. I had looked up and saw a black circle, or I guess a circular void (pitch black, no shadow or anything) perfectly centered out of the doorway. A really rough estimate, it was maybe two-three feet tall and wide?
And I do wear glasses, so you'd think it was vision spots right? But a kid out in the hall passed in FRONT of it so that freaked me out and I really don't know what it was. It was only there a few more seconds after that.
The Drink
[rebelmouse-image 18347347 is_animated_gif=When I was about 9/10 years old I was with my friend and we went to my house to get something to drink. We got the drink and we heard something weird coming from upstairs even though there was nobody in the house but us (I had just opened the front door with the key myself and the door was locked).
So we went upstairs and directly on the left there is a door to the bathroom which is about where the noise seemed to be coming from. I looked at the door and realized the little marker that says if it's closed or opened was about 3/4 red and 1/4 white (so it was almost fully locked from inside). When we approached the door to knock on it since nobody was answering our calls to ask who was inside (it's about 3 meters from the end of the stairs) all of the sudden with some noise of force (it was not an easy lock to unlock, but required some power) the thing just popped to fully white like someone turned the lock fully open again from inside the bathroom.
The quickness and force of the movement caused me and my friend to both run out of the house to his house and when we told his mom about this experience she went with us to see what was up.
When we got back, there was nobody in the house nor was there anything missing in the house and there were no windows opened for someone to get away that was in there before. The strangest thing about it all to me was that there was just no way someone could have gotten in and out without a key, and the only people with keys were all away at work.
I still don't understand what happened to this day, but I'm convinced there was someone in that bathroom that day.
A Car, A Car
[rebelmouse-image 18360380 is_animated_gif=I was alone in my house. When I was just about to open a door leading downstairs to my basement I heard what I swear was a person running up the stairs towards the door very quickly. Can't recall if I opened it or not but I was certainly the only person home. I noped out to my buddies place. I'm sure it was actually just something stupid but at the time I was scared af
I Do Believe In Spooks
[rebelmouse-image 18360381 is_animated_gif=My ex and I were the last ones to move out of his house, so it was large and empty, no furniture, very creepy. We lived in his room in the basement. In my time living there I heard alot of unexplained minor things. I used to hear footsteps upstairs, like his dad had gotten home in his work boots and was walking around, but id go upstairs, and he wasn't home yet. In the basement, there was a door to the unfinished half of it (next to his room) and I would go out in the hall and it would be open, after we had already closed it. He had told me also, he used to hear voices and footsteps when no one was home.
This one particular time is the point where we were living there alone before moving out. I was alone, and was upstairs in the empty living room, broad daylight, midmorning. I had the laundry I was bringing to my parents house to do, and had stopped upstairs to say bye to the cat. While I was petting the cat, someone laughed. Clearly laughed out loud like they were right behind me. The cat all of a sudden bolts and runs into an empty run and i follow, looking for anyone at all who could have been there. No one was there. the cat ran again and disappeared into the basement. I grab the laundry and run.
All very minor things, I'm one to believe more if I see it, kind of thing. Those are my only stories to lead me to believe in ghosts or spirits. That story still creeps me out. But I now believe more in it than I used too.
Sudden Music
[rebelmouse-image 18349529 is_animated_gif=I'm a police officer and I was working a fresh homicide (had occurred within the last hour). We'd checked the house, and it's me, 2 other patrol officers and a homicide detective standing there talking and waiting for the medical examiner. All of a sudden the stereo kicks on, playing a song I don't know the name of, but sounded like something you'd hear at a funeral. None of us were near the stereo or had the remote (it took us like 5 minutes to figure out how to turn it off).
Was very eerie to me.
Awww
[rebelmouse-image 18353157 is_animated_gif=My dad died when I was 5. Was raised by my mom and I have a twin brother who I'm really close to but we aren't inseparable. I was on my second year of college bombing all my classes, had not seen family or friends in months and one of my best friends died a month earlier. Not trying to complain but it was a hard time in my life. Anyways I'm alone in my dorm on my bed trying to to homework while I'm panicking about my future. All of a sudden my blanket moves up my bed and around me while i was all alone, I hear a mans voice say "your going to be ok"
Aliens
[rebelmouse-image 18353260 is_animated_gif=I was in bed one night and for no reason at all I woke up.... heard scratching going on above my head and then every single electronic in my room turned on at once.... I'm talking TV, computer, monitors, xbox, laptop.... I summed the scratching up to mice... but I still cant explain the second part....
Weeeeeeird
[rebelmouse-image 18360382 is_animated_gif=Not scary exactly, but pretty weird.
My coworkers disappeared for two or three minutes one day. This was about 10 years ago, about a month/six weeks or so after I started my first office job. The company was in the top two floors of an office building, and I think the set up was a bit jury-rigged somehow because the only way up to the top floor was through the fire escape - the lifts didn't go that high. We had to keep the top fire escape door permanently open because you couldn't open it from the inside - I've got no idea how you were supposed to get up there originally.
It was the last day in that office before the company moved to a new building and we were packing our things up; boxing files and labelling computers and all that. My boss, who had a major sweet-tooth, got peckish and asked me to get some lollies from the 7-11 that was at street level in the building next door. I went down, bought something and took the lift back up. The lights were out.
I went to my office - we were on the lower floor - and it was padlocked shut. The other office on that floor, which had a glass door, was dark and empty. I knocked on the padlocked door, and when there was no answer, I went to the fire escape to check the upper level. The door was closed. I couldn't get right back to my floor, that door had closed behind me, so I walked back down to the ground floor and took the lift back up. Everything was back to normal. The lights were on, doors were open, there were people. I mentioned what had happened and no one knew what I was talking about. I thought it might have been a practical joke for a little while, but no-one ever said anything about it.
Brother//Uncle
[rebelmouse-image 18360383 is_animated_gif=The first one happened when I was about 7 years old. I had my own bedroom and always slept with the door open. One night as I was laying in bed, on my side, facing the door, I saw my little brother (who would have been 2 at the time) run by my bedroom door wearing those old 90's LA Gear light up sandals (If you grew up in the 90's you know the ones, with the red lights that blink on the back heel area when you take a step). I sat up at bit when I heard/saw this as I could hear the distinctive crumple sound of a diaper being ran in and saw the lights clearly. I whispered his name and asked what he was doing. I saw him come back to my door way, sandals lighting up, and then stop at my doorway looking at me. At that point I could tell something was off, I could not make out any features on him but I chalked it up to being dark and he ran back down the hall and I went to sleep.
The next morning, I went to my Mom and asked why my brother was up running around last night. She told me that he wasn't, I said that I saw him and he even had on those sandals that light up. She looked at me funny and said, "Your brother slept in our bed all night last night, and I threw away those sandals over a month ago....
The second one, I was about 9 years old.
Our front room was a wide open space with a couch on the left wall, a couch towards the back of the room and a bay window you are able to sit in at the front. A family friend named Tom came over to stay with us. He was going to sleep on the couch in the front room, and me, wanting to hang out with my older cool "uncle" Tom (who was about 20 years older than me) asked if I could sleep on the other couch as a kind of slumber party. He of course said yes and my parents could care less.
We go to sleep and in the front room through the blinds on the bay window you could see some light filtering in from the street light outside. I woke up at some point and was by default staring at the bay window and I saw Tom casually sitting on the bay window looking out towards the street. I whispered his name, he slowly turned his head to look at me, and then slowly moved back to looking out the window. I looked at the couch and did not see him there, so I got up and walked towards him asking what he was doing. As I got closer and closer, he became more and more translucent until I got right up to him and reached out to touch him and my hand went through thin air... he was gone. I looked at the couch and he was there sound asleep.
It wasn't sleep paralysis because I was wide awake in both situations but I have no explanation for what it might have been.
Hands
[rebelmouse-image 18360329 is_animated_gif=When I was still a kid I stayed with my cousin at my grandma's house, it's a very old ryad in Morocco (like 400ys+ old). My grandma left us alone and went to visit a friend of hers and she was the only one with the keys. As I was playing with my cousin we heard heavy banging on the door, we went running to the door and checked who it was but there was noone outside, so we went back playing in a room till we heard a very loud bang on the window overlooking the interior patio, and there was a huge man's hand on it, we got out of the room running to the patio but noone was there. We went hiding in another room for like 2hours super scared till my grandma came back. We told everyone the story and noone ever believed us.
A Song
[rebelmouse-image 18360384 is_animated_gif=Once, i was laying in my bed and was about to sleep while listening on my ipod the song : hell awaits from Slayer for the first time. So there is a 1 minute intro to the song where the phrase "join us" is repeated backwards. When the intro was over there was the sudden drums. Right then i saw the door right against my bed turn into white as if striken by lightning. My 15yo self almost s--t my pants and straight up ran to my mom in the kitchen. My guess is that it was a near-sleep hallucination triggered by the sudden drum beat. Never heard this song again, neither am i planning to!
Mystery
[rebelmouse-image 18358132 is_animated_gif=I was about 6 years old, playing with some toy soldiers out front of my house. I turned my head to the left (towards the house) and vaguely saw some man watching me. As soon as he saw that I had seen him, he looked like he quickly jolted back behind the house. I got up and followed and... he was gone. But there was no where for him to go from where he ran. He just vanished.
Strange Figures
[rebelmouse-image 18358100 is_animated_gif=As a teenager I would babysit for my cousin, let's call her A. I was about 16 at the time. Her and her husband had just moved into this large house and had a newborn daughter. I never liked the vibe of that house but just thought I was being irrational. One morning I'm alone with the baby and I hear someone going down the stairs, a bang, and some murmuring, I tell myself the house is new and it's just settling and maybe the TV is on. I pick up the infant and make my way downstairs. Once you get to the bottom of the stairs it opens up to a large living room to the left with a TV on the floor, to the right is the kitchen area. I go to the kitchen to make a bottle and it feels like someone is watching me, I shake it off but start packing up a diaper bag just in case. Not 2 minutes later I hear the TV turn on, volume all the way up, to static white noise.. I. Flip. My. Sh-t! I run to the living room and turn it off. I call one of my cousins who lives near by to come get me, let's call her S, as I'm talking to S on the phone the TV turns on again. I waited for her outside after that. Later that night my cousin S, another cousin who is the sister to A, and I go back to A's house to drop off the baby and get my stuff I left there. We ring the door bell no answer. We hear them running up and down the stairs, we saw someone look at us through the window, and we can hear them talking and laughing. We have no clue what game they're playing so we ring the door bell again and start yelling at them, they're laughing at us now. All 3 of us are getting irritated and start to leave, as we get in the car, here comes A and her husband coming up the street in their car... We have no clue what the hell happened that night, I don't believe in the paranormal but I have no explanation for that.
Static
[rebelmouse-image 18353536 is_animated_gif=We have an office next to our living room. One night, my wife gets up in the middle of the night and the TV in the office was turned on. Nobody had been in the office for a few days.
Two days later, I get up for work really early, 6am, and I'm in the living room putting on my shoes. I notice the TV is on again. When I walked in the office to unplug the TV, I got chills worse than I've ever had in my life.
I can explain the chills as my active imagination, but the TV turning itself on, twice, still creeps me out.
OKC Creeps
[rebelmouse-image 18360385 is_animated_gif=This is really confusing and still confuses me to this day. But as i remember it, I was in kindergarten and me and my family were living in an apartment in oklahoma city. It was in the middle of the day which is what still trips me out but my mom had went out grocery shopping and had been out for about over an hour while me and my dad were at home so we had been expecting her already. We both CLEARLY hear the door being unlocked, OPENED, and keys being set on the table. Almost like a routine for whenever my parents would get home. I exclaimed "mommy's home!" while both me and my father leave the room and go into the living room. No one is there. Me and my dad are both confused and search around then as my dad calls my mom to ask where she's at, she unlocks the front door and comes in like nothing happened. We asked her if she had already been inside and went to the car or something and she said she literally just arrived for the first time. It was a really small apartment so it was pretty clear we both had obviously heard something from inside the apartment just only 15 steps away. The weirdest part to me which my dad doesn't seem to find significance in because he was the "aware adult" but that I VIVIDLY remember that happening at one apartment while my dad says he clearly remembered that happening at the apartment we had lived in previously. I was old enough to distinguish the names of the apartments and we've talked about it to clear any confusion but it's just odd to me that we both have the exact same story with exact details but remember it as two different places
People Break Down The Absolute Worst Parts About Having A Child
While starting a family and having children is a goal that many people have, some do not realize that it's not easy, fun, and loving one-hundred percent of the time. Rather, it's expensive, exhausting, and hard, though it might be worth it in the end.
With this in mind, people shared what they felt were the hardest hurdles of their parenting.
Redditor ApprehensiveShock655 asked:
"What's the worst part of having a child?"
Fear of Not Doing Enough
"The constant anxiety that you’re doing enough to shape them to make good choices, a good life, be a good person and for them to have the life they deserve."
- nakedreturnsthe1st
Like the Energizer Bunny
"It's incessant. It never stops. You never get a day off."
"Going from having two days per week to relax and do whatever to literally never having a moment free from responsibility."
- mrbuh
No Break In Sight
"I’ve always wanted kids and still do, but this is the only thing that has come close to giving me pause."
"Both my siblings have young kids and I cannot get over how CONSTANT it is."
"From the second the kids wake up to when they finally shut their eyes, it’s non-stop. Then they get maybe an hour or two to themselves, which is mostly spent tidying up, etc., before the nighttime stuff starts with the baby crying, the toddler coming into bed, nightmares, etc."
"It requires years of not getting a full night's rest. You can never just go out whenever you want. No sleeping in, even on weekends because someone has to be up with them at 6 AM."
"Raising human children is an insane task."
- GirlisNo1
Mom's Body After Baby and Dad Bods
"The weight gain is the worst! During the pregnancy, I gained 35 pounds. My belly has stretch marks. My boobs are all saggy."
"And it’s not even fair because my wife only gained like 15."
- Wise-Reaction-7526
The Meal Planning
"Coming up with three meals to eat per day EVERY DAY stresses me out so bad."
"This sounds like such a small thing, but it really wears on you over time. You can’t just make something for yourself or something you and your spouse feel like eating: You have to constantly be thinking about if the kid is hungry and what they might be willing to eat."
- Ravenclaw79
Keeping Them Safe
"When people ask me this I say, 'do you know those video games where you have to escort a character to a destination without them being attacked?' That's parenting. Those missions are a pain in the a**."
- Infiniski_Gaming
Seriously, Keep Them Safe
"Having to deal with their total lack of self-preservation. They are creative and come up with all kinds of ways to try and kill themselves. Keeping ahead of the game is exhausting."
- Quizzical_Chimp
Constant Contact
"They’re just always there. On you, behind you, in front of you, just a little speed bump impeding every task."
- Tangboy500000
Letting Them Live Their Life Their Way
"Having a kid is like having a little piece of your heart running around in the world. When they're sick or get disappointed or just feel sad, it's worse than having it happen to you."
"Yet at the same time, you need to let your kids work through those things to learn to handle them. If you give into the worry and try to shield them from everything, you risk creating harmful co-dependence."
"So it's a constant struggle. But worth it!"
- um_chili
What Is "Sleep" Again?
"I'm only nine years in, but so far, it's been the sleep deprivation. Hands down."
- tessiegamgee
And What Are These "Sick Days" You Speak Of?
"Having to take care of a sick child when you are also sick. For me that has been the most challenging part so far."
- MrsLouisaMercury
Another Full-Time Job
"It's like taking a second job that lasts 18+ years with a 24/7 schedule with no holidays or sick days."
"…And no second paycheck. It's actually like YOU are paying your second salary instead of getting one."
- mouse_rat
Personal Freedom
"The loss of freedom. I can't just... go somewhere. Even with older kids, there's so much planning and thinking and getting ready."
"I miss being able to just decide to go somewhere, and go there."
- poetris
The Time Flies
"The best advice I got was from an ancient hospital security guard in an elevator. 'The days are long, the years are short, cherish them while you can.'"
- WayOfTheHouseHusband
So Unexpected
"The phrase I hate is, 'You don't know it, but one day you pick your kid up for the last time.'"
- 3_pac
There are all kinds of troubles that come from being a parent, many of which people don't necessarily think about until they already have a baby in the house.
But reassuringly, many people in the subReddit pointed out that no matter how hard some of these hurdles are to get over, it's still worth it in the end, and it goes by far too fast.
Married People Explain How They Tactfully Initiate Sex With Their Partner
Positive emotions are high among people in the blossoming phase of relationships.
Everything seems more romanticized for people in love due to the amorous joy in their hearts–which also influences their desire to frequently get it on under the sheets–or any other daring location in the heat of the moment.
But for those who've declared "'til death do us part," devoted couples may find that they are not always on the same wavelength sexually compared to when they first met.
Curious to hear how people keep their passion alive, Redditor Rude_Phone6841 asked:
"Married people, how do you initiate sex with your partner?"
When verbally articulating isn't enough...
Let The Book Dictate When
"There is a book called 'How to Subtly Tell Your Partner You Want More Sex.' If you sleep on the right side of the bed, you can casually open it up and your spouse will see the giant printed title on the front. Sometimes, I’ll just get the book out and leave it on his side of the bed. Once he was messing with me and acting like he was oblivious to my not-so-subtle hints, so I threw the book at him. The book is effective and hilarious."
"ETA: Sadly, we haven’t found the book since we moved. Fortunately, we’ve started communicating with our words instead. Words are just as effective."
– Flaky_Finding_3902
Save The Date
"I send her an outlook calendar event and if she accepts, IT'S ON."
– Dawn_Piano
The Signal
"You know when I’m down to my socks it’s time for business."
– SEA___BEAR
These couples find that verbal cues are best.
Now's The Time
"Honestly when we have the time one of us usually bluntly says 'let's go have sex right f'king now before we can't' and we go do it. Lol"
– brie1305
Option A Or B
"I have a 2 month old and a 2 year old. Some of the best sex we had was because I said 'after 2 year old goes down and if 2month decides to sleep do you want to meet in the basement' well she decided to sleep and damn that was good."
– Ahkmedjubar
End Of Day Reward
"We just ask each other tbh. We’ll bring it up earlier in the day so we build up the anticipation with each other throughout the day, flirt with each other, gas each other up. All that. Then when it’s finally time at the end of the day, we usually fall asleep cause we’re so tired."
"But the cycle continues the next day!"
– supermariobruhh
People continued offering their wisdom.
Afternoon Hanky Panky
"The trick is to initiate sex during the day. We are both too tired at the end. Plus hanging out all day after is somehow more rewarding."
"Same goes for dates. Have sex at the beginning the date, then go enjoy your time together without any pressure."
– drneeley
Kids In The Equation
"This literally happened today with my wife and me. We have two toddlers so we’re extra exhausted. Earlier today we had the sexy initiation of 'hey, we both showered today, want to have sex after the babies are asleep?' 'Sure.'"
"Then when the kids were asleep, and my wife and I were getting settled into bed, she asked if I still wanted to. I said if she wants to I’m down, but I’m pretty tired and would be fine without it. She said she was also tired and could do without it. So we kissed each other good night and she went to sleep. I’m just winding down on Reddit for a few minutes before I also fall asleep."
"I know this is boring. I didn’t write this to tell an exciting story. Just to share what married life is like for me and probably the large majority of married couples, especially parents of young kids."
– MolotovCollective
Shadow Puppet Technique
"Use my phones torch to shine a shadow of my member up against the bedroom wall."
"Kinda like a bat signal of sorts."
– SchoonerOclock
Mood Lighting
"Turn off the lights and switch on the red lamp beside the bed."
– SuvenPan
Reliable Visual
"Walk by him while taking my top off. He follows me wherever I go and it's been 30 years and counting."
– LisaBooHigh
Every couple is different, and usually establishing a strong communication bond makes everything else in the relationship–including sexy time–falls in line effortlessly.
I knew a couple who made a game out of foreplay and agreed that whoever got home first from getting off work at the same time got to choose the sexual position that night.
They may no longer be together, but I remember them recalling how that technique was fun for them at the beginning stage and it took the pressure off of establishing when they were going to have sex.
Don't take get too anxious about it. It's just sex, and it's fun.
There are a number of things people partake in spite of the known possible ramifications they have on their health and safety.
Up to and including smoking, bungee-jumping, recreational drug use, or simply bike riding without a helmet.
Indeed, even though they know that doing any or all of these things could possibly lead to their death, they do it anyway.
Sadly, even though many people go out of their way to avoid doing these things for that very reason, that still doesn't mean they keep themselves completely out of danger.
Sadly, there are a surprisingly large number of things that lead to an even more surprising number of deaths each year.
Frighteningly, these are things that the majority of the world's population does on an almost daily basis.
"What causes death more than people realize?"
When In Doubt, Call Your Doctor!
"Untreated infections."
"Your body will become septic, in which it essentially kills itself trying to kill off whatever infection one has."- cacarrizales
"Infections that are left untreated."- raptor-99
Tread Carefully. Seriously.
"Tripping."
"On average around 17k people a year in the US die from injuries incurred after tripping and falling."- EdithWhartonsFarts
When In Doubt, Don't Drive.
"Driving while sleepy."- latchkey_adult
The Handrail Is There For A Reason.
"Stairs."
"20 million severe injuries each year and at least 200,000 death from consequences of the fall."
"Both my grandparents died because of a fall."- OnTheGoodSideofLife
They Happen To The Best Of Us
"Fall accidents."
"Especially among the elderly, a fall can create a cascade of events that results in death, even if it seems minor at first."-AdmiralBofa
Never Rush Chewing
"Mozzarella sticks."
"Statistically the most choked on food."- SpecSanders
Never Skip A Check-Up
"High Blood Pressure."
"It sneaks up on you and you don't know about it or don't care but it's the underlying cause of so many deaths."- Fear51
Never Underestimate The Importance Of Self Care
"Stress."
"Your body can only handle so much of it and it’s labeled the 'silent killer' for that reason."
"With your high blood pressure and the 5 hours of sleep a night because of the stress, It will creep up on you sooner than you think."- DroppedDonut
Don't Forget To Floss!
"Untreated dental problems."
"A cavity left untreated can lead to heart attacks and strokes."- Lastalmark
Flu Season
"Influenza."
"Just regular old flu."
"Many people ignore it thinking it'll go away on its own."
"Globally the number per year is usually between 300k and 500k."
"In the US it can be anywhere from 12k to 50k per year."- PhreedomPhighter
Don't Feel Ashamed If You Need A Break
"Shoveling snow."
"I have two family friends pass from heart attacks associated to shoveling the snow."- JD054
There Are People Who Will Help You
"Alcoholism causing liver failure and it's on the rise in the USA."- Interesting_Drop8236
"Peruse your County ME’s records."
"The amount of people who die from alcohol is astounding."- hockenduke
Sometimes, It's Just Best To Mind Your Own Business
"Street fights."
"You watch some Hollywood blockbusters and some MMA fights and you think you can do it too."
"I've seen stories of a guy minding his own business and gets rocked on the side of his head. It disconnected his spine and he was dead before he hit the ground."
"There was another story maybe a year ago of a scuffle where a guy was stabbed in the neck and bled out to the point of being unable to stand within 10 seconds."
"Stop f*cking around, it's not worth your life."- Choiceofart
We never know when our number is up or how we'll end our days.
However, with a little bit of care and good judgment, we can at least likely avoid falling victim to all of the above.
When Americans visit a foreign country, they tend to notice immediate cultural differences from the minute they step off the plane.
Unique bathroom designs, how you might have to be more specific when ordering coffee in Australia, how many businesses in Spain tend to shut down for a few hours to take a siesta.
Needless to say, this goes both ways, as when people from all over the world visit the United States, they tend to be surprised and amazed by a number of things.
Ranging from the amusing, such as portion sizes and ineffective tea brewing (at least for the Brits) to the truly baffling (HEALTHCARE).
"Non-American people, what’s a thing that you don’t understand about America?"
You Mean, People DON'T File Their Own Taxes Elsewhere?!?!
"Does every worker have to file their own taxes or am I just confused?"- ThePencil67
"Why they make you calculate your own taxes, if they know what you owe."- redder2023
Flagrant Commercialism...
"So, why do you buy politicians' merchandise? "
"Shirts, caps, banners, stickers, etc."
"They're public servants, not rockstars."
"Also, usually the more boring they are, the better."- akashyy
Work/Life Balance
"Scottish person here but the work/always available for work culture."
"Minimal vacation time, minimal maternity/paternity leave and the fact you can pretty much just be let go."
"It makes me sad to think about it!"
"But I do love that you guys cram so much into your time off - you guys love a road trip!"- Frosty_Dragonfly_682
Definitely Something To Consider...
"What is up with Homeowner Associations?"
"Why would you pay to let a nosy neighbor dictate what you can and can not do on your own property?"
"I understand living in an apartment block and paying maintenance fees etc, but in a suburban home?"- Skoodledoo
There Are Some Good Observations
"The amount of National Parks!"
"My dream came true in 2017 to make an RV trip southwest off USA."
"Yosemite blew my mind away."- Independent-Ad9787
HAHAHA
"How you can say the word 'mirror' without the use of any vowels."
"Mrrrrrr."- Otto1968
I Ordered A Small!
"Why everything is just SO damn supersized."
"My first time in America I went to get ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts, I ordered a large and my friend is like, 'are you sure you want large'?"
"Yeah no biggie, in the UK a large is not overwhelming I feel so I was expecting the same kinda thing."
"Oh my god it was like a god damn bucket of coffee."
"I think maybe a small would have been equivalent to a UK large, lesson swiftly learnt."
Some People Are Lucky To Just Have One Roommate...
"How you have to share a room with some complete rando when you go to college."- ChoppingOnionsForYou
Some People Just Can't Stop Talking
"The culture of just talking to people, strangers you don't know and just up and start a conversation with them or join a conversation."
"I'm British, and we go through great lengths to not talk to people, let alone open up and pour our hearts out to a random person."- MrGlayden
In Other Words: Severs Deserve to Be Paid More!
"The tipping culture is so foreign to me, I would be so scared to make a mistake or not tipping enough if I ever go to America because it's not something which is common here in Denmark."- Cupsuu
The Commercials, Maybe?
"I’m American but I’ve worked with a lot of people who aren’t."
"The one thing they always wonder is why Americans are so obsessed with the NFL."
"They think it’s a boring sport."
"They explained 'you wait for 30 seconds, they hike the ball, you get about 5-10 seconds of action, then you wait another 30 seconds, another 5-10 seconds of action, then commercial break'."- yougotthesilver12
School Is No Place To Have Fun!
"My mom is from Moscow during the Soviet Era, and she is confused why there is no teacher-student hierarchy."
'She thinks it's weird when teachers participate in school plays or speak to students informally."
"She also DOES NOT GET pajama day."
"To her, it's just the weirdest thing in the world."
"In Russia, there is an important distinction between 'clothes for home' and 'clothes for outside'."
"They have a concept of 'home clothes', like your cozy or ugly clothes, that you are supposed to change into after school or work."
"At bedtime, you change out of your 'home clothes' into pajamas."
"As a result, pajamas, for both adults and children, are considered extra-extra private in Russia."
"My mom perceives pajama day as something extreme like wearing only undergarments to school."
"That's how private pajamas are considered to be in Russia!"- racheltolmach2022
A Debate Which Will Likely Never End
"MM/DD/YYYY"- SuvenPan
Living in America comes with a number of advantages and a number of detriments.
Speaking personally though, had I known I wouldn't have to file my own taxes in Australia, I would have expatriated long ago...