One of life's golden rules is... "always remember, everybody is going through something. So be kind." The quiet kid isn't just weird, they are just doing their best or maybe they just don't like the rest of you. More often than not it's the quiet ones that will drop your jaw the farthest. They have hidden talents and hearts they wait to expose... it's all about the timing in life. The quiet kid maybe the one you remember most; hopefully for the right reasons.
Redditor u/Ryrylx wanted to hear about the classmates that took everybody by surprise when they inquired... What has the "quiet kid" at school done that surprised you?children's inpatient psychiatric facility....
I had a little boy enter my class during the year who always acted ostentatiously good. If the rest of the class was going to pot, he'd sit quietly with his hands folded, and make sure that I noticed him. [Note: I never asked the kids to do that - it's like something from olden times.]
I did smile and thank him quietly for being so helpful, but never insisted on it or mentioned it to the others.
One day he didn't come to school. Midway through the day I got a phone call from the nurse saying that this sweet little boy had been admitted to a children's inpatient psychiatric facility, and would I please get his books and schoolwork organized to send to the teachers there.
Apparently he had had some sort of an "episode" at home. I was shocked as I readied his work, because he had always been so well behaved in school.
I think that perhaps he had a bizarre home life, and school was his place to be safe and "normal." After his stay in the facility the little boy came back to school and resumed his pattern of responsible behavior. I sometimes wonder what ever happened to him. Swedishpunsch
Rocked.
GiphyI was "the quiet kid."
I surprised myself when this girl who'd been bullying me threw rocks at my back and legs, and I stood up and threw one back.
It literally hit her in the center of her forehead, I kid you not.
I didn't mean to do that, but I did not feel bad. TheKidsAreSad
Shy Guy.
When i was in high school we had a kid who never talked. Seriously, never, got waivers for presentations, the whole nine yards.
He never did anything else weird... that was his weird thing. He definitely wasn't mute. I asked him and he wrote it on a slip of paper. I don't think it was a shy issue either. justaregulardude1989
Surprise!
The quiet kid surprised me alright.
He dealt with his depression head on, stopped smoking weed, he applied himself, got a job and moved out of a toxic home. He started working out and he traveled more, he also made more of an effort with women and over the past few years he had 2 beautiful girlfriends.
One dumped him and the other was dumped by him - both beautiful women inside and out and they were great experiences for him to mature and develop as a person.
He has his ups and downs, the last while mostly downs - but he's trying hard to be kinder to himself and be grateful for where he is now compared to before. TYIC2020
The Hard Kick.
GiphyI was the quiet kid growing up. one day in p.e I was picked on because of my last name. One boy kept calling me gay while playing soccer. Well I got mad and just kicked the ball hard straight into his groin. He kneeled over crying. That was the last time anyone ever made fun of my name. Poor kid was teased for being beat up by the little shy girl. We were on good terms after that. derangedpenguins
the low key trouble maker.....
I am the quiet kid. People would be surprised if they knew this, but a lot of trouble mysteriously caused in the classroom was by me, the low key trouble maker.
Once, in middle school, we had to prep for a science test, and the teacher kept telling us to study because of how difficult it would be. People who've already took the test warned us about it. When it got to my science period (the last science period of that day, after lunch), the test mysteriously disappeared with no copies left.
The teacher sworn that they had it, but it was nowhere to be found. The copies of the test in her computer was also completely lost and gone. We ended taking a much easier science quiz she found on the same topic, and almost everyone that period aced it.
Who stole all of the test copies and went on her computer to delete the file? Me. That story was a sample from the things I do, but that was by far the riskiest thing I've done to protect my grade, because I could've got suspended if I was caught or something. Zer0M0tivation
7/10....
She never talked to ANYONE. One day, my school went bowling and my principal said if anyone could hit a 7-10 split, he'd take us all out to ice cream. After we finished bowling he asked if anyone hit a 7-10 split and I teased and shouted that this girl had and out of NOWHERE! She talked for the first time and said she had! We got ice cream because the first time the silent kid ever talked in school, she lied! Gymtoshi97
Just Nasty.
I used to be one of the quiet kids and my only friend was a fellow quiet kid, they started a rumor that I self harm and within hours teachers were checking my arms to see if it was true, they got really popular after that and I fell into a pit of disappear because people bullied me even more for it. Cuteness_Overload-
WINNING!!!
GiphyGot a decent job, lost weight, started handling his depression, planning on college now, is currently spending his life with the woman of his dreams, and is currently on reddit.
Luckily, for me, I was the quiet kid at my school. Lol. themajor24
Chatty Kathy.
Suddenly started being really chatty during senior year. Turns out he had a great sense of humor and could roast the crap out of the rest of us because he had spent the previous two years quietly observing. It was so awesome to see him come out of his shell. I don't know what he's up to now, but I know his home life was pretty rough. I really hope he's doing well. NudlePockets
Regina Georging It!
GiphyStopped being the quiet kid. He went from never speaking to anyone to one of the most popular kids. Although he was not a fool ring leader type either. khodor2012
Everyone was just blown away.
How about a happy story?
There was this kid I saw in my middle school and high school. Very creepy looking. Very thin for his age, caucasian, unkept oily hair, had a weird mustache in HS, and would twitch/fidget all the time. People didn't want anything to do with him because he was always talking to himself with quiet unidentifiable mutterings. Well fast forward some years to the senior high school talent show.
He walks on stage and busts out the best rapping I've ever heard in my life. Everyone was just blown away. My last memory of him in HS was seeing him with two girls. From creep for nearly all of your schooling to popular during the last 2 weeks of public school was amazing. I hope he's gone on to do great things. EconArch
The Bodyguard.
in 6th grade i sat next to a quiet girl in my Italian class, i took a liking to her because she was the only person who would put up with me. two girls sitting near us started harassing me, i didn't even say anything to them but they were just being really cruel because they thought i was annoying. the quiet girl didn't hesitate to stick up for me and tell them to leave me alone.
i was so surprised that she did that, she was so shy and gentle and unassuming but she immediately defended me from these really mean girls. i was so grateful for the fact that she actually cared about me enough to put herself in a scary situation just so that i wouldn't be alone. She's now one of my best friends 7 years later. :) 12wolfie
Young Hannibal.
They told me how they, as a small child once squeezed their hamster till it's guts came out then shoved them back in and acted like nothing happened and their parents thought it died of natural causes.
edit: for clarification, they stuffed the entrails back into the hamster then put the hamster back into its cage. justawiliBeanSprout
Michelle.
GiphyMy dad said the quiet kid at his school was also awkward, lanky, and didn't get paid a whole lot of attention to. Well... she turned out to be Michelle Pfeiffer. He told the story many times to us growing up and said it's important to be kind to everyone for many of reasons, including one being you just never know who they'll turn out to be one day! alyloohoo
"he was in our class"
Married me.
He was the quiet kid who never really interacted with the other kids. I was a nerd but pretty outgoing/chatty. I knew him in high school because it was a really small school and sometimes I would basically force him to talk to me since I sat by him in homeroom. But we weren't really friends. I thought I annoyed the crap out if him.
Fast forward to college and even though we went to different schools we wound up in the same friend group. Most weekends we'd all travel to visit friends at other schools. He turned out to be hilarious. Still a bit quiet but funny as hell and the nicest guy on the planet. We both dated other people in college but after graduation we both wound up single at the same time and he made his move. I knew right away that I'd marry him.
Sometimes we laugh and are like, in high school did you EVER think you'd wind up with me? Because never in a million years did I envision that.
He was so quiet that a couple times I've run into old classmates and they've asked me who I married and they don't recognize his name and I have to be like, "he was in our class" and they draw a complete blank. He's way more outgoing now. Works in sales, loves dealing with people and is super charming. Meanwhile I'm the crabby one who doesn't like to deal with people because these days they annoy me. Never would have predicted that switch. People love him. Beginning_Friendship
Puffy....
I was that quiet kid. I think I got voted to be closet partier in my yearbook. Then after graduation, I pulled out a pipe at a party. Talk about about shock and awe. People looked at me differently after that. My_Dog_Rolls_In_Poo
Jengaed!
I was the quiet kid. Had horrible social anxiety, not many friends. I'm happy to say that I'm in a munch better place mentally now. :)
I still have some issues to overcome, but I'm proud of how far I've come from the quiet kid in the corner. Also, I clobbered a kid with a jumbo Jenga brick in Reception and I think that caused him to bully me for the majority of primary school. :/ CharaDreamer55
It was Me.
I was the quiet kid. Kept to myself, did art and wrote in my journal instead of socialized. After I graduated I took a solo road trip in my VW bug, worked at a ski resort for a winter - so I could Snowboard - then backpacked Europe for 3 months at the age of 21. I gave my art teacher an update about my life and she later told me she had to go look my name up in the year book because I was nothing like I had been in high school. SparrowsArt
No... you HANGRY!
GiphyOne of the quiet kids in my English class got up in the middle of class and left for like 15 min. before coming back with around 40 bags of chips. He went to all the vending machines in the school and cleaned them out on chips. When someone asked him why, all he said was "I'm kinda hungry." phantom_of_the_books
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.