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'He Dumped Me On My Birthday': People Share The Pettiest Way Someone Has Broken Up With Them

Breaking up with someone is hard. We get it. But there is a right way, and a wrong way. A way that takes the other person's feelings and humanity into a consideration, and a way that flings tiny turds at the person's soul and whispers, "I am a horrible person." Don't be like the turd throwers below. 

If you want to read more of these stories, check out the source link below. 

We had been together just about a year, and Valentine's day was approaching, it was to be our first together. I had planned a romantic evening, roses, candles, the works. The weekend before valentine's I had to work, and she was accompanying a guy she knew to some sort of fraternity formal. I didn't exactly approve, but she had been a virgin when we met, shy of sex until we were together for a while, and didn't seem the type to cheat. She assured me it was just platonic, blah, blah, blah... 

So valentine's arrives and I've got the scene all laid out and we have the nice candlelit dinner, but afterwords she breaks into tears and confesses that she had sex with the guy after the formal. She says, basically, he had bought me flowers, so I couldn't say no...relationship ends ten minutes later. I'm a bit heartbroken...she was stunning and we had had a good ride, but I got over it and date around for a while. 

Fast forward 11 months, I get a call late one week night from valentine's girl..."Gosh I've missed you. Can you come get me? I've got so much to say". I've got nothing going on and can be talked into being horny, so I go get her. We talk in the car for a bit until she says 'I really meant come get me, now take me back to your place'. We sleep together, it's nice, we talk every day for the next 3 or 4 days until we decide that since the next week is valentine's day and there's no one we'd rather be with on the day, we'll try again. Day before valentine's day I get a call from girl "sorry to do this to you Otto, but I was out with a friend the other night and met a guy, think he might be the one". 

ottopivnr

I booked a weekend for me and my GF in London in order to go and see a concert. I paid about 250 euros for her since she couldn't afford it herself. The day before leaving, I went down to the bank to withdraw some English pounds and I called her and asked if I should withdraw some for her (and she could give me cash for it later). She replied "Well, yeah.... I don't have a lot of money right now" and I was a bit confused. Anyway, I told her she could borrow money from me and pay me back later. She still sounded hesitant and agreed that I could withdraw 50 pounds for her, way too little to last the entire weekend.

So I went home and started packing. Didn't hear from her for a couple of hours, and when the clock was 8 PM (we were leaving at 8 AM the day after) and I could not reach her I got a bit scared. She had been acting strange all day, and now she wasn't answering my calls.

So I tried calling her about 15-20 times, no answer. I called her little brother but he didn't know where she was. I found out the number to her best friend and called her, and while I was almost crying I asked her where my GF was and explained that I was taking her to London. The friend's answer (I didn't talk much to her friends) was "Yeah, I heard something about somebody taking her to London. I don't know where she is." She sounded just as strange as my GF did earlier.

I called the police. Nobody knew where my GF was and I was scared that something had happened. They told me that I needed to go and check her apartment, and wait 24hours before reporting her as missing. So I took my car and drove to her house all terrified. Ran in to her apartment and found her in bed with another dude.

I just turned and walked out. Got in to the car and drove home crying. Called her friend again and just asked her what the heck was going on. Apparently my GF had ben cheating on me for 2 of the 5 years we had been together. I talked to her once after that and her explanation was, "Well, I loved you both in different ways".

Have not talked to her since that.

kausti

I had been dating this girl for a while and all was well. We had planned a trip out of town for a big, all-day event. About a week before the trip she stops responding to texts all day. I chalk it up to her being busy and try not to overthink it. I get a text from her the next day saying that she is not sure what to think anymore and needs some space. This is out of nowhere. I don't know what is going on and am crushed but decide that if she needs space I will give it to her.

She texts me the next day and asks how I am doing. I tell her that I am ok. She then invites me to a family gathering for her cousin who just came back from Germany. I am confused about the quick turnaround but gladly accept the invite. She introduces me to all her family (cousins, aunts and uncles, even grandparents). It went fine and as I leave she makes a big deal about giving me a kiss and how she will talk to me the next day.

Next day comes around and she invites me to a party with all of her co-workers, she was leaving for a new job and it was a going away party, I accept once again. I have met most of them before so it wasn't too bad. But all the ones I haven't met she introduces me to as her boyfriend and is very touchy feely the whole night.

We end up going on the trip. The concert was great, lots of good bands. I promised her I would take her shopping the next day so we did that. I ended up spending a decent amount of money on her, thinking this would help show her how much I cared, dumb idea I know. She then tells me how awesome it would be if we went a little out of the way on the way home to meet her step-sisters. I agree, seeing as I had already met all her other relatives, I see no problem with this. We go about two hours out of the way and meet them, have lunch, talk for a while, and end up heading back home late at night.

I go to work the next day and am not hearing from her. I decide that she might still be needing some space and let her be. I get a text the next day saying that she feels like we have drifted apart and need to break up. I ask her how long she felt like this and she says for about a month. When I ask her why she would introduce me to her whole family when she was feeling this way she said it is because I am the first guy they would approve of and she wanted them all off her back. I later find out that for the entire last month of our relationship she had been sleeping with her ex and had apparently told him that they would be getting back together as soon as we had gone on this trip and I had bought her the nice things she wanted.

I was messed up by this for a while. It happened about 5 months ago and sometimes I still get pretty down about it. But luckily I have some great friends and a great family around me to let me know that I am better off.

bmanbeav 

At the airport when leaving for a deployment to Iraq.

Jase_515

He sent me a text saying "ur dumpd" whilst we were sat next to each other on a bus. Classy fella!

youkissedaclown

After I had surgery and was able to fully hold a conversation I called my then boyfriend. He proceeded to tell me I had too much drama, he didn't love and he was sleeping with his ex. We hung up, I asked for more pain killer and went right back to sleep. Good times.

jealousjelly

My ex and I went to Thailand together for a two-week trip around the country (after being together over a year). This was also a sort-of birthday present for me, as it was right before my 20th birthday. On the third day, he confessed that he didn't love me anymore and realized it a month before the trip, but couldn't tell me. He didn't want to be with me anymore. The trip was non-refundable. I had to get a new friggin passport and take two weeks off work, and it was HIS IDEA! It was miserable and humiliating. I drank a lot. Instead of going home with me at the end of the trip, he stayed and got drunk with some of his friends who conveniently showed up, and slept with random girls. My birthday was terrible and then I had to explain everything to my friends and parents when I got back. I cried for weeks.

TooManyVitamins

I had been dating a girl for about four years and she seemed perfect. We had been living together for two years and had had no relationship problems that I was really aware of. We both took jobs in a different state (the same state, same company, same town) and were going to move in about 6 months or so. My job required me to go and complete training in a completely different state until then.

So, I say goodbye to my fianc and travel off to this third state where I live on a shoestring budget in order to finance our almost cross-country move. While I'm away, my fianc starts telling me that she's been spending a lot of time with this female friend of mine that I introduced her to. My fianc was bisexual, and we had had discussions about certain "open-ness" in our relationship, so I wasn't worried. In fact, I was happy that she wasn't as lonely as she kept telling me she was.

After about six months, I travel back home. My fianc doesn't greet me at the door - in fact, she had my only key and didn't answer her phone. So I had to sit outside of our apartment with my luggage, waiting for thirty minutes. Eventually aforementioned mutual friend drives up, my fianc gets out, and the friend leaves without a word or a wave. My fianc tells me she had forgotten that I was getting in that day (despite me having texted and emailed her earlier). I shrug it off and we go inside and keep packing.

We packed for about a week and the whole time she refused to sleep at our apartment (claiming that it was too uncomfortable to sleep on a foam mattress on the floor). She stayed at her now-girlfriend's place. At the end of the week, we loaded up a truck and drove to our new state.

Things seemed fine. She was smiling and happy. We got to the apartment that I had paid for in advance, a 2-story apartment with a fireplace, balcony, the works. It was supposed to be the stepping stone for a new life. She seemed happy, started unpacking her suitcase, set our cats out to explore. I started unloading the truck.

Three days later, I had finally finished unloading the truck. The fridge had food, the couches and bed were set up, the place was looking close to a real home. She was aloof, quiet. I kept asking what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me. She refused to talk. I tried to sit next to her and talk but she said she was fine and she just needed to be quiet and alone for a bit. I said sure, if that's what she wanted. I went to bed somewhat early as I had unpacked most of the truck by myself.

I woke up at 5am to a text message from her saying "I'm safe - I left you a note". I immediately start crying because any idiot knows this means bad news.

The note was a 2 page letter that was held to the fridge downstairs by a magnet. It was a long treatise about how she never really loved me and only started dating me as a rebound and then stayed with me when she realized I treated her better than anyone else had and that I was able to give her the best sex she had ever had in her life. She noted that she came to the conclusion (with the help of her new girlfriend) that she didn't love me ever, and in fact, according to her girlfriend, I was abusive and she needed to leave me for someone else. The gist of the letter was that I should feel bad about how bad of a person I was/am and that I needed to be out of the apartment by the time she got back from her ski vacation (a week's time) or else she would make me get out.

This is where my life fell apart. I was in a new town that I had only been in for about four days, I had no money because I spent it all on my cross-country move, and now I was homeless. I didn't want to fight because I was tired and emotionally destroyed (I was supposed to spend my life with this woman) so I started packing up my car (at least I had a car) and went to work as usual and spent most of the next couple of days looking for a new apartment. I eventually just threw in the towel and moved back to where I was living prior. Thankfully, I was able to keep my new job.

However, the emotional scars still run deep (as I'm sure they do for a lot of people posting here) and I still have deep and powerful trust issues and am highly paranoid without warrant.

ChocolateCyanide

My boyfriend went to see his family a state away, before he left I noticed I was very nauseous all the time and my boobs were sore. He was nervous when he left and said he'd be back soon and to keep him updated. Started getting bad cramping and bad bleeding, thought it was just my period, but then the bleeding stopped after one day. Went to doctor for tests to make sure all is good down below. Turned out I was pregnant and partially miscarried. I also had first stage signs of cervical cancer due to HPV he had given me, that they would have to laser off. Kept him informed of what was going on. He freaked out, never returned and admitted he had been cheating on me with a girl in his hometown. I guess it's during a low point that you find out someone's true character. 

Doom_Muffin

I continued dating my high school girlfriend after I went to college. We were only 100 miles apart and things were fine for most of our freshman year.

Then, one day she stopped returning my calls, this was right after I had spent the weekend with her.

I continued calling, getting worried. 

One day soon after, which I will need forget, I was walking back after class and called her.

A guy picked up and said "There is a new Sheriff in town. Stop calling." I could here her laughing in the background.

I loved her dearly. Wanted to get married after college. I was devastated. Went home, put on kid-a and moped for like a year.

Four years later she apologized to me. I was dating my now-wife at that point. We are friends now. But I still hate losing those years to depression and self doubt.

dressinbrass

Wife left me and the kids right after I had finished nursing her back to health after a major surgery. She said I wasn't romantic enough to her. Right when she was able to work again, she abandoned the kids.

I guess raising kids and supporting her through bed rest wasn't in the 50 shades of Grey novel.

dave2118

My girlfriend at the time was studying abroad. I went to visit her after several months of saving up to be able to buy a plane ticket. I arrived and she almost immediately told me that she had someone else.

My ticket, of course, was non-refundable, so I had to spend 5 days completely heartbroken in a city I didn't know, filled with people whose language I didn't speak and with no means to go home.

Worst week of my life.

Finniemc

I was single, bored, and wanted to be out of the house, but didn't want to see or talk to anyone. So I go to Starbucks and sit on my laptop working on some code, headphones on. My focus is interrupted by a tap on my shoulder. I look up, and there's this really cute girl. I take off my headphones and she was asking about my tattoos. We talked for a little bit, I showed her some of my ink, she showed me some of hers. Then her friend wanted to leave. Before they left, she gives me her number and asks me to call her.

I call her that night, and it turns out she's in the hospital. I ask her what happened, and she explains to me she has Cystic Fibrosis, and she normally waits to tell people about it until after she knows them a bit better.

I didn't know anything about CF, so I got to Googling while talking to her. The next day, I get off work, we've been texting all day. And She was complaining about hospital food, which she's grown accustomed to due to being in the hospital every so many months. I show up with some food, stayed there and we talked for a few hours.

She told me that whenever she starts seeing someone once she ends up in the hospital they realize that she's there for 2-3 weeks every 4-6 months, and they lose interest. And none of them ever bothered to come see her.

So I came by every day for 3 weeks to spend time with her after I got off work. I met her brother, a couple of her friends... got along with all of them.

We dated for 3 months after that... I learned a lot about CF in that time period. She lived every day like it was the last, because for her... it might be, with only 60% lung capacity. That was compounded even more because she was only 4'11'' tall, and finding lungs that were both a match for her, and would fit, wasn't easy. I thought a lot about what I was getting into. But I was happy, and I didn't care. I prepared myself for the worst and enjoyed each day.


One night when she's sleeping over at my place, she wakes up in a fit of coughing. I wake up and pat her back to try and help her break up some of the stuff in her lungs... Then she tells me "We have to stop this." I ask why and she says "I don't know how long I'm going to live, I don't know if I'll ever get new lungs." I tried to talk her out of this... I told her I understood what I was getting into. She told me, "I don't bother getting close to anyone, because I'm going to die and leave them behind and I don't want anyone to miss me. Normally guys just leave after I'm stuck in the hospital for a bit... But I know you won't... And it's not fair to you."

No matter what I said, I couldn't convince her. She packed up her stuff and left, and asked me to forget about her. And as quickly as she was there, she was gone. Our relationship was short and intense.

A little over a year passed, and I dated a few more women... The whole time I felt like I should have said something more, I should have tried harder. But that was that. I ended up meeting my current girlfriend, and one day I get a text from my ex. She got new lungs, and she wanted to apologize. She knew I had a new girlfriend, and didn't want me to bother responding, but she wanted to apologize.

My current girlfriend expected me to go back to my ex. And said she'd understand if I did... I never even considered replying to the text, I'm happy now... And I've heard she has met someone, and they've been together for almost a year. Hopefully she'll stay happy, and live a long life.

Melachiah

I got dumped via text while I was drugged up on painkillers, recovering from an operation that rendered me unable to walk for 2 weeks. After not telling me why and being ignored for weeks and being blocked on Facebook etc, I was asked by a friend how I was coping with what she did. I later found out he meant the fact the she broke up with me for another guy. When I asked her about this she said "you don't know what I'm thinking so stop trying". This happened 7 weeks ago and I still cant go through a day without forcing myself not to text her or stalk her Facebook.

[deleted] 

I foolishly decided that moving into the same building as my boyfriend would be cute and convenient. It was only later that I realized it was a horrible move. 

After he drove my car drunk and stole from me, I decided to end it. I broke my lease and started packing.

I didn't get all my packing done in one day, but I was nervous enough of him that I didn't want to stay in the same building.

My ex was so pissed off at me that he decided he was going to break into my apartment, plant some drugs, then call the cops on me.

My super called the cops when he saw him trying to get into my apartment. Thank goodness.

[deleted] 

I drove to my girlfriend's place one night. Her mom answers the door and says, "She don't want nothing to do with you." As I'm getting back in my car, my girlfriend appears. I just said, "Save it. If you're not adult enough to break up with me yourself, then I want nothing to do with you anyway." I drove off and never saw her again.

oopstoolate

I was an American girl living in London, England, who had a nice job lined up and was totally happy there. I was in a long distance relationship and he begged and convinced me to move back to the States. It was only AFTER I moved back that I found out he had been cheating on me the whole time. Yay! Why couldn't he have just told me sooner, before I gave up the job and hauled myself back to the other side of the world? 

VikingHedgehog

My girlfriend of three years broke up with me last Wednesday. About a week after I planned out our anniversary, and took her out on a fun date with pottery and delicious foods, all nice like. She said I wasn't focused enough on her life.

The thing that made it so bad wasn't that she did it in the billiards room of the memorial union, or that her reason was that I hadn't put her before school and studying, or that it was right after my uncle killed himself.

No. What was so bad about it was that I realized I didn't even care. Every time I'd done something for her, it was never enough. No matter how hard I tried.

Man... a breakup, after three years, should hurt, but I didn't feel anything. In fact I almost laughed. I didn't even feel like crying, I wasn't upset. I just didn't care anymore. She was breaking up with me, after everything I'd done. After leaving school when her best friend died, to stay with her, and just let her vent and cry. After planning every anniversary event. After everything, good and bad... three years of trying to have a good relationship. And I realized I didn't care anymore. Sad.

So I just left. And went and had smashburger with the homeless guy from New York who always sleeps at my bus stop.

ziggyzona

Leaving the fact that I was in elementary school, I still think it was rude; I had a girlfriend and our times were golden, holding hands and stuff,  I was flying. We were holding hands for like a few weeks when on one day my mom dropped me off at school as I saw her playing with another guy from class (rude). It struck me and I went to her to ask what the heck was wrong with her, playing with that other guy. As cold as ice she then replied: "Yeah, I'm with him now, is that okay with you?" With nothing coming up and only my mouth full open I stood there broken hearted. I still hate her.

kietelvlees

I came down with what I thought was a bad cold, but the other day I found myself unable to breathe and was getting scared when my home breathing treatments weren't working (I have asthma). So I went to the ER on Tuesday and I was admitted later that afternoon with a lung infection. She works long hours so I waited until that evening to tell her. We talked all of 5 minutes before she went to bed. I then didn't hear anything from all day yesterday (I was stuck in the hospital on Halloween no less!) so I was getting worried. Finally she answered my text this morning and proceeded to tell me this wasn't going to work out and broke up with me. 

AcerbicUserName



Source

People Describe The Creepiest Things They Ever Witnessed As A Kid

"Reddit user -2sweetcaramel- asked: 'What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?'"

Four mistreated baby dolls are hung by barb wire
Photo by J Lopez

For many childhood memories are overrun by living nightmares.

Yes, children are resilient, but that doesn't mean that the things we see as babes don't follow us forever.

The horrors of the world are no stranger to the young.

Redditor -2sweetcaramel- wanted to see who was willing to share about the worst things we've seen as kids, so they asked:

"What’s the creepiest thing you saw as a kid?"

Serious Danger

"Me and my best friend would explore the drainage tunnels under the Vegas area where we grew up. These were miles long and it was always really cool down there so it was a good way to escape the heat of our scorching hot summers. We went into this one that goes under the Fiesta casino and found a camp with a bunch of homeless people."

"Mind you we are like 11 years old lol. And we just kept going like it was nothing. It wasn’t scary then but when I look back at it we could have been in some serious danger. Our parents had no idea we did this or where we were and we had no cellphones. We could have been kidnapped and never have been found."

oofboof2020

Waiting for Food

"I was at a portillos once when I was 12 and I was waiting with my little brother at a booth while my parents got our food. This guy was standing with his tray kind of watching me then after a couple of minutes he started to walk over really fast not breaking eye contact with me."

"He was 2 feet from the table and my dad came out of nowhere and scared the s**t out of him. He looked so surprised and just said he wanted to see if I’d get scared or not. He left his tray full of food near the door and left. My folks reported him but we never went to that location again since we found a better one closer to home."

nowhereboy1964

Captain Hobo to the Rescue

"When I was a pretty young teen, my friends and I were horsing around in San Francisco and started hanging out to smoke with some homeless guys. Another homeless dude came up and began aggressively trying to shake us down for anything (money, smokes, a ride, drugs- all of it) and wouldn’t take no for an answer."

"We got in over our heads and could tell this guy was now riling the other 2 guys up and they were acting like they wanted to jump us. Some grandfather-looking old homeless man appeared out of nowhere and yelled at us to get the f**k out of here- nice kids like us don’t belong down here at this hour!!"

"Captain Hobo saved our lives that night. My parents sincerely thought we were at a mall all day lol."

FartAttack911

Survival

tsunami GIF Giphy

"I was 7 and survived the 2004 tsunami in Thailand. Witnessed the wave rise way above the already massive palm trees (approx. 40ft?) and my family and I watched/heard the wave crash into the ground from a rooftop."

faithfulpoo

These Tsunami stories are just tragic.

On the Sand

Scared The Launch GIF by CTV Giphy

"We were a group of kids who went to swim in a local lake. And there was a dead body on the beach with their hands raised and their legs bent unnaturally that local police just took out of the same lake. I've never put my foot in these waters again."

oyloff

Be Clever

"I was walking to school and I was about 5 or 6 years old and some guy pulled up beside me in his car and asked if I would get in. He also offered me sweets to do so. I said no. The creepy bit was when he calmly said ‘clever boy’ to me, then drove off. I’ve never even told my parents or anyone else about this as it would most likely freak them out."

OstneyPiz

Bad Jokes

"Dad's side of the family pranked me by burying a fake body on our back property and had me dig it up to find valuables. Was only allowed to use a lantern for light. They stuffed old clothes with chicken bones. Sheetrock mud where the head was... Random fake jewelry as the treasures... I was like maybe 10 or 11.. I remember digging up the boot first and started gagging because it became real at that point."

Alegan239

YOU

Who Are You Reaction GIF by MOODMAN Giphy

"Woke up to find my little brother staring at me in the dark, asking, Are you really you?"

PrettyLola2004

Siblings can really be a bunch of creepers.

No one should talk to others in the dark though.

Woman stressed at work
Photo by JESHOOTS.COM on Unsplash

When we hear about other people's jobs, we've surely all done that thing where we make assumptions about the work they do and maybe even judge them for having such an easy or unimportant job.

But some jobs are much harder than they look.

Redditor CeleryLover4U asked:

"What's a job or profession that seems easy but is incredibly challenging?"

Customer Service

"Anything customer-facing. The public is dumb and horrendous."

- gwarrior5

"My go-to explanation is, 'Anyone can do it, but few can do it for long.'"

- Conscious_Camel4830

"The further I get in my corporate career, the less I believe I will ever again be capable of working a public-facing job. I don’t know how I did it in the past. I couldn’t handle it in the present."

"I know people are only getting worse about how they treat workers. It is disturbing, embarrassing, and draining for everyone."

- First-Combination-12

High Stakes

"A pharmacist."

"You face the public. Your mistake can literally kill someone."

- VaeSapiens

"Yes, Pharmacist. So many people think their job is essentially the same as any other kind of retail worker and they just prepare prescriptions written by a doctor without having to know anything about them."

"They are very highly trained in, well, pharmacology; and it's not uncommon for a pharmacist to notice things like potentially dangerous drug interactions that the doctor hadn't."

- Worth_University_884

Teaching Woes

"Two nuggets of wisdom from my mentor teacher when I was younger:"

"'Teaching is the easiest job to do poorly and the hardest job to do well,' and 'You get to choose two of the following three: Friends, family, or being a good teacher. You don't have enough time to do all three.'"

"We all know colleagues or remember teachers who were lazy and chose the easy route, but any teacher who is trying to be a good teacher has probably sacrificed their friends and their sleep for little pay and a stressful work environment. There's a reason something like half quit the profession within the first five years."

- bq87

Creativity Is "Easy"

"Some creative professions, such as designers, are often perceived as 'easy' due to their creative nature. However, they may face the constant need to find inspiration, deal with criticism, and meet deadlines."

- rubberduckyis

"EVERYBODY thinks they are a designer, up until the point of having to do the work. But come critique time, mysteriously, EVERYBODY IS A F**KING DESIGNER AGAIN."

"The most important skill to have as a designer is THICK SKIN."

- whitepepper

Care Fatigue Is Real

"Care work."

"I wish it could be taken for granted that no one thinks it's easy. But unfortunately, many people still see it as an unskilled job and have no idea of the many emotional complexities, or of how much empathy, all the time, is needed to form the sorts of relationships with service users that they really need."

- MangoMatiLemonMelon

Physical Labor Generally Wins

"I’m going to say most types of unskilled labor and that’s because there’s such little (visible) reward and such a huge amount of bulls**t. I’ve done customer service, barista, sales, serving, etc; and it was all much harder than my cushy desk job that actually can be considered life or death."

- anachronistika

Their Memory Banks Must Be Wild

"I don't know if I'd call it incredibly challenging, but being one of those old school taxi drivers who know the city like the back of his hand and can literally just drive wherever being told nothing but an address is pretty impressively skilled."

"Not sure if it's still like this, but British cabbies used to be legendary for this. I'm 40 and I don't think most young people appreciate how much the quality of cab service has gone down since the advent of things like Uber."

"Nowadays it's just kind of expected that a rideshare/cab driver doesn't know exactly where you're trying to get and has to rely on GPS directions that they often f up. Back when I was in college, cabbies were complete experts on their city."

"More even than knowing how to get somewhere, they could also give you advice. You could just generally describe a type of bar/club/business you're looking for, and they'll take you right to one that was spot on. Especially in really big cities like NYC."

- Yak-Mak-5000

Professional Cooking

"Being a chef."

- Canadian_bro7

"I would love to meet the person who thinks being a chef is easy! I cook my own food and it’s not only OK to eat but I make a batch of it so I have some for later. So, to make food that is above good and portion it correctly many times a day and do it consistently with minimal wastage (so they make a profit), strikes me as extremely difficult."

- ChuckDeBongo

Team Leading, Oof

"Anything that involves a lot of people skills and socializing. I thought these positions were just the bulls**t of sitting in meetings all day and not a lot of work happening but having to be the one leading those meetings and doing public speaking is taxing in a way I didn’t realize."

- Counterboudd

Not a Pet Sitter At All

"Veterinary Technician."

"Do the job of an RN, anesthesiology tech, dental hygienist, radiology tech, phlebotomist, lab tech, and CNA, but probably don’t make a living wage and have people undervalue your career because you 'play with puppies and kittens all day.'"

- forthegoddessathena

Harder Than It Looks!

"Sometimes, when my brain is fried from thinking and my ego is shot from not fixing the problem, I want to be a garbage man... not a ton of thinking, just put the trash in the truck, and a lot of them have trucks that do it for you!"

"But if the robot either doesn't work or you don't have one on your truck, it smells really bad, the pay isn't what it used to be, you might find a dead body and certainly find dead animal carcasses... and people are id**ts, overfilling their bags, just to have them fall apart before you get to the truck, not putting their trash out and then blaming you, making you come back out."

"Your body probably is sore every day, and you have to take two baths before you can kiss your wife..."

"Ehh, maybe things are not so bad where I am."

- Joebroni1414

Twiddling Thumbs and Listening

"Therapist here. I’ve always said that it’s pretty easy to be an okay therapist—as in, it’s not that hard to listen to people’s problems and say, 'Oh wow, that’s so hard, poor you.'"

"But to be a good therapist? To know when your client is getting stuck in the same patterns, or to notice what your client isn’t saying? To realize that they’re only ever saying how amazing their spouse is, and to think, 'Hmm, nobody’s marriage is perfect, something’s going on there'?"

"To be able to ask questions like, 'Hey, we’ve been talking a lot about your job, but what’s going on with your family?' And then to be able to call them on their s**t, but with kindness and empathy? Balancing that s**t is hard."

"Anybody can have empathy, but knowing when to use empathy and when and how to challenge someone is so much harder. And that’s only one dimension of what makes being a therapist challenging."

- mylovelanguageiswine

Constant Updates

​"For the most part, my job is really easy (marketing tech). But having to constantly stay on top of new platforms, new tech, updates, etc etc is exhausting and overwhelming and I really hate it."

"Also, the constant responsibility to locate and execute opportunities to optimize things and increase value for higher-ups. Nobody in corporate roles can ever just reach a point of being 'good enough.' More and better is always required."

"Just some of the big reasons I’m considering a career change."

- GlizzyMcGuire_

Performing Is Not Easy

"Performing arts and other types of art. People think it’s a cakewalk or 'not a real job,' not realizing the literal lifetime of training, rejection, and perseverance that it takes to reach a professional level and how insanely competitive those spaces are."

- ThrowRA1r3a5

All About Perception

"I suspect everything fits this. Consider that someone whose job is stacking boxes in a warehouse has to know how to lift boxes, how many can be stacked, know if certain ones must be easily accessible, know how to use any equipment that is used to move boxes around."

"Not to mention if some have hazardous or fragile materials inside, if some HAVE to be stacked on the bottom, if a mistake is made and all the boxes have to be restacked, etc."

"But everyone else is like, 'They're just stacking boxes.'"

- DrHugh

It's easy to make assumptions about someone else's work and responsibilities when we haven't lived with performing those tasks ourselves.

This gave us some things to think about, and it certainly reminded us that nothing good comes of making assumptions, especially when it minimizes someone else's experiences.

Left-handed person holding a Sharpie
Kelly Sikkema/Unsplash

Many of us who are right-handed never even think about how the world is designed to cater to us.

It probably doesn't even cross your mind that 10% of the world's population is left-handed.

Because of this, there tends to be a stigma for being left-handed since society tends to associate the left with negative things.

For example, the phrase "two left feet" applies to those who are clumsy and therefore, incapable of dancing.

Curious to hear more about the challenges facing those with the other dominant hand, Redditor johnnyportillo95 asked:

"What’s something left-handed people have to deal with that right-handed people wouldn’t even think about?"

If only manufacturers appealed to an ambidextrous world.

Furniture Obstacle

"Those desks or couch chairs that have a small desk attached. They do make left handed/sided ones but they are few and far between."

– Prussian__Princess

"And they’re only on one side of the lecture hall, and it’s never a good seat. There is ONE front row, lefty desk in the entire room and it’s in the far corner, obscured by an ancient overhead projector."

– earwighoney

Everyday Objects For Everyday People

"as a left-handed person myself, one thing we often deal with is finding left-handed tools or equipment. many everyday objects, like scissors or can openers, are designed with right-handed people in mind, which can make certain tasks a bit more challenging for us lefties. we also have to adapt to a right-handed world when it comes to writing on whiteboards or using certain computer mice."

– J0rdan_24

Dangerous Tools

"The biggest risk is power tools. I taught myself to use all power tools right handed because of risks using them left handed."

"Trivial, I love dry boards but they are super hard to write on."

– diegojones4

It's hard to play when you're born with a physical disadvantage.

Sports Disadvantage

"Allright, Sports when you are young. Every demonstration from PE teachers are right handed. You cant just copy the movements they teach you you need to flip them and your tiny brain struggoes to process it. As well, 98% of the cheap sports equipment the school uses is right handed."

– AjCheeze

No Future In Softball

"I tried to bat right handed for so long in gym class growing up because the gym teacher never asked me what my dominant side was and the thought never occurred to me as a child to mention it! Needless to say I never became a softball star."

– Leftover-Cheese

Find A Glove That Fits

"In softball and baseball we need a specific glove for our right hand that's often impossible to find unless you own one, and we have to bat on the other side of the plate."

– BowlerSea1569

"I was one of two left-handers in a 4-team Little League in the 1980s. Nobody could pitch to me. I got a lot of "hit by pitch" walks out of it."

– Jef_Wheaton

These examples are understandably annoying.

Shocking Observation

"Having right handed people make comments whenever they see us write, like we’re some kind of alien."

– UsefulIdiot85

"'Woah! You're left-handed????'"

"I find myself noticing when someone is a lefty, and sometimes I comment on it, but I try not to. I'm primarily left-handed (im a right handed wroter but do everything else left), and every single time I go to eat with my family, someone says, "Oh hey, give SilverGladiolus22 the left hand spot, they're left-handed," and inevitably someone says, 'Wait, really?' Lol."

– SilverGladiolus22

Can't Admire The Mug

"We never get to look at the cute graphics on coffee mugs while we’re drinking from them."

– vanetti

"I just realized…I always thought the graphics were made so someone else could read them while you drink. Hmmm."

– Bubbly-Anteater7345

"I'm right-handed and I often wondered why the graphics were turned towards the drinker instead of out for others to see."

– Material-Imagination

The Writing On The Wall

"Writing on whiteboards is a nightmare. I have to float my hand, which tires out my arm quickly, and I can't see what I've already written to keep the line straight."

– darkjedi39

"Also as a teacher, it means I'm standing to the left of where I'm writing, so I'm blocking everything I write. I have to frequently finish writing, then step out of the way so people can see, instead of just being able to stand on the right side the whole time."

– dancingbanana123

Immeasurable

"Rulers."

"How the f'k is no one talking about rulers? It's from 30cm to 0 cm to me, or I have to twist my arms to know the measure I want to trace over it."

– fourangers

Just Can't Win

"EVERYTHING. The world has always been based around people being right handed. As a Chef, my knife skills SUCKED until I worked with a Left Handed Chef. Then it all made sense."

"Literally, everything we do must be observed, then flipped around in our heads, then executed. This is why Lefties die sooner, on average, than Righties."

"I had to learn how to be ambidextrous, just to complete basic tasks (sports, driving a manual, using scissors, etc). I am used to it now, and do many things right handed out of necessity, as wall as parents and teachers 'forcing' it upon me."

"But, at least we are not put to death anymore, simply for using the wrong hand (look it up, it happened)."

"Ole Righty, always keeping us down."

– igenus44

The world doesn't need another demographic to feel "othered" for being different.

But if you're right-handed and tend to make assumptions about left-handed people, you may want to observe the following.

Ronald Yeo, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin told CNN:

"We shouldn’t assume much about people’s personalities or health just because of the hand they write with."
"And we certainly shouldn’t worry about lefties’ chances of success: After all (as of 2015), five of our last seven U.S. presidents have been either left- or mixed-handed."

Word.

Dog lying down on a bed
Photo by Conner Baker on Unsplash

Not all pet owners have the same relationship with their pets.

While anyone who decides to become a pet owner, or pet parent as some say, love their pets equally, some never ever let them leave their side.

Taking their pet with them to work, running errands, even on vacations.

Many pet parents even allow their pets to share their bed with them when going to sleep.

For others though, this is where a line is finally drawn.

Redditor Piggythelavasurfer was curious to hear whether pet owners allowed their pets to share their bed with them, as well as the reasons why they do/don't, leading them to ask:

"Do you let your pet sleep in your bed? Why/why not?"

The Tiny Issue Of Water...

"Absolutely not."

"I have fish."- Senior-Meal3649

Everyone Gets Lonely Eventually...

"I adopted an eleven year old cat the day before Halloween."

"She has mostly lived in my closet since I got her, and she hasn’t been too interested in coming out."

"Last night, she came out of my closet and jumped up on my bed, and crawled under my covers and curled up by my feet to sleep."

"I was so happy!"- YellowBeastJeep

The Comforting Reminder That You're Not Alone...

"I recently lost my Greyhound but I used to let him sleep on my bed with me."

"The company was nice and he was no trouble to have on my bed."- HoodedMenace3

Hungry Cookie GIF by De Graafschap Dierenartsen Giphy

What Do You Mean Allow?

"I have no choice."

"She is a cat, cats do whatever they want."- Small_cat1412

"He lets me sleep in my bed."- Poorly-Drawn-Beagle

Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

"I carry my old boy upstairs to bed every night."- worst_in_show

Hug GIF by The BarkPost Giphy

Who Needs An Alarm Clock?

"I let my two cats sleep with me."

"They're so full of love and just want cuddles all the time."

"And so do I."

"We've all developed a lil routine."

"Get to bed, oldest sleeps on my feet to keep them warm, youngest lies in my arm while I lie on my side (she the little spoon), then when I snooze my alarm for work in the morning the youngest paws at my face and meeps loudly to wake me up."- GhostofaFlea_

Whose Bed Is It Anyway?

"Yes."

"They're also kind enough to let me squeeze into whatever space they've left for me."

"Although I do get a few dirty looks off them."- Therealkaylor

"I found this tiny kitten screaming her head off under a car."

"Would not come out."

"Got some food and some water in dishes."

"I stood by the tire so she couldn't see my feet."

"She got curious about the food and water and started gobbling it down."

"I thought she would bolt when I squatted down."

"She was too busy eating."

"I grabbed her by the nape of the neck and all four legs went straight out and she tried to scratch me to death."

"I got her in the door and tossed her toward the couch."

"She ricocheted off the couch as if she was a ping pong off a table and I lost sight of her."

"I put out food and water and a sandbox and did not see that kitten for three days."

"On the third day, I came home and she was on my bed pillow."

"I thought she would bolt when I came near, but she didn't."

"I wanted to sleep so I tried to scoot her little butt off my pillow."

"She would not go."

"I put my head down to sleep and that is the way it was from then on."

"She ran the roost."- Logical_Cherry_7588

sleepy kitten GIF Giphy

Sleeping Is A Prerequisite...

"No, he's a cat and he cannot keep still during the night."

"He walks across the headboard, opens the closet doors, jumps into the windows and rustles the blinds, etc."

"If he would sleep he could stay, but alas, he's a ramblin' man."- Spong_Durnflungle

Saying No Just Isn't An Option...

"'Let'."

"Lol."

"It's a cat's world and I'm happy to be on her good side."- milaren

Felines Only!

"The cat does, the dog doesn't and the horse certainly does not either."- Xcrowzz

Angry Tom And Jerry GIF by Boomerang Official Giphy

Is That My Hair On That Pillow?

"My dog is perfect."

"She comes up, cuddles til we start to fall asleep, then gets down to sleep on her bed so she doesn't get too hot."

"Jumps back up in the early morning for wake up cuddles."

"The hair everywhere is the only downside but she is so cozy, what can you do."- HoodieWinchester

It is easy to understand how some people are able to fall asleep more easily knowing their friend and protector is there, in bed, with them.

Though we can't blame others who don't want to run the risk of being scratched or bitten in the middle of the night either...