People Confess Which Things They've Always Done They Didn't Realize Were Gross
Reddit user one-droplet asked: 'What have you always done, but later found out was gross?'
There's this amazing quote by Maya Angelou that we can all put into practice: "Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better."
This can be applied to anything in life, from learning more about a subject that we're passionate about, to practicing better time management skills, to being a better friend.
But there are some things that we may not even realize we need to do better... until we suddenly know better.
Cringing in anticipation, Redditor one-droplet asked:
"What have you always done, but later found out was gross?"
The Best Ice
"When I was like five or six years old I would love going to the grocery store with my mom because the vegetable and fruit and meat tables always had the best ice to chew on..."
- campio_s_a
"I work in a restaurant, and I try to grab a cup to get the ice before they use it for raw oysters and shrimp cocktails. It really is the best ice."
- AustinRiversDaGod
Toilet Paper Use
"As an Asian, I was always taught growing up to throw used toilet paper in the trash bin. It wasn't until I went on a school trip to Italy and the chaperone mentioned to everyone, 'The plumbing system here isn't as good as the USA so you guys are just gonna have to throw it in the trash bin,' and everyone went, 'Ew.'"
"That's when I learned that it was gross to throw toilet paper in the trash bin since the issue was you're basically having shit bits sitting around in a bin."
- stigma_numgus
Toothbrush Bristles
"All my life, I wiped my toothbrush on the hand towel to dry it up until my sister asked what the f**k I was doing."
- Sark_Doul
"My sister used to scrub the bristles on the faucet where the water came out when she was done brushing her teeth. I guess to dry it off. I still cringe thinking about it."
- Suspicious-Craft4980
That's Not Clay
"As a child, I would dig up bits of clay from the local sandbox. It wasn’t as good as Play-Doh, so I would cast it aside and continue digging."
"Maybe I didn’t have a very good sense of smell at that age, because I was well into adulthood before I realized it was probably cat s**t."
- Blue_Moon_Rabbit
Dirty Showers
"I showered in a dirty tub. Once I discovered how gross it really was, my hoarder mother didn’t like it when I cleaned the bathroom, so I just lived with it til I was able to get a place."
- TrustIsOverrated
"My hoarder mom was like this."
- Best_Eggplant_9259
"When I tried to wash the nicotine off the walls in my bedroom, my hoarder parents were not happy."
- obviouslyanni
Fresh Towels
"I waited until a towel smelled weird to swap it out."
- DrippyFlames
"Look, the towel forgets everything before the next shower."
- gljivicad
Self-Service Assorted Candies
"I used to really like those self-service lollies/candy buckets with the scoops. They were in most big box stores in Australia, like Kmart, Target, Big W. So much fun mixing and matching."
"But then one day I started working at Target. Every single day I caught old people and kids with their hands directly inside grabbing them out and munching down all slobbery-like. That turned me off forever."
"Though not too long after they started disappearing from businesses so obviously someone got the unsanitary message."
- blahblahrasputan
Not Flushable
"I flushed my tampons my whole life until I was about 30. No one had taught me they weren’t flushable. I stupidly thought they were like toilet paper."
"One expensive and embarrassing plumbing problem later, I never did it again."
- Ew_fine
Dental Habits
"Not brushing my teeth when I wake up. I would only brush my teeth after breakfast, and I would rarely eat breakfast."
"So most days I would only brush my teeth at night. I figured, 'Well, I brushed last night and haven’t eaten anything since, so why should I brush again?'"
" Then I learned about all the bacteria that feed on the tiny bits of food left in your teeth and they literally expel gas and feces in your mouth as they consume it. And this is what causes awful morning breath."
"So I have this mental image of bacteria poop and farts coating my mouth and have brushed every morning since regardless of eating breakfast or not."
- scatteredwardrobe
"Brush at night to keep your teeth, and brush in the morning to keep your friends."
- coykoi314
Not Just Yellow Snow
"Eating snow. Just take the same handful of snow you might see a kid stuff in their mouth and let it melt in a glass. Bet you wouldn’t willingly drink it!"
- Affectionate_Cloud86
Don't Visit Everyone's House
"I sit on my couch butt naked when I’m alone watching TV at night. I mean I’m relatively clean but I feel sorry for anyone else that sits there."
- Rich-Abbreviations25
Letting the Hair Fall Where It May
"I'm suffering from hair loss at the moment (51 Female) and I'm often absent-mindedly raking a hand through my long hair, glancing at what comes out and then dropping the strands on the floor."
"Just read on another sub that that's pretty disgusting to other people. In my defense, I work exclusively from home in my own small office and would never do it in public, but even so, maybe my husband thinks I'm gross."
- RadioDorothy
Shoes Indoors
"Wearing shoes inside. My family was not a shoes off family and they always wore outside shoes inside."
"I remember a few friends' homes were strict shoes-off homes, but I thought that was the minority."
"I was about 27 years old before I realized it was disgusting and people were definitely judging my etiquette."
- MyDogAteYourPancakes
Double-Dipping
"Double-dipping snacks. Pretty logical but only found out recently that’s very bad etiquette."
- AggravatingDriver559
"Double-dipping is only acceptable if you’re not sharing the dip with anyone."
- froderenfelemus
Fair Lessons
"Some things I've learned:"
"Wash my bedsheets every week, including bed, pillows, and covers."
"Only use the same bath towel twice before washing it."
"Use a new toothbrush head every month."
"Always wash my hands coming back from a store or public transit."
"And NEVER EVER go into a resort pool with a swim-in bar."
- freddg_mtl
This conversation was so cringe-worthy and left us wanting a shower in the worst way.
At least for most of these Redditors, now that they knew these are gross habits, they've chosen to do something better.
People Explain How Someone Close To Them Absolutely Ruined Their Life
"Reddit user metalnxrd asked: 'Who are some people you know personally, or otherwise, who ruined their own lives, and how?'"
Life can be destroyed in an instant.
Every single moment of every single day we make choices that can further our existence or ruin it.
Sadly, it often feels like a majority of us choose the latter option.
We only get one life.
Why is it so hard to make the most of it?
We're all guilty of poor decision-making.
That's okay, as long as we learn from it.
It feels like there is always time to right wrongs.
The truth is, there's not.
That clock eventually runs out.
Redditor metalnxrd wanted to hear about the people who have brought personal wreckage to themselves, so they asked:
"Who are some people you know personally, or otherwise, who ruined their own lives, and how?"
I've watched too many people self-destruct.
It all starts in the mirror.
Don't be afraid to look.
All-In
Season 17 What GIF by America's Got TalentGiphy"Took out a mortgage on his house and leveraged all his other assets to go all-in on Luna coin. It worked beautifully until it didn't."
Particular-Natural12
Bad Ideas
"Had a buddy who got scouted by professional baseball when we were in high school. They wanted him in the farm system, his mom wanted him in college. So the team allowed it."
"Dude found meth before leaving for college. He never made it there."
"He's now homeless and on his last legs."
BosskHogg
Receipts, please...
"Family member addicted to shopping. She & her husband made really good money and could have had a very comfortable life. Every single year she decided she didn’t like their house, sold at a loss, and then renovated and bought all new designer furniture for every new house. On top of that, she constantly bought multiple pieces of the same designer clothes and jewelry (why?), art, cosmetic procedures etc."
"Eventually they couldn’t even get a mortgage anymore and were in an insane amount of debt, lost their cars and everything else they owned. She ended up stealing her mother’s credit card to use for restaurants and attempted to make a bunch of frivolous lawsuits which just resulted in more legal debt."
Guineacabra
Out of Recovery
"I helped an old friend of my mother-in-law for some time, she was in recovery for some years. She had drunk so heavily for so long that she developed a neurological disorder that left her debilitated. She gradually lost her balance, her motor skills and coordination, and is now hospitalized and unable to care for herself."
"She is almost a decade younger than me and her life of independence is over. She will remain bedridden and rely on others for her most basic needs for the remaining years of her life. This is neither far-fetched nor the worst-case scenario, people die from addiction every day."
Optimal-Scientist233
Move On
"Staying in bad relationships, doubling down and marrying and having children. Now they have the same relationship problems that they had ten years ago but with children involved."
pitathegreat
Being alone by yourself is better than being alone in a relationship.
If you need a reminder please listen to Ms. Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right, But It's Okay!" on repeat daily.
Tainted Love
Shaking Head Reaction GIF by GIPHY NewsGiphy"SIL is a trainwreck. Ruined her marriage, ruined her relationship with her kids, lost her house and car, all to be with some abusive piece of crap."
ThePelky
Weekly Drama
"A friend from HS won a thousand a week for life. Never went to college. Never held down a long-term job. Always worried some lady was trying to take his money by getting pregnant or or stealing it through marriage. Has had a very mediocre life without much progression or new relationships."
"The rest of the friend group used to think he was the luckiest guy alive. Now we all just try to keep his spirits up when we get together and keep our advice to ourselves. He is aware of the solutions to his problems at a 10-mile view but the $1000/week has sapped his will to execute any self-improvement plan."
TheUnblinkingEye1001
Dead Dreams
"Midlife Crisis... Came to a realization they didn't have something they really wanted in their life. Abandoned everything they already had (job, family, friends) to chase that dream. Finally forced to realize what they were chasing was an unobtainable illusion but the damage was already done."
varthalon
Ruined
"Someone in our friend group keeps having kids with people and then leaving, screwing him financially because of child support. He can't hold any jobs and has stolen from friends. Right now he's crashing on one of my friend's couches. I dunno why they are allowing him to stay there."
dinoaids
Make better choices.
Please.
Do you have any similar stories? Let us know in the comments.
People Confess Things Everyone Does But No One Actually Admits To
We've all done some embarrassing things in our lives, and we may do what we can to keep them a secret.
Whether it was something legitimately embarrassing or something like not taking the best care of ourselves, sometimes it's easier to keep those behaviors private than to have a tough or awkward conversation about them.
Curious about others' behaviors, Redditor MrTuxedo1 asked:
"What does everyone do but won’t admit?"
In Great Company
"To talk to themselves when they’re alone."
- Scandroid99
Concealing Passed Gas
"At the beginning of my relationship, I would wait until we walking in heavy traffic and let it go. He heard me once and now every time a bus goes by, he gives me a sideways look."
- FloptimasPloptimas
The Alternate Ending
"To imagine what life would be like with your crush, even as an adult."
- Oppxma
So Haunting
"To lay awake at night, remembering everything that you’ve done wrong in your entire life in 30 seconds, and then just lying there thinking about each and every one of them individually until you’ve got to get up and do something the next day."
- Summertime64
Kitchen Secrets
"To click a pair of tongs together twice whenever they pick a pair up."
- ESlayer12
Complaints Aplenty
"Probably to complain. People say, 'No one likes a complainer,' but everyone I’ve ever met complains about crap."
- Mysterious_Fisher
New Surroundings
"To secretly wish certain people… would move away."
- usercb
Reminiscing
"To think about compliments given by someone years ago."
- SuvenPan
Awake for Hours
"To pretend like they weren’t sleeping when a phone call wakes them up."
- Ddubs111
Nose-Picking
"I remember seeing a while back, one user’s dad apparently had a saying, 'We all pick our noses… it’s what we do afterwards that separates us.'"
- Burgher89
Being Judgmental
"Judge. We all do it. It’s about being intelligent enough to not let that cloud our perspective."
"Also, I mean, sometimes it's okay and even good to judge. Sometimes people are bad for you to be around, and that's important to recognize."
"Being judgmental is only a bad thing if you're overly so and/or do it for bad reasons, imo. But even with that, yeah, we all do it."
- Maleficient_Hawk_318
Past Connections
"To wonder if people that have since long disappeared from your life (or you've only met once or twice) from time to time still think about you."
- Ioakpaa
The Next Great Singer
"I tried to sing, like, really good. When I'm alone, I be hitting those high notes, even though I sound like a dying walrus."
- kumorithecloud
Imaginary Comebacks
"To have (and even win) an argument with a stranger from an encounter three years ago when you didn't say anything at the time."
- mrandymoz
Avoiding Healthcare
"To not go to see the doctor when they know they should."
- SuvenPan
Most of these activities seem mundane, and that's because we've all done them, whether we want to admit to it or not.
But like anything else, there are limits. While it might be okay to reminisce or to explore guilty feelings from time to time, these aren't activities that should take place every night.
We all like to say we accept people the way they are.
We don't judge anyone without knowing them, and even once we do know them, we try to give them the benefit of the doubt. There may be a reason they can't be authoritative parents, or they have bad table manners.
Truthfully, however, we all have something we judge people for.
Sometimes, we're overt about it. More often, we judge people secretly, but we still judge.
Redditors know this all too well and dished about what they judge people for.
It all started when Redditor lukiiiiii asked:
“What do you secretly judge people for?”
I'd Rather Not See That
"Shoes off in public places. Like I saw a person at a soccer game. He had shoes and socks off, and cracking his toes on the top of the seat in front of him"
– ASP204
"In my country, (NZ), It's quite normal for people to walk around the streets in barefeet. But that, the is just nasty."
– muffin_eater1
What's In A Name?
"Parents giving their kids awful "trendy" names"
– urbexbabe
"Or take two common names and combine them into a new name. I’m looking at you, Utah."
– lordhalibut
"I hate when people b*stardise good names like Jaymee instead of Jamie."
– Minime1993
Pets Are Family; Now Treat Them Well
"Irresponsible pet ownership. Your dog shouldn’t have matted fur and should be housetrained, the fact that half of your outdoor cats never came home should be considered a sign you’re doing something wrong, that lizard needs enrichment, Guinea pigs should live in pairs, and ffs stop torturing fish to death in a bowl!"
– Redqueenhypo
How Do You Write?
"Bad grammar and spelling"
– you_will_be_the_one
"Lose and loose, affect and effect are ones I find most infuriating. I think because they're not just the wrong words, but they're pronounced differently so when I'm reading my brain has a hard time seeing the word "loose" and pronounce it like "lose.""
– bikewrenchsucks
"I agree with this 100% I don't get how some people, even adults, can still not know the difference between your and you're."
– YouInevitable2999
Judge The Judgey
"The only people I judge are those that are overly judgmental and gossip about everyone for everything, especially when it’s something someone can’t help, or hasn’t had the privilege to “buy” themselves out of."
"I don’t give a sh*t if you don’t like her hair, Barbara. I don’t give a sh*t if you think he acts weird because he’s quiet, Harold, and Nancy, I CERTAINLY don’t care about your pretentious a** opinion on your neighbors not living up to your personal lifestyle. I don’t give a F*CK. Let people live."
– KPal93
Be Polite
"When they don't have basic manners (thank you, please, excuse me, etc)"
– CoyaiPijao
"Don’t forget chewing with their mouth open. Annoys the hell out of me."
– Tra1nGuy
Everyone Deserves Respect
"How they treat service employees."
– MissKleenex1990
"I don't. I openly judge them for that. The biggest fights I got into with my old roommate was over his treatment of waiters and fast food workers. I refused to go out to eat with him ever again."
– PhreedomPhighter
Words Should Sound Right To Be Right
"When someone pronounces the word frustrated as FUSS-trated"
– captainpennyfarthing
"I don’t understand, you’re going to have to be more pacific."
– MrSleepless1234
"Or when library is pronounced “lie-berry”"
– HammerHorrorWhore
Do It Safely
"I know I’m not supposed to, but smoking."
– Ghost9283
"For me it’s not whether they smoke but how they smoke. Smoking in doorways or near kids or ignoring/being rude to people who politely ask them to stand down wind or something. It’s super disrespectful"
– breakingswipev
Maybe We Should All Just Say Accidentally
"When people say "on accident.""
– brokenmike
"Same, but it seems like more people say “on accident” than “by accident”. I asked some friends because I thought on accident sounded stupid but they all said they say it that way so I’m confused"
– stealthman55
Unhygienic
"Long fingernails..like unnaturally long. It’s germ city and most people don’t wash their hands properly. 🤢🤢"
– TakeMyrtleHiking
Gathering Likes
"Posting their kids on social media - even if they (the adults) don't mind putting their kids on there, the kids may not like it when they are old enough to understand."
– Cautious_Action_1300
Human Nature
"Their appearance though I think everyone does that once in awhile. It’s wrong but it’s something you see first about people before you actually speak to them"
– LifeParty964
It's Not Hard To Be Kind
"Being mean to their kids. Not just losing your cool a bit, but when I hear people publicly call their own kids stupid, or swearing at them. I don’t think much of those people."
– asleepattheworld
"Also just the general use of profanity around your kids. I will secretly and visibly judge you for that."
– _From_dust
There's An Order!
"If they put milk in the bowl before the cereal"
– evilcj925
"Monsters like this exist?!"
– deer_riffs
Yeah, I would judge people for that too!
We all want to find someone to love, don't we?
And all love stories are supposed to start the same way.
We see someone, crush on them, and picture a whole future together.
But because of that we often ignore the big neon signs that say... RUN!!
Let's focus on those signs for a bit.
Redditorxaviourmaanwanted to discuss what signs we need to take seriously when liking a person. They asked:
"What is a red flag when crushing on someone?"
If they steal from you in the beginning. Don't brush that under the rug. I speak from experience.
But...
canadian what GIF by CBCGiphy"When they reject you twice after saying they like you back."
de-knot-humen
Don't tell me...
"Most people like to hear that somebody has a crush on them, but you should be aware that sometimes people enjoy it because they like you and sometimes people enjoy it solely because it fuels their ego. If you start to feel like they are enjoying the attention but not giving you anything back, you should cut yourself off as soon as possible. It’s trading a bit of short term pain for long-term happiness and mental wellbeing."
drumsareloud
Black Cherry
"Asking you to come over on Saturday to watch Grey's Anatomy, requesting that you bring Mike's hard lemonade black cherry flavor, doing your best to find black cherry flavor but only find original OG lemon. Showing up with the drinks. Her getting mad and forcing me to go out for 3 hours to find black cherry Mike's hard lemonade."
Velghast
Obsessed
"If you start to become obsessed and put the crush on a pedestal, you'll always be disappointed when you get to really know them."
TreeElfie
"The way I see it is everyone has their flaws, insecurities and mistakes in the past that make them who they are in the present moment. As soon as you acknowledge this truth, conversations with people you crush on gets a lot easier and you don’t constantly feel like they’re better than you just cause you like them."
Electoriad
Me me me...
Pick Me Season 10 GIF by RuPaul's Drag RaceGiphy"When they have the 'Me me me' mentality where everything you do has to lead to a positive outcome for them."
REMUvs
So many flags. We could have a holiday.
Initiation
Text Chat GIF by IlizaGiphy"When you are always the one who initiates texting."
lubu222
"If your crush never initiates a conversation, it just means they are not interested."
sparky_boi_360
both bad and also good...
"If you can’t think of serious negatives, if you don’t/can’t behave like yourself, and if you never ever disagree with them on anything. They’re signs of infatuation which is a wonderful drug, but it is not real. It’s chemical & fantasy and not grounded in reality, and at the end of the day you live in reality, and all of your choices have consequences (both bad and also good)."
"Another great red flag is if you’re getting mixed signals. It doesn’t mean it will never work, but it definitely won’t work today. You can still have fun and be with them, but don’t invest yourself fully if they aren’t. And don’t stop looking for someone with the clear signals in the meantime. Don’t go exclusive for someone giving you maybe signals."
"Source: my own life experience as someone prone to heavy infatuation and poor personal differentiation."
ihavespoken9
Normal
"When you're only thinking about their body, and ignore their terrible personality. Finding a crush attractive is completely normal, but don't mistake lust for love."
wahoo333
"I've had two major crushes in my life. One was completely lust, other was attraction to her personality. It was way more fun and exciting talking to the latter."
Working_Incident_877
“pick up wine on your way”
"Dated a girl for a while and every time she asked if I wanted to come over I’d say yes then it would be immediately followed with a 'pick up wine on your way' or 'grab dinner before you come'. Occasionally I can dig that but it was literally every time. I showed up once empty-handed and she was legit mad. I always texted her first too. Stopped texting first to see when she’d reach out to me and I haven’t heard from her since November."
samiam871
Conforming
No Way Do Not Want GIF by Schitt's CreekGiphy"When you fear loosing them to the point where you conform in ways that aren't authentic to you."
user deleted
Permissions
"I found out years after liking someone that one of their friends had called dibs on me, so no one else in that friend group was 'allowed' to get too close to me. I'm not even sure if the person who I liked had liked me back since I found this out by a different member of the group. I don't think I had ever felt as objectified as I did after finding that out."
"It was such a gross feeling. Good thing I never ended up going out with the guy who called dibs and threatened his friends. What an a**hole. I always wondered why people in that group suddenly started turning down my hangout invites. I thought it was something I had done."
lamepajamas
You First
"When they are never the one to contact you first. Yeah, my crush was for like 5 years. Texted nearly daily 4 months (me always starting or trying to drive conversations), and we hung out a few times. I told her I liked her, and was immediately friendzoned. Which is fine, I know where she stands without having to question anything. But if I actually took that advice to begin with, I wouldn’t have wasted so much thought or energy into the crush."
JustAHerpDerp
Get Back
"Expecting them to text back right away."
Ihatebuttonss
"Going through this now. Except he also will just randomly stop talking to me in the middle of a conversation and then text me three days later just continuing whatever we were talking about. It's not worth my energy at this point."
Illustrious_City_420
Run for the hills!
"When they tell you that you’re too good for them and that you deserve better. Run for the hills!"
Selinakyle91
"Because there is no good ending after such statement. A person who says this is telling the truth most of the time even without knowing it, as their intention is to break up or cheat on you and are trying to do it without being the a**hole, exposing themselves in the process. There is literally no good out after hearing this, just know your relationship is finished. Failing to acknowledge that will only end up in a toxic relationship or having your heart broken in a far more painful way."
TheSeth256
I See You
kris jenner GIF by KUWTKGiphy"Appearing too eager/desperate. Ironically, appearing too disinterested or aloof. Also, being too into yourself, being controlling or acting entitled, or being rude to people are all major red flags."
Chameleon777
"I need to go for a walk…"
"When you start cataloging the stray hairs you’ve collected is a pretty reliable measure you might need to go for a walk."
waxonwaxoff87
"Okay I feel personally attacked by this one. I have previously dated many dudes with longer hair (idk I like long hair on a guy), yesterday I was clearing out my closet and trying to figure out what still fits, tried on clothes I haven’t worn in years, kept finding random long hairs in said clothes and trying to figure out which hair belongs to which person.
"I need to go for a walk…"
DreyaNova
Maintaining
"STABILITY... How long do they keep responsibilities maintained. Probably the biggest red flag if they, for example, go from job to job, move from place to place, and or go through short relationships like candy. Stability in my opinion is the most underrated metric to measure someone’s reliability."
crusadingRABBIT
Facade
"Dwelling too much on looks. Appearance only create an initial impression which will eventually fade. I do realize that crushes are dependent on looks, but do try to listen to the things that come out of their mouths -- either to you or to someone else. That'll paint a much clearer idea."
shad_boii
EVIL
"It's the stupidest reasons but I was playing a video game with my crush and I fell in love with a dog that had followed me around, only for him to shoot it and laugh in the party chat while I sobbed. RIP Jackson, you were a funky lil golden following Marcus around (it was Watchdogs 2)."
Vestax_outpost
Nothing Better
Lady Gaga Ok GIF by House of GucciGiphy"They only have time for you when they have nothing else going on."
PJFohsw97a
Be smart people. Don't choose to be blind.
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