Massive setbacks and life-altering tragedies are, of course, the most intense forms of hardship. But fortunately, those are not every day occurrences.
Instead, normal life trudges on in all its characteristic mundanity. Real, repetitive, adult life is lived in the bell curve where the days meld together. Both ends of the spectrum--euphoria and total strife--are largely absent.
But there are moments. There are tiny eruptions that burst out of nowhere in those normal days. Things fall and break. Strange areas become wet and uncomfortable. Social dynamics are insurmountably weird.
We know they're minor things, but they somehow manage to bring out our rage. Perhaps because the annoyance is so small, it almost feels like the universe is being all the more cruel: inconveniencing us in the most minimal way possible.
If we weren't blind with rage, we'd see the universe smirking.
Famished_Fetus asked, "What is not that serious, but can still ruin your day?"
Tumble Tumble Tumble
"For me, it's that moment you drop a spoon or something, physics breaks, and it just bounces off every single surface on its way down making as much noise as a spoon like object could possibly make."
"It just feels like it takes forever to finally stop moving."
"I dunno, drives me bat-sh**."
-- guac_out
Not Today
"you ever been craving something and postpone it for a certain day, and then when it's that day something happens and you don't get to eat that."
"day ruined."
-- notreallysrs
Danger Looms
"'Hey, when you get in, let me know, we need to talk.'"
"'We need to talk.'"
"Those two, one variation for work and the other for personal, are the worst. There's no context, no stated reason for needing to talk. Only dread."
-- authorized_sausage
Untimely Bowel Movements
"Having to go poop right after taking a shower." -- Affectionate_Meat_69
"Having to poop right as you are about to leave for work. Be late or risk shi**ing yourself." -- TogarSucks
"I just take a whole new shower when that happens. I wash my hair again and everything." -- TheMangusKhan
Aaaand Strap in for a Terrible Day
"Accidentally biting the inside of your cheek HARD when chewing your food." -- Bokonon_77
"For some reason when that happens to me it repeats itself about 3 times shortly after. It's like a small electrical jolt that makes my jaw suddenly snap shut on that cheek even though I was trying so hard to avoid it."
"So painful." -- Geeko22
Cut Short
"Not finishing a good dream." -- gluteactivation
"Having my alarm go off mid-dream for any dream just f***s my whole day up. Apparently my body doesn't like being jolted out of a nice comfy REM sleep." -- DorkasaurusBBQ
"even if it's a bad dream... i still want to know what happens. it's a story my brain wrote just for me" -- blastfromtheblue
Breaking Routine
"Having to get gas before work" -- k-tglo
"there's no better way of screwing yourself over than driving past a station after work and saying 'i'll do it in the morning'" -- Fuzzwuzzle2
"Problem of the past. You simply charge your EV at home, fin." -- FreddyF2
8 Hours of Adjusting
"Not having enough time to get ready and having to go out in something you're slightly uncomfortable in." -- anniecelene
"Very true. And then you tell yourself 'it doesn't matter, no one will notice' but you're still not able to have a good day." -- whatisthatplatform
"The equivalent of this for me is not having time to wash my hair. Feel icky and Oily :(" -- Crazee108
Nice Try
"getting in the most comfy position in my bed, but the sudden urge to pee arises." -- M3Me_EntHuS1aSt
"or you forget to brush your teeth" -- UnoReverse_3142
"That's a true one! I have this whole internal dialogue like, 'I must respect my bladder, I don't want a UTI, getcho a** up neooow.'" -- ThrowRA_tolove
Pimple Problems
"A whitehead on the tippy tip of your nose." -- GroovinWithAPict
"Or the crease between the nostril and the cheek - impossible to get easily and so painful." -- justpickoneitssimple
"A big ol honker of a zit that looks like it could come to a head, but never gets beyond a certain point in its formation, so that if you succumb to the temptation, the zit will be in your life for the next 2 weeks." -- Floomby
Deflated
"Being excited and extremely happy about something and then telling somebody, only to be met with either a disappointing reaction or even being told that what you're excited about is 'childish/silly/not interesting.'"
"Happened way too often to me so I don't share many things with others anymore."
-- beeper2040
YANK
"Dropping something or getting your earbuds caught on something and yanked out of your ear." -- SeekerSpock32
"Or your belt loop stuck on a door handle as you're passing by with your arms full." -- WhiteMoonRose
"This seriously ENRAGES me. I hardly get a good chance to put earbuds in, and when I do, it's usually to calm down with some good tunes."
"So when I get caught, I just feel like the world is f***ing with me." -- GogoYubari92
Days in Disguise
"When it feels like it's going to rain and even looks like it and then it goes away and gets warm and sunny" -- sandworm45
"Feels like an almost sneeze, but then it goes away." -- reactivespider
"F*cking sunshine. GIVE ME MY RAIN." -- N8_Tge_Gr8
The Pests of Asphalt
"That one a**hole that cuts you off in traffic when there's no one behind you" -- MagicCoffeeBeanSpaz
"Then you both meet at a red light" -- gluteactivation
"Conversely: that jerk who rides your a** through multiple passing zones, gets visibly angry at you for only going the speed limit, and refuses to pass you." -- AdmiralStryker
The Overnight Underworld
"f***ed up dreams!"
"I get into a serious funk maybe once every other month because of some vivid abomination I dreamt of (often involving something that bothers me irl)"
-- in-site
Bone Dry All Day
"Forgetting my chapstick on a day I won't be home for a while" -- drayd38
"That's why I keep one in every purse, my bedside table, my desk at work, etc." -- clumsyc
"I call it my 'crack stick.' Have to have it or I can't function properly. My lips have to be adequately moisturized at all times. I have backups for my backups." -- therearenoaccidents
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
