Life is complicated, but there are so many things that are worth being thankful for, even in the day-to-day.
But of course, there are some things that we would love to see in our lifetimes that would make living that much sweeter.
Redditor moltingtoupee asked:
"What is something you hope to witness in your lifetime?"
Not Even Gonna Lie...
"An Armored car spilling a sack of money in front of me and not noticing."
- explodingladybugs
Nature's Beauty
"An aurora."
- RedStradis
"I once met a British couple who were camping in the Canadian Rockies for their 25th wedding anniversary. We had a few beers around the campfire. At some point, the woman said the only thing she was a bit sad about this trip was not seeing northern lights. She always wanted to see one."
"We keep chatting and at some point after a few beers, nature called. I went to do my thing and as I was out of the fire’s light, I looked up and could see that great northern light dancing in the sky. I came back to the fire and took the couple away in the dark to show them. She was soooo thrilled."
"So you never know when it will happen to you."
- prplx
The Lives This Would Change
​"A treatment for Alzheimer's. That s**t is terrifying."
- doobydoobydobap
"This is my pick, too. Watching my grandmother succumb to it, and it broke my heart. I’m afraid my mom is next, followed by me or one of my sisters."
- crispypotatocake
Cheering Our Loved Ones On
"All of my daughter's milestones in life. Until it's my time to go, I hope I get to see her grow up to be a beautiful smart caring woman."
- FlaccidWeenus
Infinite Possibilities
"Faster than light travel (minus any relativistic effects that make it impossible to come home at the sameish time, etc)."
"I know it's weird, but I find the thought of being confined to our little solar system a bit depressing when there's a whole universe out there."
- postitsam
Halley's Comet
"To see Halley's comet for the second time in 2061."
- craigoth
"If I can't live to see Halley's Comet (I should be 76), then I'd die happy knowing I get to see the total solar eclipse next year as my runner-up."
- curbstomprey
Who's Out There
"First contact."
- Minute-Loan7057
"Sometimes I think I'd like to see that too... But the way the last few years have been going, we'd expect the Vulcans and get Xenomorphs instead."
- coffee_cats_books
"Or the Vogons."
- Reddit_Hitchhiker
...What's That Like?
"My life full of happiness with no stress."
- HappinessSeeker7
Unrealistic Expectations
"I hope to witness the day when autocorrect finally stops turning 'F**king' into 'Ducking.'"
- Daily_Burnin12345
Ocean Views
"To see the Pacific Ocean, early morning, crispness to the air, wrapped in a blanket, sitting alone on the beach..."
"I am in central Kentucky, and this seems so far away to me. I can only imagine what the peace and tranquility would be to stare out and see nothing but water, clear to the horizon."
- Saltriverjohnny
One Small Step For Man...
"For man to walk on Mars..."
- Effective-Craft-1173
Outside the Box
"A US President elected from a third party."
- CatacombsRave
Flight MH370
"To find out what truly happened to Flight MH370."
- desperatelingling123
"I'm pretty sure it will appear back on the radar in 10 years and none of the passengers will have aged or be aware of the time jump and Stephen King was the reason for it all."
- ALIENAND
"I legit looked this up last night to see if there have been any advancements in the theory or new evidence. I hadn't thought about it in a couple of years. (I know that I'm lucky to not think about it all of the time. There are so many poor families that don't have this luxury and they still don't have concrete answers, which is heartbreaking.)"
- SparklesVibe
Supernovas
"A supernova event that lights up the sky. Even if it’s extremely unlikely, the most likely would be Betelgeuse or Antares."
- _Goose_
Time to Unite
"The middle class, working class, and poor realizing that they have more in common than the Upper class and super wealthy."
- Diverswelcome
It's always heartwarming to see when people are asked what they would most like to see changed, or want to see in their lifetime, they're less concerned about gainful wealth or arbitrary things, and more so in nature's wonders and cures for diseases.
Life might not always be perfect, but there are absolutely things to keep looking up for.
One of the most freeing realizations I've had was when I understood that not everyone was going to like me.
That's just the way it is for all of us, and I learned that it would be unfair for me to dedicate so much time worrying about what others might think.
It changed my life––improved it, I'd say. That, combined with my willingness to take responsibility for my own actions, was crucial to my self-development.
But some people, believe it or not, learn this too late.
People shared their observations after Redditor Vicsilvia asked the online community,
"What are the lessons people most often learn too late in life?"
"The ones who stay with you..."
"Friends will disappoint and drift apart over time - even ones you thought would always 'be there.'"
"The ones who stay with you and grow together over a lifetime are rare."
Back2Bach
This is a big one. Some people you think will be around forever will absolutely not be.
Things happen, and you will more than likely weather at least some heartbreak.
"When my elderly uncle..."
"Don't buy too much crap. When my elderly uncle wanted to downsize, it took him almost a year to empty his big house. Most of his stuff was still brand new."
sonia73quebec
Every time I've moved I've been shocked by just how much stuff I've managed to accumulate.
I've since grown much more conscious of this and try to purge things on a regular basis.
If I'm not actively using it, then what is the point?
"A lot of people act like exercise..."
"Taking care of your body is best treated as a proactive effort and not exclusively a reactive one."
"A lot of people act like exercise is something you only do to lose weight, or sunscreen is something you only wear at the beach in the summer, or that mental health services are only for folks with mental illness, when in fact these are things everyone should be incorporating into their routines throughout their life."
techtchotchke
One of the hardest parts of the pandemic? The lack of gym time. (I genuinely enjoy it.)
But I made do because at least some exercise is better than none. You'd be surprised how quickly bad habits catch up with you.
"Not everyone has to like you..."
"Not everyone has to like you and it's okay if they don't. Don't get hung up on it too much."
TheEvilGoats
Think of how much easier life could be if many of us learned this early!
"It's okay to be the one..."
"Don't tally up your friendships. If you're thinking about someone, reach out. It's okay to be the one who reaches out more often. Especially if you're more extroverted than your friends!"
stink3rbelle
Please reach out! I try to do this, but can acknowledge that life has totally gotten away from me in the past.
Definitely a good idea to get into the habit now.
"I went through this realization..."
"Often people consider themselves logical because they don't feel emotions driving their decisions."
"Turns out, this is usually because they're not good at feeling (detecting) their emotions, and not because the emotions aren't there!"
"I went through this realization for myself at one point."
"Good rationality isn't the absence of emotion. It's understanding the emotions you have on an issue, and accounting for them in your analysis of the situation."
TheBertinator3000
I have never heard this explained in such a manner, but it's succinct and truthful.
Definitely food for thought.
"One of the most common regrets..."
"Your job is not your life. One of the most common regrets dying people have is that they worked too much and didn't spend enough time with loved ones."
DepressedElephant
Yeah, don't slave away for your job. You will pay for it with your mental and physical health.
Most of us learn this eventually, I think.
"Stop worrying..."
"Stop worrying about what other people think. In reality, they're paying far less attention than you think they are."
CatoctinDave
But what if they aren't?!
Just kidding. This is true. Most people are too busy to worry about what a stranger is thinking.
"That making everything about politics..."
"That making everything about politics at every opportunity and never being able to turn that off is a great way to make yourself and the people around you miserable."
MyHeartFeelsLikeWood
I understand this to a degree.
Personal politics can say a lot about someone's values, which is why many Americans over the last few years have found themselves at odds with their family members.
"No matter how much..."
"No matter how much it is portrayed in the media or how much you wish it were so, life is not fair."
"Sometimes there are good breaks, sometimes bad. Good people will die young, bad people will get ahead."
sw33tzmbiejesus
This is unfortunately true, and many of us will feel cheated by it. There is no grand design. Sometimes things go wrong, whether we like it or not.
You'd be surrpised by how much learning you'll do over the course of your life. No one has it entirely figured out.
The sooner you realize that, the more peace you'll find.
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One of the most freeing realizations I've had was when I understood that not everyone was going to like me.
That's just the way it is for all of us, and I learned that it would be unfair for me to dedicate so much time worrying about what others might think.
It changed my life—improved it, I'd say.
That, combined with my willingness to take responsibility for my own actions, was crucial to my self-development.
Whether it's an epiphany or experience, there are many things that can happen and can successfully shift your perspective.
People shared their stories after Redditor drewyourstory asked the online community:
"What life event or experience changed your perspective?"
"From this, I learned..."
"Nearly died of a post-surgical hypoxic brain injury, followed by a variety of problems subsequently."
"From this, I learned that mortality is a fragile thing in a random, amoral universe."
It truly is. We really have no say in it either.
We really do not have control.
"Once you get your own place..."
"Homelessness."
"Once you finally get your own place, you appreciate and feel gratitude for things that you used to take for granted."
"It's helped me maintain..."
"My husband died after a sudden short illness. My life is divided by that point in time."
"There is before and after, I'm a different person now nearly 12 years later but I'm okay with that. It's helped me maintain a good perspective dealing with my current partner's stroke."
"He's doing ok but will never have the mobility he once had. Just taking one day at a time."
Sorry for your loss.
Silver linings exist... even in tragedy.
"I can put up with..."
"My spouse developed a chronic pain illness. She spent months in debilitating pain and there wasn't a goddamn thing I could do to help."
"When we finally got a diagnosis, she was able to start on some medications that improved her quality of life to near where it had been."
"Suddenly little problems just didn't seem important anymore. I can put up with a whole hell of a lot more than I ever thought possible because at least my partner's not in burning pain constantly anymore."
Thankfully, your partner is healthier, and the experience undoubtedly made you a stronger person!
"I had both hips replaced..."
"I had both hips replaced at 25 and will owe money for the rest of my life."
"My debt to income ratio keeps me from normal things like owning a house. I don't sweat missing a bill now and then anymore."
Society really should not allow this to happen.
"I think every single human..."
"I think every single human has experienced the feeling of post-traumatic guilt caused by something they've done in the past."
"For example, in elementary school, I had a best friend whose family was struggling financially. One day, he brings coins (pennies and nickels only) for his school lunch that day."
"I, for some stupid reason, smacked the change out of his hand as he took the change out to count how much he had."
"I got yelled at by the principal, who was walking behind me, and got suspended. Ever since that day, I have never ever made fun of someone's financial stability, given people money (especially the homeless), and never smacked anything out of anyone's hands."
"That moment changed my perspective on how the treatment towards others comes back to bite you."
"Holding my eight year old brother as he died from extreme medical incompetence then being stuck with his body for twenty minutes as a ventilator made his corpse breathe and a fault in the heart monitor didn't trigger the alarm to bring help and the nurses ignored the call light because they were 'busy with another patient'."
"I cared about people before then. I can switch that off and on at will now."
"Being from Canada..."
"Being from Canada, we're pretty sheltered here, so traveling to other parts of the world and seeing how poor some communities are really made me realize how lucky we are and how good we have it."
Many people in the Western world would learn a hell of a lot if they were humbled by the way others around the world live.
"I love him..."
"Having a child with autism. He is the most loving, kind, intelligent young man."
"I love him more than anything in the world, but I have to consider everyday events that others take for granted. There are things that will be overly stressful for him, and without any glaring differences, people are often not understanding."
"Family gatherings, grocery store visits, haircuts, the dentist, everything is planned."
"The world can be a noisy, chaotic, inconsistent place which are all things he really hates, but he meets every challenge head-on and I couldn't be prouder to call him my son."
"Have you ever just stood..."
"Have you ever just stood and looked at a dead person? The first dead person I ever saw was my father... I've seen probably more than my share after that too."
"Looking at someone with their lights permanently turned off changes something in you."
No one is immune from life's tragedies or trials and tribulations.
How do you handle them, though? That's the real test.
Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.