People Explain How An Accident Completely Changed Their Lives
Reddit user NoFile9376 asked: 'What happened by a total accident but changed your life completely?'
Life can change in a moment, but sometimes, we're not even aware that it's in the process of changing.
Right in front of our eyes, we've taken a job, met a person, or purchased a product that will change our lives in a big way.
Or on the negative side, maybe we're having the unluckiest of days, where we feel the lowest of the low, only for it to lead to something incredible.
The point is, there's no telling what incredible thing is around the corner waiting for us, or what small moment will lead us there.
Redditor NoFile9376 asked:
"What happened totally by accident but changed your life completely?"
Unique Opportunities
"I went for a coffee with a friend before he went out to pitch a TV show in LA. He asked what I was up to, and I mentioned the comic book I was planning to write."
"His pitch went well and the studio asked if he had any sci-fi ideas. He pitched my idea, and a month later I was in LA with a bunch of agents and managers wanting to sign me."
"We got close with that sci-fi concept, and I worked in LA on and off for about a decade working on a lot of cool stuff that never got made, but I got paid very well, so I can’t complain."
"It was basically ‘Oceans 11 in space,’ and it still gets dusted off every now and again. It’s one of those things that everyone loves but never gets made."
"When the pandemic hit, I started writing comics and have been doing that for a few years now. I have a new movie spec script planned for the new year, so I guess we’ll be taking that out and see if anyone bites."
- MikeSizemore
Unappreciative Bosses
"The water main leading into the house burst, requiring the contractors to lay a new pipe from the street into the first floor. I had to clear everything out, and then go get jugged water to last a week for a family of four."
"I asked to take the afternoon off work so I could take care of this, and they said it would be a write-up for an unexcused absence."
"This p**sed me off to no end because I had recouped hundreds of thousands of dollars that my predecessor had lost and generally unf**ked their processes."
"Not really intending to quit, I rage-applied to jobs just to blow off steam and landed a new job with a $30,000 pay boost, WFH (Work From Home), and complete schedule flexibility."
- pinelands1901
The Power of Saying 'Thank You'
"I got into some trouble while very, very drunk."
"When I got sober, I wrote a thank you note to someone who treated me really well and urged me to get help."
"He was friends with the editor of the local newspaper and thought my letter was well-written. He asked if he could show her and I said yes, then kinda forgot about it."
"A few months later, the editor came to find me to offer me a part-time job filling in for someone."
"I've been working in journalism ever since. The pay sucks, but I love it."
- LizardPossum
A Smooth Career Redirection
"Getting my Class A commercial driver's license."
"I basically tried the majority of work that an individual can get into with a GED (General Educational Diploma)."
"I randomly searched the internet for truck driver jobs out of curiosity. The top of the list was a small form to fill out. A recruiter called me within five minutes. They set me up with a bus ticket to their training facility two states over and lodging for the duration."
"All I had to do was bring enough cash and clothes for a week. They paid enough to feed me the rest of the training. I had an over-the-road job lined up for me right out of training. All I had to do was stick it out with that company for at least a year to cover training costs."
"Boom, entry into a skilled labor field at d**n near no upfront cost, and a guaranteed minimum one year of incredibly valuable experience. This was back in 2008."
"And for what it’s worth. I didn’t even own my own vehicle yet back then. And I only tried manual transmission vehicles twice for maybe 10 minutes total prior to learning how to drive a 10-speed."
"Now, I can simply email or walk into a job that interests me with my resume and my experience speaks for itself. I don’t have to sell myself to an employer. They have to sell the job to me."
"I'm currently about to start up with a local company less than a five-minute drive from home, hauling mostly oversized loads up into and out of the mountains. It’s the highest starting wage I’ve ever had, with a guaranteed multiple dollars per hour raise once I demonstrate I can do everything they’ll need me to do."
"The moral of the story is, don’t be afraid to try something new or different. You might just be great at it."
- tumblevv33d
Going Surgery-Free
"When I was younger, I had a neurological condition called hydrocephalus, which required me to have a shunt in my brain to keep me alive, and every few years, it would break or get infected and have to be replaced."
"About 20 years ago, I developed an infection that my neurosurgeon refused to take seriously, so it wasn't properly diagnosed for about two years after I moved away from that hospital and ended up in the ER."
"Long story short, thanks to some faulty medical equipment that by some weird coincidence wasn't doing its job properly, while I waited for surgery, we discovered that I wasn't actually using my shunt and I didn't need it anymore. So surgery was canceled, and once the infection cleared up, I was sent home."
"It was a really, really awful couple of years, but it ultimately gave me my life back. I'm now 15 years surgery-free and as much as I hate the way it happened, I wouldn't change a thing because if it had happened any other way I would have just had another brain surgery, and then another, and so on."
- NotAngryAndBitter
A Mysterious Lump
"My mother went to the doctor for a routine exam and her doctor noticed a bump on her arm my mom passed off as a cyst. She removed the bump, which she also believed was a cyst, and sent it for a biopsy to be safe."
"Results came back and they weren’t really sure what to make of it. It wasn’t cancer but it wasn’t nothing either."
"Turns out she had a very rare cancer that appeared benign but behaved malignant."
"The doctors had no idea how to treat it, even reaching out to other doctors all over the world."
"She died two years later once it had spread all over her body."
"The kicker is they believe if the initial bump would’ve been left alone it wouldn’t have spread and killed her."
"It’s been two years, five months, and 17 days since she’s been gone, and I will never stop missing her."
- Khaleesi1998
A Second Chance
"I made a left turn instead of a right turn when I noticed a restaurant I liked had closed. I reopened it, and 35 years later, we are still going strong."
"It's not especially heartwarming, but it changed my life as well as my wife, my kids, and 28 employees' lives."
- bbqtom1400
The Choice to Stay a While
"I was working in a large state park as a guide/docent while finishing up my geology degree. I was only interested in science, talking about rock types and tectonics and whatnot."
"It got cold and windy FAST, and snow started coming down and soaking my clothes. I admittedly was not prepared and ducked into a cabin I came across that I thought would be empty."
"It wasn’t. There was a historical interpreter doing traditional chair seat weaving in the cabin. Fire in the hearth and all."
"He said, 'Take your shoes off and stay a while.' Let’s just say that MULTIPLE years later, I own one of the most respected furniture restoration businesses in the state and specialize in antique Appalachian rockers."
"I visit the old man in the nursing home weekly. I go out to the cabin once a month or so to relax and demonstrate to passersby. I took my shoes off and stayed a while."
"P.S. Geology is still cool."
- Most-Cow-2474
The Other Guy
"I accidentally accepted a friend request of (my now husband), thinking it was another guy I knew with a similar name. I was ignoring the request before."
"And the rest is history. We've been married for 12 years, now with two kids."
"The website was Orkut if any of you are old enough to remember it, lol (laughing out loud)."
- zenzephyr42
A Doubly Good Deed
"I was planning to spend $2.49 on a breakfast sandwich and go home to do some chores. They had a two-for-three dollar breakfast sandwich deal."
"I brought the 51-cent bonus sandwich and gave it to a homeless friend. He had a tiny stray puppy following him around and asked me to bring her to the shelter because he couldn't feed her and himself."
"She became my best friend for 13 1/2 years! I'll love you and miss you forever, baby dog!"
- JensElectricWood
It All Began with a Broken Phone
"I dropped my phone from my bed onto the floor and the screen (with the protector) COMPLETELY shattered, which is weird because I’ve dropped my phone from bigger heights and bad angles and there’s usually just dents in the protector."
"Anyway, I was out a phone and super broke, and I didn't have the money to get it fixed right away. None of my friends had extra phones so I posted on my then-company’s slack channel, asking if anyone had a spare phone I could borrow, just for calls and texts, nothing fancy, and I’d be super grateful."
"I was also going through a terrible heartbreak where I’d been love-bombed and then dropped in a second. It was just an awful time."
"So one person responded to my shot in the dark and offered this extra phone he has. I had no clue who he was or what he even did in the company, even though I have several friends in the company. We’d never met because we both worked remotely and no one ever mentioned him to me."
"Our departments were also very different so there was no interaction ever. I was also a bit confused as to why he’d offer a phone to someone he didn’t even know. I thought he was too trusting, lol (laughing out loud)."
"Anyway, he couriered me the phone, I ended up needing it for longer as I saved up, and we finally met up in person a few months later. Long story short, it’s been a couple of years, and he became my best friend and then my SO (significant other)."
"For the first time in my life, I know what healthy, unconditional love is, he is the embodiment of love that keeps on giving. I grew up seeing an abusive marriage so my idea of love and relationships was completely skewed (still learning in progress). But with him, my heart’s calm. He’s my biggest fan and my rock whenever the going gets tough. There’s no one like him. I don’t know anyone as generous in love as he is."
"I remember that time and being absolutely gutted that not only had I got my heart broken in the most miserable way but my phone freakishly completely broke from the shortest of falls, all in a matter of a week."
"I felt so unlucky for the longest time. But looking back now, I’m so glad my phone broke that day (and my then-bf ghosted me). Or there was just no way I’d have ever met the love of my life."
- fluffypoopkins
The Love of a Sibling
"My brother asked out a girl when they were 17."
"My brother started dating this random girl. He needed a job so he started working at the company where her family worked. Next year, I needed a summer job, so they got me a job at the same company. I liked the job and kept working at the company long after my brother and her broke up."
"At 21, I took a job in another state to further that career and moved 700 miles away from home. Now my partner, all my friends, my hobbies, everything that is my adult life is because of that move."
"My brother randomly dating a girl for a year when we were teens changed literally everything about my life."
- ColSurge
The Vital Wake-Up Call
"I almost failed out of college. I tried to up my GPA by doing research WAY too early in my academic career. I met a professor who didn’t even work at my university. I had a brief conversation with him in the lab and he said, 'You’d make a great professor one day.'"
"It changed the course of my life. I scraped by with my Bachelor of Science and was one of the top students in my Master's program. I got a 4.0 for my PhD with several first-author papers."
"Now I work for one of the top professors in my field, I’m talking top three percent."
"That conversation was over 10 years ago. Thank you, Dmitry. I would’ve never met you if I wasn’t failing."
- zagottamove
For the Love of Language
"I randomly decided to take German instead of French when in school as my foreign language the day before class started."
"I'm now a German teacher. It's wild how such a small decision shaped my entire life."
- zapolight
Meant to Be
"I went in on my day off work, thinking I had a shift that day."
"I didn’t but they were short-staffed for the lunch rush, so I stayed for a few hours."
"I ran into my childhood friend who moved away 15 years prior."
"We are now married with kids."
- bree-marie92
These stories are undeniably surprising, and it's incredible how such small moments created such big results in most of these Redditors' cases.
It's important to remember to never take our lives for granted, because there's really no telling what small moment will lead to greatest next phase of our lives.
People Break Down Which Things Everyone Should Experience At Least Once In Their Lives
Especially in today's economy, with many of the stresses that appeared during the pandemic still hanging over our heads, it can be easy to forget to look for the joyful experiences in our days.
And some of these experiences can be truly life-altering, so much so that everyone should experience them at least once.
Redditor HappyNuisance asked:
"What's something everyone should experience at least once in their life?"
Mend a Broken Heart
"Heartbreak... it sucks and is one of the absolute worst feelings you can imagine but it helps if you experience that younger in life rather than, at say, 60 because it helps you grow as a person!"
- itsfish20
Provide Hospice Care
"I have a weird one... When someone is in hospice and needs 24-hour care, if possible, take them into your home, learn all you can about what to do so you don't need hospice coming out whenever something comes up."
"We did this for my mother as she died of pancreatic cancer back in 2010 and my kids (ages six and nine at the time) got to see and experience a loved one's death. They saw it wasn't scary or anything to be afraid of. They learned the true meaning of compassion, love, humility, and respect."
"I consider it an honor and a privilege to have taken care of my mom while she was on her deathbed."
- Willing-Grapefruit-9
Reconnect with Nature
"Go camping. Spend some time in the wilderness with no electronics, no demands, and (hopefully) no stress. Just detach from the modern world for a short while and enjoy the return to nature."
- Sammo909
Disconnect from Technology
"Being well and absolutely disconnected. No phones, no GPS. I last had that experience in the early 90s. Being somewhere with someone you trust and the two of you are the only people who know where you are and what you are doing."
- mehtapieman
Visit Another Country
"As an American, an extended stay in a foreign country. Being stationed in Europe for several years was mind-blowing. You really cannot grasp the completely sheltered, ethnocentric bubble that we Americans live in until you are able to spend some extended time outside of it."
"Also, as an American, it is difficult to grasp how truly ancient Europe is, and similarly, I noticed that non-Americans have difficulty grasping how truly enormous America is."
"Hunting, fishing, gardening, gathering, whatever it takes to supply yourself with a food source, independently, for at least a few days. It really opens your eyes to the time and labor required to feed one person, let alone billions. It also makes you acutely aware of the delicate balance we live each day with food supplies."
"Experiencing a major sporting event in person. For me, the most important memorable ones were football, both European and American. I was fortunate enough to experience the World Cup in Germany and have been to several NFL games in the U.S."
"It is incredible to be in a massive arena with 80,000 other humans, feeling the energy, feeling the ground shake. It gives you a bit of insight into what it must have been like in the Roman heydays of the Coliseum. It also helps you to grasp the enormity of a natural disaster, when you see what such a large number of people actually looks like."
"I could go on for days, lol (laughing out loud)."
- fourthsword13
Immerse Yourself in Another Culture
"Another culture. And I don’t mean as a tourist where you have all the comforts of home. To fully absorb and immerse yourself in the lives of that culture. To eat their foods, drink their drinks, and do as they do."
- EndlesslyUnfinished
Go Scuba Diving
"I went night diving on my honeymoon in Bonaire and saw the ostracods (little bioluminescent shrimp) lighting up the water all around me. The most beautiful, magical thing I have ever experienced."
- DJQueenFox
Remember to Do the Silly Things
"On road trips through the Midwest, I play a game called Transition. It’s where we try to find a cow 'in transition' which means the cow is either getting up or sitting down."
"Think about it. You always see cows sitting or standing. Have you ever seen a cow get up or sit down?"
"Now go and have 'fun' with that, Reddit."
- lactose-farts
Be Grateful
"Gratitude for being alive. And I don't mean it like after a near-death experience. I'm talking about the epiphany you get doing the simplest task or after a bad day. The sudden realization of being alive and being able to feel however you're feeling at the moment is something everyone should experience and be grateful for."
- frunxio71
See a Solar Eclipse
"Witnessing a total solar eclipse."
"Totally life-changing. Even having a full understanding of what is happening, I totally get how people over the millennia would find this to be an omen from the gods."
- ScienceJake
Feel Financial Independence
"Even if it's only for a short period of time: full financial independence while being single. You can pay your own bills, you have your own place, and you have full freedom over your free time."
"Whether it's staying in and binge-watching Netflix, or going out and sitting amongst strangers, your time is your own. No kids. No spouse or significant other. I find this is when you really get to know and understand yourself."
- -Neutrality-
Gain a New Perspective on Home
"Everyone should experience the joys of traveling to a foreign land at least once in their lifetime, even if it's just to realize how much they love their own toilet."
"Imagine discovering new cultures, cuisines, and the thrill of trying to communicate with locals using just charades and a phrasebook. Trust me, it's a life-changing experience that'll give you a new appreciation for your home and a killer accent to boot."
- Draft-Superior
Don't Miss Out on the Ocean
"I took a friend to see the ocean for the first time, something I had seen regularly since I was a child. He was awestruck and we just sat there watching for about an hour."
- Remarkable_Panda952
Listen to the Sound of Snow Falling
"The sound of it snowing. I laid on the ground, in the snow at night in the Alaskan wilderness, in December, it's so peaceful."
- Magillacudy
Give Thanks Instead of Regrets
"Last year I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. In the days and weeks leading up to my kidney removal, I would get up early and just sit outside on our porch swing and watch the sunrise."
"So many mornings I just sat in silence and realized how much I would miss the sounds of morning birds, the breeze, the sun touching the tops of the trees, and the rest of life waking up. I realized how much I would miss living. I couldn't imagine not experiencing life and everything it brings you in every moment if you only take a moment to appreciate it."
"I know this isn't quite the reason you meant, but it was the first time in a long time a really felt connected to everything and it has made me more thankful for those little quiet moments."
- oexto
All of these beautiful sentiments are relatively straight-forward, if not simple, in principal, but their impact is powerful and can leave a person forever changed.
Imagine how fulfilling it would be to cross all of these off of your list.
When most people think of going through a life-changing event, they think of near-death experiences or a tremendous psychological revelation.
But some people have experienced other events they found not only to be life-altering but which they believe everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime.
Redditor decisivevinyl asked:
"What life-altering things should every human ideally get to experience at least once in their lives?"
Man's Best Friend
"The unconditional love of a pet. Having a true bond with an animal is so amazing."
- Squirrel-ScoutCookie
Genuine Love
"Love."
"Not lustful, hormonal, and temporary rushes of emotion, but deep, sacrificial, spiritual, hell-or-high-water, to the ends of the earth love."
"To love someone like that and to be loved like that in return is the highest point of human existence."
"I would kill and die for my wife without a second thought. She knows this, and I know she would do the same for me. I never really lived until I loved, and specifically, loved like this."
- jcmayday
Total Vulnerability
"Complete vulnerability in the company of the person that you love. Letting that person really know you and taking the risky leap of putting yourself, with all of your insecurities, quirks, and naive hopes, in another person's hands."
"I was struggling with so much trust, anxiety, and insecurity issues for so long that when I finally let myself completely open to someone, I felt like a whole new person."
"But be sure the other person is open to having you open up and has the patience and love to help you get back on your feet."
- Salchi_
Growing from Heartbreak
"As s**t as it is, and I wouldn't wish it upon many people... Heartbreak."
"I feel like a lot of personal growth can stem from it. It also makes you way more sensitive and understanding of others who are hurting and suffering. Empathy is far more important and powerful than sympathy."
- Rasengan2012
A Sudden Life Change
"I was supposed to get married this past Saturday but my fiancée broke it off, completely out of the blue, three months ago."
"I've learned more about myself over the past three months than I have in pretty much my entire life."
"I also learned that I have a lot of REALLY good friends. Friends I hadn't spoken with in months reached out to me, and random people I somehow added on Facebook reached out, and I had never felt more loved. I also spent my Saturday night surrounded by many of these people and I had a really great night."
"I wouldn't wish heartbreak on anyone, but it is the most important and significant experience I have ever had."
- andyman492
One With Nature
"Total isolation."
"I’m talking about traveling out to a remote location far far away from civilization and far away from anyone else."
"Just you and the world around you. All alone. And not another soul in sight."
"It’s such a bizarre yet powerful feeling. Here you are, completely free from the constraints of civilization, free from your obligations, free from your routines. There’s nothing holding you back now except yourself. You’re experiencing life at its purest."
"I went on one hell of a bush walk not too long ago that took me deep into a forest that very few people have been through. There was a moment when I was sitting on this fallen tree when it hit me just how truly far away and isolated I was. And with that, just how far away all my problems were too. Out here, it was just me and the trees."
"It really seems to put life back into perspective when you inevitably have to head back and re-enter civilization. The juxtaposition is something else."
- SkyGuardianOfTheSky
Wide Open Spaces
"Two things come to mind:"
"Standing somewhere very high, and just absorbing the view. It's easy, especially in our urban cities and over-developed suburbs to lose the sense of how big the world really is. People talk about the 'big sky' in places like Texas, but you haven't experienced the 'big sky' until you're standing a mile or three high and looking out over the planet. (And being in an airplane does not count.)"
"Also, really experiencing the night sky, somewhere truly dark."
"Big bonus if you're doing both at the same time."
- IAmDotorg
Go Mountain Climbing
"One of my absolute life-changing experiences is hiking a mountain in the fog."
"A friend and I hiked a few thousand feet, and when we hit the peak we had just come over the fog line. There was an old guy at the top with us, and he saw that we were in awe."
"He pointed to the northeast. 'See that other mountain range poking out above the clouds? That’s Tahoe.'"
"Tahoe was 150 miles away, give or take."
"There's something about being exhausted after intense physical exertion, with your best friend, in a surreal landscape, and then having a seemingly impossible vision pointed out to you on top of that, was otherworldly."
- DangerousKidTurtle
Scuba Diving
"Scuba diving. I promise you, it's a completely different world down there and it's not ours."
"You'll be amazed and maybe even get an understanding and a greater connection to our earth and all the living things on this chunk of rock floating through space."
- Sparky
Live Alone
"Living single and alone. It's a very specific kind of freedom but a touch of fear."
"I can do whatever I want... but at the same time if something bad happened it might be a bit before anyone even noticed."
- BadHippieGirl
Be Independent But Appreciative
"I love certain aspects of living alone, but overall long term I prefer living with a partner."
"I love the freedom of having your own domain that isn't controlled by anybody else. Mostly I loved being able to keep it as clean/messy as I want at any given time, and the fact that I could spend hours shamelessly being 'ugly me,' which is what I call myself when I'm just a piece of s**t sitting around baked watching sports in my underwear for hours on end, really giving no thought to my outward appearance whatsoever."
"That said, all those great aspects of living alone don't come close to going to bed every night with somebody you're into. I don't necessarily mind sleeping alone, but going to bed every night with someone you really cherish is the tits, and no aspect of living alone beats that."
"For that reason, I will always prefer living with a romantic/sexual partner over living alone."
"Living with roommates was fun but that's more for your twenties."
- ApolloRocketOfLove
Have a Healthy Diet
"Eating healthy food for like two months straight. You never realize how s**tty you feel if you've been feeling that way literally your entire life."
"It also helps you realize how insanely addictive sugar/fast food is. Once you go back to it the cravings kick in immediately (at least in my experience)."
- Hudre
Improve Energy
"I’d been living pretty much exclusively off Pizza, instant noodles, and beer since uni, mainly due to not giving a s**t about anything at all."
"I started eating healthily only one month ago and I’ve already lost my pot belly and gone from feeling depressed and anxious all day every day to actually feeling the zest of life once again finally."
"If I felt 2/10 every day before I almost immediately went to feeling like a 7 or 8/10."
"The difference is phenomenal."
- TractionDuck91
Healthy Exchange
"I started eating healthy to lose weight. There was the odd craving, but I could usually stamp it out quickly just because seeing the numbers go down on the scale in the morning was much more satisfying than some fries."
"Then there would be weekends or something where I ate nothing but crappy food. Delicious crappy food. But by the end of it, I was craving veggies and fruit. I wanted healthy food!"
"So for me now, I look at a good, healthy meal and I want it. I look at some crappy meal and I'm like, 'Eh, not worth it' most of the time."
- FlameFrenzy
Artistic Mastery
"The feeling of having mastered something. Piano, poetry, writing, some videogame, coding, anything really. There is a special self-knowledge that comes from having mastered something that everyone really needs to know."
- 44Hydras
Whether it's witnessing deep love or expansive spaces, there are experiences in our world that not only remind us how small we are in the universe but which make us feel more connected and grateful.
Not only are these experiences life-altering, they're priceless.