Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Difficult-House6853 asked:
"What’s a secret that would change how the people around you look at you if they knew?"
If you think you know everyone in your little community, you have another think coming.
Former Group Member
"I was in a cult for a couple years."
– Sleepy-Spacemen
The Escape Plan
"All of my friends and family are Jehovahs witnesses, they think I am but I plan to leave. 85% of them will shun me when I leave."
– Allegedlystupid
Complete Christening
"Our house was the first one on our street to be built. My husband and I had sex in every single house on our street while they were under construction. I imagine our neighbors would look at us differently if they know we’d f'ked in their house before they even had a chance to."
– MediocreMerkin
The discussion people have with themselves can be startling.
The Passive Confidante
"People think that I’m a good listener, and that just makes them say things to me that they really shouldn’t. I’m only listening because I don’t want to be rude, not because I care. Don’t tell me your family secrets, please."
– A_Guy_From_The_ME
Inner Dialogue
"My intrusive thoughts. Holy sh*t sometimes i surprise myself on how gnarly i think in just a second."
– MaybeNot_MaybeYes
All The Vulernabilities
"How incredibly terrified I am nearly all of the time. I'm not confident, I don't think I'm in control any more, I don't think I can do this. And still, here I go"
– Bron_3
Let's play trivia with the people you think you know well.
Lawbreaker
"I’m a convicted felon. Nothing violent, a white collar crime."
– PhotographIcy600
Easily Detached
"I have a very hard time liking/growing fond of people, even after knowing them for years. I could just drop all contact with them and not miss them at all. Was like this even as a child, all the way to now…"
– Infinite_Ebb_2856
More Than Meets The Eye
"I’m a janitor. But I’m worth over a million dollars because I own real estate."
– Flashy-Weather3529
Everyone is entitled to keeping secrets.
But has anything good ever come as a result of revealing something you've kept close to yourself?
I have. Coming out while I was in college made me feel like a heavy burden was lifted once I received an outpouring of love and support from friends and family.
What changed was not only their perception of who I truly was, but also how I viewed them.
I regretted having underestimated them–thinking they wouldn't embrace me for who I am as a person–when the exact opposite wound up happening.
I do acknowledge that everyone does not have the same experience.
I've been very lucky and I count my blessings for all the love surrounding me in my life.
KABOOM!!
homer simpson boom GIFGiphyI was parked in a space and left ten minutes before a car with a bomb parked there and blew up.
What's in a Name?
Both of my parents have a twin sister named Jenny.
My mom has 4 sisters and 3 brothers-in-law named Jeffrey. (My "Uncle Jeffrey", "Uncle Jeff", and "Uncle Skip".)
The fourth sister was dating a guy called "Ben" for a while until she got a good look at his license... Geoffrey Benjamin! Probably the dumbest reason to end a relationship, but I can't say that I blame her.
Liking your Sound
Peter Gabriel complimented me on my guitar playing when I was 5.
Art Garfunkle told me I have a lovely way about me. I did just get him a big glass full of vodka though. I was about 14 and first got him a big glass of water but guess I was wrong bout that one.
Good Company
steve buscemi flirting GIFGiphyWhen I (24M) was 7 my parents were housing some young film makers and they had Steve Buscemi over for dinner. Really really nice guy, just as everyone says.
Jump!
I jumped out from a moving bus to escape kidnapping.
I asked a dazed and scared looking young woman at a fast food restaurant if she needed help and she said yes, she wanted to know where she was. She'd just been dumped in the parking lot by some guy who'd kept her against her will for the past day.
Luckily my teenage daughters were with me. They helped make her feel safe going with us to the police station (offered hospital, too, but she refused).
I did not doubt her but any question of her story was erased when we got to the station, which was closed. I called 911 and before I could even explain the situation to dispatch, several police cars pulled up, surrounding my car.
Turns out she had been reported missing and in danger so the cops had been trying to triangulate where her phone was. The phone was dead, so while we were driving to the station, I let the young woman borrow my car charger. She kept trying to turn it on, but the charger was so slow her phone kept shutting off again. The cops were following the pings each time the phone turned on.
Steve and Mindy
I never forget names or faces. Like ever. I realized this nearly two decades ago working at a telemarketing company. I never forgot a name and to this day can think of several names I encountered that stood out. Later I worked at a nightclub and one day this couple came in - we'll call them Steve and Mindy. We chatted for about a minute or two, three years later Mindy runs into the bar hollering that someone assaulted her boyfriend. I said "O no! Is Steve okay?" She looked at me like she's seen a ghost and I did think O, she's probably surprised I remember them.
Later she asked how I could remember them and I just said that I never forget anyone I meet and have any substantial interaction with. I just don't forget names or faces ever. Almost 100% of the time they are permanently etched into my memory. Don't remember birthday or what day of the week it is and after six years still don't have my plates memorized but forget it, if we met one time for five minutes twenty years ago, I still remember you. Weird but true.
The Middle
All my family has pretty cool middle names and when people are like what's your full I get to my middle name which is thunderstorm and they just don't believe me until I get someone in my family to back me up.
Edit 1: since a lot of you want the other middle names are: Morningstar, firefly, honeybee, and still water.
Edit 2: I forgot to mention I actually have two middle names the other one is Liam.
Edit 3: thank you for my first awards kind strangers.
Wes Craven Help GIF by filmeditorLive and in Person
In 1982 I met and had a long conversation with Joe Perry the guitarist for Aerosmith in a bar. I told him what kind of guitar I was playing at the time. He said he had one somewhere up north at a girlfriends house but never played it. I told him he should find it. A few months later his new album came out and he was holding the guitar. In 1996 I jammed onstage with Tommy Chong.
Finding Sight
jean claude van damme eye contact GIFGiphyWhen I was younger I was river tubing with some family. Stupid me forgot to bring eye drops for my contacts, and one popped out into the water.
Later we come to a shallow end, and this little girl FINDS MY CONTACT!!! Like, what are the odds?!
In case you're wondering, yes I popped it back in.
Looking back I don't know what the bigger miracle is,
Losing a contact in a river, and finding it again.
OR
Not getting my eye infected when I put it back in.
"We should be friends!"
I have been dreaming of a girl since I was a small child. She would appear in any dream I was having at the time and talk to me/play games. This happened almost daily for years until I was 12. I thought maybe she had been my wife in another life.
One day I told her that we couldn't see each other anymore and that I needed to move on with my life. She cried and I felt horrible as I said goodbye. I stopped dreaming of her after that and regretted it badly for the next 23 years.
3 years ago a woman that looks just like her walked up to me and said "We should be friends!" I don't think I have ever had anyone just tell me to be their friend out of the blue like this.
She is now currently my best friend and I look forward to every conversation we have. I have never met anyone that has mentally changed my outlook on life as much as her and I am so grateful to have met her.
Old Al
GiphyMy family ended up on the West coast because Al Capone was rubbed the wrong way by my grand uncle. He was murdered while visiting my great grandpa's farm.
Beach Days
A whale hit me with her tail and broke my rib while i was trying to save her and her pod. (50+ pilot whales beached themselves on a beach i lifeguarded). I doubt anyone would believe me had there not been witnesses (the beach patrons helping with the whales with the lifeguards).
13 Years Later
I've died once, I was hit by a car and was left in the street for 20+ minutes, my pancreas liver and small intestines were ruptured, I broke my left elbow, left shoulder, left collar bone, right wrist, pelvis in 6-8 places and my skull. They declared me legally dead for about 10 minutes in the ambulance but were able to resuscitate me. I had Amnesia for a month, and lost the majority of my memories before the age of 13. This year was my 13 year anniversary of it happening. I'm mostly fine now but I have a limp when I get tired most people believe I did in fact get hit they just believe the part of me dying.
Edit: I was also in a coma for a month.
Running from Evil
I married really young and my ex husband ended up killing several people during our marriage. I had to separate from my daughter for our protection because he was still at large. After nine years, I finally reconnected with her. People think I abandoned her but as long as she knows differently, that's all that matters. We're safe and out of his reach now, and I couldn't be happier.
Edit to add: He was finally apprehended two years ago, and immediately after I was reunited with my daughter. I didn't abandon her, we were forced to separate for our protection and had to move far away from our little house.
I didn't know where she was and she couldn't know where I went. I honestly never thought I'd get to see her again, so just having her in my life again is a miracle. I don't know why he did the things he's done, but I take comfort in the fact he is now in prison and his appeals have been denied. May he rot in there for every single life he's destroyed, including the childhood my daughter should've had.
Early Bird
Broke Payday GIF by MaxisGiphyI had a house with an indoor pool at age 25. Made 15k on the weekends playing blackjack in Vegas. I was retired at 26, and then homeless and bankrupt from divorce at 28.
Once on this Island
I grew up on a tiny island, unrelated to Africa.
Nelson Mandela held my hand and walked me to school as his plane refueled there.
** Edit **
Lots of questions on where this island was. It was cocos islands in the Indian Ocean back in the 90's
Lots of people calling fake. I wouldn't believe a stranger on the internet either, but I do have photos of me as an oblivious little kid trotting next to him like it's no big deal. Kid me had no idea that my life had peaked at that moment.
You're Cool
Gang members tried to rob me and I told them no.
I was alone in downtown Minneapolis and two Bloods tried to rob me but I laughed and said "I don't have money on me because so many people see a skinny white guy and try to rob me." (I was lying and I don't know why I reacted that way).
One of them stared at me for like 5 seconds then said "Ok, you're cool" and they walked away. Minneapolis doesn't have (nearly as much of) a gang problem now, but definitely did then.
This happened when there was a parking lot across 7th St from First Ave (the club where Purple Rain was partly filmed).
More detail if you want it: the first one asked for money and I said I didn't have cash. The 2nd appeared out of nowhere, like suddenly his face was right next to mine and he said "I don't think you heard him. He said he wants your money."
Broken
Broke my neck, didn't know until a nurse was helping me with physio after surgery for a punctured lung.
More info in the small chance people see this. Punctured the lung spontaneously, they call it a spontaneous pneumothorax. I have no idea how I screwed up a vertebrae in my neck, had a hairline fracture.
Edit: Huh, I guess some people did notice this. The worst part for me now is not the neck which they fixed promptly, it's the fact that in the back of mind I am still aware the other lung could go at any time. It's been a decade and I am still all to well of that fact. The comments below will explain how possible that is because both lungs are often susceptible, these blebs are a ticking time bomb.
I can't Recall
will smith memory GIF by STARZGiphyI can barely remember details past a few months ago, I have essentially no recollection of what things look like. Big events and things like that work fine, but details are gone and half the time I cant tell if I actually remember something or I remember someone telling me about something.
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More 411....
I call, if I need an information right now. If it can wait, I'll text. Prizrenaliii
Exactly what I do and what I tell people who are my contacts. Don't text me if you need an answer instantly. If you call and I don't pick up, try the home phone or a work phone. I choose not to and but often don't get to keep my phone with me in all my workplaces. konibear890
The Voice.
The only person I instinctively call rather than text is my wife and it's usually just because I want to hear her voice. the_mayonnaise_spoon
Sounds like my fiancé. I've seen him literally ignore calls and texts but anytime I text him, he will text me back asking if I can call. When i call him he sounds so happy to hear me and I love him so much. Ima go give him a hug. BedtimeStalker
Humanity.
One of the hardest phone calls I had to take when I worked for AT&T was this gentleman who kept paying his late wife's phone bill so his kids could call her voicemail and hear her. He'd lost his job and couldn't pay, so he called in to see what could be done to keep the phone on.
Luckily I had like a $250 override limit and the cel plan was hella cheap so I wiped out the debt and covered him for a few months.
God, that was ten years ago, those kids are probably grown and have their own kids now. ryukohime
Resolve.
Less likely to be misunderstood. BetterToad
And misunderstandings are quicker to resolve than through a long clarifying text chain. adfriedman
"what?"
GiphyMy phone usually has crap service and I have crap hearing. You text and I get it. You call and I'm gonna say "what?" a million times until you get pissed and hang up. FPSXpert
The Easy Way.
It's easier and faster to have a conversation in 2 minutes than to text back and forth for 15. pacmanrockshok
Exactly. Phone for quick synchronous communication, texting for slower asynchronous communication.
Both have their advantages but calls are just easier if you want to convey a large amount of information quickly and both of you are free at the same time. athars1s
Torture.
To torture introverts. deathforallweebs
I have a philosophy in life with anything. Emails, letters, phone calls, etc.
If it's important it'll happen twice. LovableKyle24
All Damn Day.
GiphyBecause conversations over text take all damn day. Texting memes and general updates to people is fine. But if I actually need to arrange something or needs some information I'll always call. OneCatch
The Void.
Texting can turn a 5 minute convo into an hour long session when people are doing other things. Texting someone who is busy sucks. Texts are good for some interactions, but phone calls fill a totally different void. ShameNap
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We all go through awkward phases, and it can feel like everyone is always looking at you and noticing all of your flaws. But one day, a friend pointed out to me that people are too busy obsessing over themselves and their own flaws to be paying attention to mine. It helped me become more comfortable in my skin.
Redditor u/yesasinyes got free life advice when they asked, "What was the best advice someone has ever given you?"
10. Don't worry about what you can't change
"If you have a problem and you can do something about it, do it. If you cant do anything about it, what's the point in worrying?"
8. Don't be a bad driver in the rain
"My dad is a man of a few words but he did give me very sound advice when I got my driver license. He said, 'Make sure you don't get pulled over when it is raining. The cop has to get out, get wet, and by the time they get to you they will be grumpy. They will give you a ticket for their trouble.'"
7. Let go of grudges
"Holding a grudge is like letting someone live inside your head, rent-free.
Evict them, and use that space for something positive and constructive."
6. Can't win them all
"No matter how nice or good you are some people are just not going to like you and that's okay and you need to learn to be okay with that."
5. Be kind to yourself
Giphy"What advice would you give if a friend was coming to you with this problem? Sometimes we get so bogged down with our own personal biases and issues we forget that we actually have valuable wisdom to give ourselves"
4. Invest in your 401K
"Start contributing to your 401K, even if only a small percentage to start.
Solid advice from the parentals."
3. Failure is okay
"Successful people are often the people who were willing to fail the most."
2. They'll make it worse for themselves
"If someone's arguing with you and won't let you talk, just don't say anything and let them dig themselves a deeper hole."
1. Shot of bourbon, please
Giphy"My great-grandmother had her 92nd birthday, I asked what's her secret. She replied with 'don't sweat the small things and a shot of bourbon will always help'"
When you subject yourself to dating, you're going to meet a wide variety of people. Finding your turn ons and offs is learning process. At some point, a dating partner may do something so rude or annoying, that it becomes a trait that you'll red flag in other people for the rest of your life.
Redditor u/h8raide88 got to learn about other people's dating preferences when they asked, "What habit or characteristic on a first date is a deal breaker?"
10. They're a terrible listener
"Repeatedly interrupting me when I'm talking, especially when I'm answering a question they asked. It tells me they're not actually engaged in what I'm saying."
9. They're obsessed with credit scores
Giphy"I know a girl who asks every guy she goes on a date with what his credit score is. She wants to make sure they're financially stable. Also she's 23 and doesn't know how to pump gas."
8. Know it alls are a no
"Being a know it all. I had lunch with someone who called the table salt 'sodium chloride' and used the bread as a way to tell me everything he knew about complex carbohydrates (some of which wasn't even correct) and their connections to evolutionary theory. Just felt like he was compensating for something"
7. They get sloppy drunk
"Getting so drunk on the first date that you can't figure out Uber and I have to drive you home. No, you can't stay on my couch, I don't know you."
6. They're careless with your car
"Here is a great story, first date in college. I drive a truck and live in a city. So spots are tight. This spot is particularly tight. So I say, 'this is a tight spot so watch your door when you open it.' Girl 'are you telling me how to open my door?' Doesn't pay basic attention and slams the door into the other car."
5. Eyes need to be off the phone
"On their phone the whole time. If you can't disconnect for an hour or so to engage with me then it's not going to work."
4. They're just an all out mess
"I went on a date with a girl, this date was a disaster. She got food in her hair and all over the place, she wouldn't get off her phone, and she stabbed herself in the cheek with her fork because she wasn't paying attention. I've never seen her since"
3. When they get flirting tips online
"The amount of guys who think negging is a good flirting technique is ridiculous. Contrary to what you read on WikiHow, insulting a girl doesn't make her want to impress you, it just makes her realize you're a ****."
2. Catfishing is just bad
"Lying about their appearance. Very specific app example (guess which one). But you see their pictures, they look nice and then they are different in person. Whats the point"
1. You have to take a literal test to meet them
Giphy"I was once set up to go on a blind date with this girl. We were given each other's email addresses and so I hit her up, we exchanged a few pleasantries, then set up a date/time to finally meet. The day of, I get an email from her in the morning with an attachment. I open up the attachment and there is a questionnaire with like 25-30 questions on it. She requested I kindly fill out the questionnaire before we meet. I quickly reviewed the questions before sending her a reply saying that it's probably best we don't meet."