Many homeowners and renters tend to decorate their abode with a bare minimum aesthetic–with nothing but furniture and the occasional generic artwork acquired at Target to cover their vast wall space.
Others, however, are usually collectors who proudly display their prized possessions that serve as conversation pieces for visitors.
What others think is trash could literally be treasures to their owners.
Curious to hear examples of what these might be, Redditor Maggo6452 asked:
"What’s the rarest object you own?"
People share their celebrity autographs as their rare possessions.
Comic Book Fan
"I have a copy of Avenging Spiderman #1 blank cover variant, with a hand drawn picture of Spiderman on the cover by Ken Hauser. It is #28 of 499."
"Years later I had it signed by Stan Lee at FanExpo Toronto."
– LodgedSpade
Valued Reply
"A handwritten letter from David Attenborough, he replied to a love letter I sent him years ago 😂"
– Wannyfoo
The Late Musician's Instrument
"A show used, signed bass by Cliff Burton and the rest of Metallica from the Solnahallen show in Sweden. This was Cliffs last show before he passed away."
– Slackley
These are one-of-a-kind items that Redditors are proud owners of.
Worldwide Possessions
"Found a gold tooth and a few thousand really old stamps from all over the world in a really old Jewish ladies house in NYC that had died and we were clearing out. No idea how to figure out if they're worth anything but some are super old like pre world war 2 and from weird corners if the world."
– Loud-Vacation-711
Vintage Copy
"I have a (incomplete) hardback collection of Edgar Allan Poe's writings that was bound in 1919."
– crucifix_peen
Keeping Time
"A 1775 mantle clock made in London."
"It's in pristine condition, all-original, gets wound once per week, and keeps accurate time."
– Back2Bach
Perpetually Rare
"I have an uncooked steak in the freezer."
– rumhee
Outdated gadgets get the shout-out treatment as rare objects.
Electronic Relic
"An original Microsoft Explorer 3.0 mouse signed by Bill Gates and Steven Fisher, the designer of the mouse. Microsoft Hardware gave it to me as a gift for helping them plan a research trip for gaming to Korea. One of only two I am aware of."
– sbrooks84
Spare Copy
"Unopened copy of FFVII (Final Fantasy VII). Black label, sticker and cellophane still intact."
"I got 2 copies for my birthday when i was a kid because my parents were divorced and didn't communicate what they intended to get me. Weirdly I was a smart kid and only opened one so I'd have an extra just in case I scratched a disk."
– Pineapple_Spenstar
The First Version
"First iPhone released given specifically to Apple Employees."
– Kimchi_Cowboy
Digital Pet
"An unopened Tagagotchi I bought in 1997. Probably not worth anything, come to think of it."
– holden-caulfied
My treasure is a family acquisition. It's a vintage steamer trunk that my great uncle used to transport his and his wife's belongings when they were forced out of their home–along with many other Japanese-Americans at the time–and relocated to the Heart Mountain Japanese internment camps in northwest WY during World War II.
After my great uncle died, my father brought the trunk home and stored it in our garage for decades.
When it came time to sell our house, my brother and I almost threw the trunk out. Thank goodness our neighbor across the street saw it left out on the curb for anyone to pick up and advised us against doing that.
With some research and finding out more details about the trunk, I've decided to hold onto it, and it now serves as a side table in my current home.
I can't believe this stunning piece was once headed for the dumpster or into a stranger's home. It is priceless.
There are roughly 7 billion people on earth so being the top 1% of anything sounds like it might be an incredible honor.
Maybe you've received an award or a certification that only a few people have gotten. Or maybe you have a rare disease, which doesn't sound as fun.
We went to Ask Reddit to find the people who are in a top 1% of people.
Redditor I_Love_Small_Breasts asked:
"What are you in the 1% of?"
Here's some of the rare groups people are apart of or things they experience.
Could be totally great or totally inconvenient.
"If I shake my head in a certain way, I can give myself an orgasm. Never met anyone who can do that."
- KindlyOlPornographer
"Wow that sounds incredibly inconvenient."
- WiIdCherryPepsi
"'Shaking my head' has a whole new meaning now. Damn."
- RuthlessRex
Survived a flesh eating bacteria.
"Survived flesh eating bacteria in the bloodstream after sepsis. Most people die within 3 days."
- skyth2k1
"Had MRSA and sepsis because of an open wound on my left foot. Thing is a nurse was treating the wound with Santyl and it was fully bandaged at all times. The nurse changed the dressings 3 times a week but I still ended up in the hospital with antibiotics IV'd into each arm plus oral antibiotics. Spent 15 days in ICU having all my organs sonogramed for signs of the infection spreading. X-rays and MRI's to check for bone infections and when they released me I had to wear a wound vac pump for 2 months to seal the wound on my foot."
- marcuscrassus98
Pancreatic cancer survivor.
"I had pancreatic cancer last year. Out of 10,000 patients they normally find 100 who have another form of this cancer who kill a little slower, like in 2 years instead of months."
"I was one of the hundred. Out of those, normally 15 can have surgery. I was one of them."
"Out of those 15, some die and some come back to basically normal life."
"That's about a 0.07% chance in all."
"I am still one of them. I should be dead by now."
- WillingnessSouthern4
A superpower.
"I can stop my hiccups on command."
- mcrfreak78
"There’s a superpower for sure."
- isat_u_steve
This is way less than 1%
"I am one of only 1300 board certified Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners for the adult and adolescent population. In the world."
- eziern
"I'm unsettled by how small that number is."
- redhair-ing
"To be fair, there are more SANE nurses, meaning nurses who take care of these patients and are qualified to do so. Being board certified just means I took an extra step after I reached a qualifying time to take a test to prove it. I’m actually up for renewal. At the time I first tested, I was one of something like 1100."
"Still, even knowing that, there aren’t enough SANEs or FNEs overall."
- eziern
Being ambidextrous.
"I’m naturally ambidextrous. Apparently that’s something only 1% of people naturally are. I can use both right and left hands ably for any task. For example, I often switch which hand I write with based on how I’m sitting."
"It’s worth noting natural ambidexterity is not the same as learned or acquired ambidexterity. For example, left handed people often have to use things designed for right handed people but otherwise are left handed."
- Stormaen
"I’m of the .002% of people with osteopoikilosis. This freaked the sh*t out of me because when I was diagnosed the first thing the doctor said was 'wow I’ve never seen this in anything but textbooks before.'"
"Basically, I have bones growing inside my bones. It’s not anything I should be worried about, at least for a while, so that’s nice."
- IgDailystapler
How many people can say this?
"I've represented my country in the Paralympic games."
- L-E-S
"That’s a really nice one! Which specialty?"
- AntiSnoringDevice
"Volleyball for Great Britain in the 1996 games in Atlanta."
- L-E-S
Backwards heart.
"Not me but my dad."
"He was born with a backwards heart and didn’t find out till his heart attack a few years ago and it actually saved his life."
"His doctor later told him that after being a doctor for over 30 years he’d never seen someone with a backwards heart and that apparently 1% of people on the planet have it."
- SaphireJames
Seeing static.
"I am diagnosed with Visual snow syndrome. Basically seeing through static. It may not be rare as thought but I am one of very few people to be formally diagnosed."
- condensemilks
"Same! I figured it out when people didn’t see the static and I heard it mentioned! Used to think I was seeing molecules when I was a little kid haha."
- MammothGlum
These Actors Were Perfectly Cast In Their Roles | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
Sometimes an actor comes along that is able to reach the audience on a deeper level. The actor that immediately comes to mind is Robin Williams. Although it ...HIV resistant gene mutation.
"I have a double gene mutation that makes me highly resistant or even immune to the HIV virus."
- Som12H8
"Can doctors use your blood to help those with HIV?"
- lydsquad
"I have the same mutation and I've donated samples towards research. I got an email last year about vaccine hopes but I'm not sure where it went."
- threewhitelights
Survived air travel crashes.
"I’ve been in 2 helicopter crashes and 1 plane crash. There is only a small group of people who have survived that many crashes. I’m also not a pilot."
- No1uNo_Nakana
"Have you considered alerting fellow passengers and crew when you book a flight?"
- thebeautifulseason
"That would go over great with tsa."
- aquoad
A very large eye.
"So apparently my left eye is 32mm. The average size is 21-27mm. My eye doctor said it was neat."
- sumtinfunny
"So you look like this? o_0"
- SmokyTower
"What about your right eye?"
- AnaNg_zz
"Don't worry. His other eye is all right."
- WordUnheard
Albinism.
"I'm albino."
- Xylogie
"Ooh, that's neat. I'm sure you never hear the end of it in public or social situations."
- Patsfan618
"Haha, oh boy do people talk about it! Mostly things about my hair and how much some people would pay for it lol."
- Xylogie
Just walking.
"According to my step counter, walking."
"Not even kidding, I manage a warehouse and walk 10-15 miles a day at work. Apparently this is more than 99.3% of users."
"Turns out the one thing I'm exceptional at is the one thing almost everyone can do. Yay."
- FastWalkingShortGuy
"25-30k steps a day, if my math is right?"
- blackbrandt
Two uteruses.
"Mine's pretty godawful. I have 2 uteruses."
"Lot of people asking why I put up with it till I was around 33. I didn't know. Because doctors don't listen to women complaining of menstrual issues, is why. The endless pain and bleeding? Suck it up, take 3 Advil not two (holla). Starting at age 12. Till I lucked into a rare empathetic gynecologist who, since I'd always known I was uninterested in parenting, offered me a minimally invasive (just removes the top of the uterus, the rest of me stayed there) hysterectomy to stop the pain and hemorrhaging. And in doing the surgery, he discovered what no other doctor had cared enough to find."
"I love that guy!"
- therookling
One of only 200 people in the world.
"I’m one of only 200 deaf pilots in the world and one of only four (that are commonly known of) in the world with Commercial & Instrument training."
"I’m also one of the only deaf people who hold both a pilots license and a commercial drivers license."
- deafaviator
"Can you work at commercial airliners? How do you communicate on radio? This is so cool. My dad works on planes for FedEx and now the military so I’ve always respected pilots. Hard work."
- ThalesOfRivia
"No. Airlines won’t touch me with a 10 foot pole. Way too much accommodation and liability involved."
"I don’t personally use the radio. If it’s necessary I’ll take a copilot along with me to handle the radio."
- deafaviator
Better than average vision.
"Eyesight. I have 20/10 vision, turns out only about 1% of people have better than normal 20/20 vision."
- Skumbob
"Ted Williams (HoF baseball player and WW2 pilot) told a story about his 20/10 vision. He was landing with his team and as the plane was circling the runway. He turned to a fellow player and says "I know that man in the yellow hat" The other player could barely make it the person in question and said there was no way Ted could see a face from this far away."
"They get off the plane and Ted walks up to the man in the yellow hat and shakes his hand."
- Helix1322
Heterochromia Iridum.
"I have a brown eye and a blue one."
- NoMatter07
"That's heterochromia iridum. Only four people out of a million have that, meaning you'd share that trait with approx. 0.0004% of the world population."
- FleurCannon_
There are some incredible people out there in the world, and thankfully the internet is bringing them all together.
It's fascinating to see how diverse humans really are.
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Priceless, collectible objects fall into the hands of people in a variety of ways.
Some are serious, hard-working hobbyists. They search online forums, peruse antique sales, and budget a good amount of cash toward collecting one-of-a-kind items.
But others come into possession of truly rare objects almost by accident. They might not have known what they were buying, they could have received the item as an heirloom.
Either way, having just one rarity can be an exciting conversation piece.
Apparently eager to know what's out there, encased in glass somewhere, Redditor Sheeppower4 asked:
"What is the rarest thing you own?"
Many people's rare objects were historical in nature. They were old, they illustrated a moment of history, and they derived their value from remaining intact so many years later.
For Protection
"16 century English Knight armour. It's a family heirloom." -- VinnyColdheart
"I imagine seeing that thing on Pawn Stars. 'Well, It's not exactly Century XVI; It's from 1601, and It has a scratch here and there, like if someone had hit it with a sharp object, I don't know. Anyway, all I can do is 50 bucks. And I'm risking here' " -- V02D
An Artifact of a Dark Time
"I don't really own this, but I am caretaker of a ring. During WW2 my Grandfather owned a tailors shop in Holland. A Jewish neighbor found out he was about to be taken, came into the shop, and gave him a few things, asking him to look after them, saying he would return after the war."
"He never came. I have his mourning ring, which has a lock of hair and a pearl, surrounded by diamonds. I did take it to a jeweler once, to see if the lock of hair could have some DNA, but he said it was too delicate to tamper with."
"My brother was a teacher, and now my daughter is. They have both used the ring to teach of the Holocaust. I think the ring has made it real for many children."
-- easysmiler
Wrong Coffin to Open
"I have an odd old handle from a coffin which dates back to a satanist from around 1800." -- BeyondContextual
"Imagine being the guy that was holding one of the handles and that sh** just snaps off, body falls out" -- AydenH5
"You fool! They don't die if there's no handle! Now there's a fekin Satanist roaming around somewhere looking for sacrifices!" -- Super_monkey_box
Literary Nerd
"A copy of Paradise Lost from 1764 that I found in a pile of books in Hay-on-Wye in Wales about a decade ago."
"From the same trip a set of first to third edition prints of T. S. Eliot's The Four Quartets. He is by far my favourite poet and even though almost no-one else cares, I really really like them. He probably put the first and second editions together himself. The first edition still has uncut pages in it."
-- jqpublick
Spoils of the War
"An Arabian sword that my grandfather 'borrowed' from an ancient fort in North Africa during WWII. They were holed up there to take cover from German tanks that were firing on them."
Other people were all about the autographs.
Whether it was them or a loved one, some hard work and good timing allowed them to take home a very valuable proof that they rubbed shoulders with some seriously influential figures.
Concert of a Lifetime
"My dad is retired from the NYPD. He was one of a bunch of officers escorting the Beatles to the stage when they played Shea Stadium. He got all their signatures in his ticket book. Ringo signed his name by drawing a star only."
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame offered him $500k for it and he refused."
"When my dad died a few years ago, it was passed on to me."
"I will never sell it."
Best Excuses For Late Assignments That Were Actually True | George Takei’s Oh Myyy
The Greats
"A baseball with both Babe Ruth & Joe DiMagio signatures." -- Dendad1218
"Passed down to you?" -- Cubsfan630
"Yes, actually it is a family thing. Joe was family. It is very sun damaged." -- Dendad1218
True Love
"A Thor print signed by Stan Lee, to me."
"My wife got it for me at one of his final appearances. He wasn't doing personalizations, but she talked him into it."
The Cast that Made It
"I've got a Star Wars poster with Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew, and Carrie Fisher's autograph on it, along with a handful of other original Star Wars trilogy characters"
-- TeriWiedman
Wonder What Came Over Him
"I have a shirt that Muhammad Ali drew a full sketch he called "The Rumble in the Jungle" on the back."
"His daughter pulled me aside and said he's only ever drawn something like that a few times, and it's super rare and worth quite a bit. I have the pictures of him drawing it at the time."
And others shared the rarities that showed a little bit more of their own personality. Some were seeked out, some were only saved thanks to a little shameless fanhood.
Best Board
"A custom go board that is truly unique. The lines are made of darker wood inlaid to the lighter wood, not ink. This board will never warp. The whole thing is super high quality. It was a commissioned work, and the guy said he would never make another one (yes he was well paid)."
"It's something a go player immediately appreciates. As far as I am concerned, I own the best table board on the planet."
-- cazique
Well Cared For
"A official 1962 amazing fantasy no 15 (the first appearance from spider man) it was given to me by my late grandpa I have it in a air sealed package in a small safe being a painting in my room it is my most prized possession"
Rare and Phallic
"A Little Mermaid VHS cover with a penis tower" -- Tylorexy
"That's not rare, though, is it? I had the same thing as a kid."
"I remember trying to find the penis tower as a 10yo girl who didn't really know what a penis looked like. I found it because it was suspiciously not tower-like, but without first hand knowledge I couldn't be sure that was the one." -- Okoreala
"It is and it isn't."
"Plenty of copies with that case were made, but IIRC they redid the vhs cover at some point, so there were two variants floating around. On top of that, vhs not really being a thing anymore makes it difficult to find a copy with the di*k tower on it." -- brycejm1991
Keep Your Coins
"It's not really valuable, but I think my rarest possession is a wheat penny with what collectors call a cud error."
"On the left wheat ear, you can see where the die mold chipped and left a tiny bubble. Possibly one-of-a-kind."
Comfy?
"I have a set of seats from the Astrodome in Houston. My dad bought them before he passed away and left 2 to me and 2 to my sister."
Unfortunately, we can't all be so lucky to have such cool and interesting prized possessions.
My rarest possession, for example, is that dorky U.S. map quarter collection.
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I was visiting family in LA and I randomly suggested we check out the places we went to when my older brother and I were younger.
One day, we decided to visit the house where I was born.
I have no memory of that house near East Los Angeles since we moved to another house when I was two. But we pulled up to the house and I got out of the car and looked around the front yard.
A guy emerged from the home and we locked eyes. I didn't say anything out of fear went back into the car where my family sat waiting. My mother, however, insisted I go back out and explain to the guy why we were there in order to avoid further suspicion.
The man understandably stared me down and I told him this was the house where I was born. His surly expression changed instantly and he insisted my family come inside and meet his mom and dad and tour their home.
Under different circumstances, I'm not sure if we would have experienced the same outcome. To me, this is my one-in-a-million story.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor IcarusTheTaker asked:
"(Serious) What is your "1 In a Million" story?"
Connections
Interactions with strangers led to mind-blowing discoveries for these Redditors.
Family Secrets
"My dad died when I was 12. We had a favorite picture of him that my uncle made prints of and gave to us kids, and my two half-brothers, as well as other family members."
"Fast forward 15 years or so. My brother and his roommate are at a bar and pick up a couple of women and bring them back to their place. The women spend the night. The next morning, the woman that slept with my brother's roommate sees my dad picture on the mantle, turns white and says 'Who's that?'"
"That's my roommates dad. He passed away a while ago."
"Oh, thank God! I REALLY need to talk to him."
"That's how we found out we had a half-sister we never knew about."
"My dad got a girl pregnant in highschool and she decided to go it alone. She moved across the state and never contacted my dad other than to say it's a girl and what her name was."
"Our half sister never knew what dad's name was until word got to her mom that he had died. The mom contacted our mom and they had a conversation. My mom had known everything and had kept it to herself. My mom then had a copy of the photo sent."
"Half sister was visiting her friend, when they met up with my brother and roommate in a random bar in a random city."
"Family secrets, man."
Passengers
"My friend was on the tube (london) and was forced to get off at an earlier stop due to line works. He was relatively new to london and didnt know what to do so he got talking to a guy who sat opposite him and he was heading the same way and he welcomed my friend to come with him. They started making small talk and asked about where they were from originally. Turns out the guy was from the next town over from where he lived. The next part is where it really gets 1 in a million. When my friend said that he knew the town and told him where he was from, the guy is like 'no way, my grandma used to live there' The guys grandma lived next to my friend, and it turns out they used to play together when were around 5/6 years of age (they are both around 30 at this time). When they realised this they recognised eachother."
"If the train never had to stop they would have carried on their journeys and never known."
High School Buddy
"Went to New Orleans for Halloween a few years ago with a few friends. Ended up at the famous Cafe Du Monde for some Beignets. Was sitting at our table with my 4 travel friends, when I let out a loud laugh."
"Right behind me I hear someone say 'wtf, I know that laugh, that's gotta be whopper68!'. I turn around as he turns around. It's an old high school buddy that had just gotten off a plane on a last second trip decision to fly to New Orleans to meet his fiancé's parents before they flew back home."
"Hadn't seen em in 10+years."
Familiar Face
"I was on a motor vehicle collision call out as a volunteer fire fighter. There was freezing rain on the Trans Canada highway and around 30 cars in the ditch. I checked on one lady in a flat bed tow truck who looked distraught because she just wrecked her vehicle. After speaking with her she seemed okay and I went about my business."
"A couple of years later I was hanging out with friends and family around Christmas and my brother-in-law mentioned he had a flight attendant friend staying over on her day off. She seemed really familiar, and after a while I figured out that she was the lady in the vehicle I checked in on during the freezing rain accident! What are the chances?"
People Share The 'Dirty Secrets' That Their Bosses Don't Want Customers To Know
There's a lot businesses hope their customers believe, and there are many business practices you wouldn't dare believe. These are some of the secrets Reddit ...Odds
Luck of the draw? Right place and time? Who knows?
Dad's Luck
"Me and my dad were on a hike, in the middle of the woods. We brought out knives, for whittling. So, we are carving out sticks, and he accidentally cuts himself. Nothing too bad, but it was big enough that you can't ignore. Then he notices something under the rock he is sitting on. It is a box, with a multiple bandaids in it."
"Also whenever he is looking for a parking spot, he finds one, right in front of where he needs to go."
What Are The Odds
"I have a distant relative that was an author. I'm always trying to find the few books of hers that I don't have. I bought a copy of one off a used book seller via the internet several years ago. When it came it had an inscription inside the front cover from the author to my grandmother (I'm sure it's her, she had a very unique nickname). This book had come out of my grandmother's library and been around the country to come back to me!"
Small World
"I met a girl on a bus in Mexico traveling to Guadalajara. We sat next to each other and hit it off. She was only in Mexico for another couple of days but we exchanged numbers. We never ended up staying in contact but ran into each other 8 years later in Oklahoma City and found out that her family grew up with my best friend's family. Crazy stuff!"
The Dodge King
"So here is the shortened version, i was playing dodgeball and was the last one on my team, i had three people throw a ball at me at the same time, i walked forward with my arms out as if accepting the fact that I couldn't dodge it even if i tried, and then they all barely missed me, never happened again and when i play dodgeball with the same people everyone calls me the dodge king and wont attack me."
Free Car On Tinder
"I met a girl on tinder, she came over and we... Well anyway before she left she told me she'd like me to go to her house the next day so i said sure! The next day she gives me her address and its in a different state but i live relatively close so i head over and she tells me to park out front by the mail box, ok sure. I go inside and we start making tea and just as the water starts to boil i hear a CRASH... Her 89 year old neighbor totaled my car, a lil dinky '95 saturn, with her brand new mercedes. So now im stuck. In another state. With a girl ive known for, oh about 16 hours.
Well she feels TERRIBLE and has me stay the night and takes me to work in the morning. Well at work i get a call from Mr. Tinder girl saying how he understands ive been friends with his daughter for a while and he heard what happened and is literally buying me a car while on the phone with him! Turns out he was a multi millionaire and worked on Wall st."
"No i did not stay with her. Money can buy negative happiness apparently and also spoil you rotten."
"R.I.P. Michael J. Fox, my '95 Saturn that shook a lot, thanks for the insurance money :'|"
– newguyay
Drunk Hotel Heiress
"Amazing story!"
"I was on a vacation with some friends and on our way home from a alcohol and other things infused night we found a girl sleeping on a bench right in front of a closed coffe shop. As she was clearly not a hobo (judging from her clothing) we tried to wake her up and talk to her, because in this part of the city it was very unsafe, especially for a young girl dressed up for a night in the club... She was very drunk and could barely talk, after a couple of minutes she vomited and was desperately embarrassed. We weren't so sure of what to do, she was starting to feel save around us but was clearly very uncomfortable. We managed to get her address from her and decided to order a taxi. We were five guys, so we decided three of us should just head home, while I and a friend brought the girl to her apartment. Finally there, we asked for her keys, when she realized that she had lost her bag!
We called our buddies but none of them answered their phones. Well, we weren't exactly sober so we decided to smash in the door to her place, brought her to bed and wrote a short letter, mentioning the broken door, that her bag was missing and left an anonymous email-address for her to contact us if she wanted. Right when we got out of her appartment our buddies called, he had her bag, totally forgot that he took it when she was vomiting (as mentioned, a lot of alcohol has flown this night...). He took a cab and brought us the bag, we went up there again, put the bag beside her bed, plugged in the phone, saw a friend of hers was concerned, unlocked the phone with the passed out girls fingerprints, wrote a message to calm her concerned friend, plugged the phone to recharge, and added some lines to the before-mentioned letter."
"We headed home to sleep out our intoxication."
"The next day around noon we got an email from the girl. She was in the city for university, the apartment was not rented but BOUGHT by her father just so she has a place to live near uni. Her father was the owner of the second most expensive and exclusive hotel in the country. She was very, very thankful, said the smashed door was no problem at all, and after speaking to her father, we all have an all-inclusive weekend at the hotel for free!"
Genetics
Uncommon medical conditions and egg mutations take the spotlight.
Mutated Egg
"I cracked an egg and two yolks came out. I cracked another and three yolks came out. This was one after the other. Or consecutive as you might say in English."
"English isn't my first language, sorry for any mistakes."
Fascinating Patient
"I have 3 different unrelated liver diseases the odds of having all three is about 1/ 2,000,000."
"I have Non alcohol fatty liver disease (1/4) weight related, hemochromatosis (1/300) genetic, alpha 1 antitrypsin deficiency (1/1700) genetic."
"The two genetic conditions are in completely unrelated genes, it was just bad luck!"
"The docs tell me I am fascinating medically, My blood test results are somewhat wacky, when they did a liver biopsy my liver was bright orange (its normally dark red / purple) but I am still alive and not expected to die anytime soon."
Physical Anamoly
"I was born with a hole in the internal walls in my heart."
"Apparently this is pretty rare."
– sorude27
Miracle Being Alive
"Took a common medication for a sinus infection when I was 15, and ended up with something called Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome. The 'lesser' but more well known is called Steven Johnson's Syndrome."
"Basically it's a reaction that acts like a burn, attack's your mucous membranes and your skin blisters up and peels off. Like, I had no face, and almost all the skin north of my legs was gone. Pretty much awful."
"If I remember correctly the case rate is like 1 per million per year, and the mortality rate is basically tied to the % of skin you lose. Most lose 10-30%, I ended up losing 80%. Spent 2 months in ICU burn unit. An absolute miracle I'm alive. I didn't even end up needing skin grafts and didn't get infections which are a big issue when you just...don't have skin. To look at me now you'd never know, except for some uneven skin tone and low profile white spiderwebbing scars where the "burns" were deepest."
Continuing with my one-in-a-million story, my family accepted the invitation and we walked around. The family was warm, kind, and let us take pictures.
My family was ecstatic and emotional walking around in a familiar environment.
We took a group photo in the living room with the current homeowners before we left, and the guy I initially had contact with told me his mother said we were welcome to visit again any time, and that they would serve us Menudo. (They were a lovely Mexican family.)
I'm glad my mom insisted I go back and explain to the son why we were there. Had it been a different – and not as welcoming – family, we probably would never get to have that night of enjoying Menudo we are now looking forward to.
This example of a Japanese and a Mexican family interacting despite a language barrier between parents was an example of the American dream my dad sought for after leaving Japan so many years ago.
People From Around The World Explain What's Common In Their Country But Rare In Others
As we know, "norms" is a misleading term. What is normal is far too relative for that word to carry much certainty.
Normal is defined by the social environment, a context that comes in a variety of sizes. The context could be a particular home, workplace, town, province, cultural group, or even an entire country.
A recent Reddit thread focused on the various norms of daily life established in all different countries. The common, ever-excepted mundane details of a nation apparently compel people to assume those quirks happen across the whole world.
So it's an eye-opening moment when one realizes that common trope is actually unique, weird, and rare literally everywhere else.
getfookenrekt asked, "What is a common thing in your country but rare in others?"
Spanish Rhythms
"Such cheap olive oil. And eating incredibly late. Lunch is more or less at 1-3 pm, and dinner at 9-10 pm. That is why in Spain we have snacks between foods" -- prepelde
"Isn't the reason for eating late having to do with an old dictator's rule or something? I remember reading about that." -- Talldadmn
"I'm sure that's part of it, but Italy operates on more or less the same schedule. It might just be more of a Mediterranean cultural thing." -- HorseMeatSandwich
"It's a bit of both. Especially in summer in hot countries late dinner when it's not as obnoxiously hot just makes sense too" -- ndop
Sweat | Noise | Power
"Saunas in most apartments or at least apartment buildings, haven't lived in a building that doesn't have one."
"A lot of great well known (and underground) metal bands."
"And a nuclear power plant that is at this point 11 years behind schedule and according to Wikipedia the 3rd most expensive building in the world."
Northern Delights
"Poutine. Goddamn are you guys missing out on poutine. Seriously unhealthy, but also good for the soul, so is it really unhealthy? Yes. Yes it is. But you're still missing out."
"For those wondering, it's fries topped with gravy and cheese curds."
Sugar and Fat
"In Colombia, hot chocolate is served with slices of salted cheese in it." -- Damagingking7
"I feel like that is something that sounds disgusting but actually isn't that bad." -- b17pineapple
"It's really good actually. Specially because sugar and fat goes really well together." -- Arturosas
Closed, or Thorough?
"People don't talk to new people here for some reason" -- therealCyborg2300
" 'I'd rather stand than sit on that empty seat next to a stranger' -Every swede ever." -- ithinkericssonhitus
"I remember striking up a conversation with a stranger in Scandinavia."
"She said, 'You must be American. Only Americans talk to strangers. That's one thing I miss about America when I lived in Los Angeles for a few years. Here nobody ever talks to anyone unless they have been formally introduced.' " -- Adam0018
Sudden Darkness
"Scheduled blackouts to reduce pressure on the electrical grid" -- MealieMeal
"Especially the kind they just surprise you with at a random time in the afternoon. Stage tw-four! HaHA, had you going there! Now pay my exorbitant fees, peasant." -- Cereal_Experiments45
The Horrors of Daytime Television
"Pharmaceutical ads." -- cant_help_myself
"And the grocery list of potential life ending side effects they come with." -- XxsquirrelxX
"Antidepressant commercials like: 'You're gonna feel great if you don't get fat, impotent, and violently suicidal! Good luck!!!' " -- hannibalstarship
Necessities
"Bagged milk, legal weed and fermented maple syrup." -- MagicMushroomFungi
"Bagged milk was a mystery I loved in school. Lil square pouch and you'd just shank it with the straw and SUCK" -- S0LDIER-X
Fizzy Paste
"Root beer. In America this is widely available and basically universally liked, but give it to someone from another country, especially a European country, and they will hate it." -- Talldadmn
"My Brother in law is from Denmark and he says root beer tastes like their toothpaste. He hates root beer and cant understand why we love it so much." -- alternateunicorn
Keeps Mental Math Sharp
"Tax not included in advertised price" -- UltimateAnswer42
"Land above you does that too. Greetings from Canada." -- iamthemicx
"Had no idea this wasn't normal up until now tbh. I thought most western societies did this, not just us Canadians and America" -- chowder7
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