Sometimes, I write these articles sitting at the table with my kids while they work on school stuff. The 'communal office' feel of the dining table has its ups and downs, but today was definitely an up.
My teenager, peeking over my shoulder as I filled in the title, quipped:
"My nonbinary a$$ would LOVE to know what it's like to sit in a chair normally - but all I got is goblin mode."
Reddit user Lemonkainen asked:
"What is a simple pleasure that the opposite sex rarely/never gets to experience?"
My kid may be doomed to spend eternity sitting in chairs like they think the floor is lava, but they're not the only one missing out on things the rest of us take for granted.
Here's what Reddit came up with.
Free Wees
"Peeing standing up in a bush."
- hairyscrotes
"Or over a cliff..."
- -notjosh-
"Or basically any height. Peeing off a balcony on the 24th floor is extremely satisfying. Obviously make sure you're not raining onto someone."
- biggie_dd
"The GoGirl™ fixed that."
- MaryGodfree
"Also, the SheWee. Either way, don't miss."
- TomoyoHoshijiro
Summer Fashions
"Wearing a light sundress on a hot day."
- TheLadyRica
"100% this. I feel for men who have to go to work in a suit in the middle of summer."
- FingerPoppinPapSmear
"I'm a guy and have a light sarong/lungi/dhoti I got in India a few years ago and I wear that around the house and yard when it's warm out and it's great. Basically about as thin as a sundress."
"I work in SE Asia where it gets really hot and humid, so it really makes a big difference in my comfort level."
- 7LeagueBoots
Unleashing The Beasts
"That feeling when you take off your bra after a very long day."
- Euro_Girl
"In high school we had opposite day where you could wear pjs, gender swap, or clothing backwards."
"I was a hefty guy so opted for a sun dress and bra...Underwire."
"Girrrrrrrrllllll...Taking that thing off after school was bliss!"
"Here's an upvote!!"
- FunnyShirtGuy
Give Women Pockets!
"Getting to put their phone in their pocket."
- BAD_TIME_MAN
"I actually learned how to sew pockets because of this."
"Now I have some jeans with colorful old pillowcase pockets and I can put my phone in them."
- settiek
"My girlfriend is exceptionally mad that I can even put a Kindle in half of my pockets. The difference is insane!"
- gregedit
Drunk Bathroom Besties
"The amount of camaraderie from drunk girls in a bathroom."
- sharkyshark303
"Amusingly, my wife met some drunk girls in a bathroom, helped them a little, and I got a promotion out of it!"
"I had won a sales contest for the company I worked for. All expenses paid cruise, they rented the whole boat."
"Norwegian cruise lines. 4000 sales people globally, 100s of us won."
"She was in the bathroom, and two women were just drunk on the pre-party for the cruise ship. She helped them out, they liked her."
"It turned out that their husbands both worked for the SW region manager of the USA, and as such things go, they introduced me to their husbands, who introduced me to the regional manager, who hired my sorry butt and had the company pay for my green card."
"So the drunk camaraderie in the bathroom was the key element to the whole thing. Thank you drunk women in bathrooms! It changed my life."
- likes2gofast
"Drunk girls in a bar are amazing. I had a group stop me to hug me so they could smell like me."
- Dudeidk247
"I can hear this comment."
- Dengar96
" 'Ohhh my gawd! You smell so good!' "
- AnarchyCampInDrublic
So Stiff
"Morning wood so stiff you feel like you could use it to rip open the hatch on a submarine."
- macrotron
"Fall asleep in a bed. Wake up in a tent."
- sabrefayne
Late Night Games
"When you're in a bar and they put the leftover ice cubes in the urinal, and you make a game of how many of them you can melt before you run out of pee."
- Beginning-Bed9364
"But hit one at the wrong angle and you can get some serious splashback. Little divots that form in the ice...those bastards..."
- CheshireCheeseCakey
Small And Safe
"Feeling small in someone else's arms."
"My husband is bigger than me and I've now become dependent on his body for sleep. Curling into his warm enveloping embrace is a pleasure I want everyone to know at least once."
"Hugs and cuddles. The safety and comfort are immeasurable."
- katz332
Let It Down
"Not completely unique to women, but taking out a tight pony tail or bun after it being up all day."
"I’ve had short hair my entire life. When covid hit and I couldn’t get a haircut, I decided I was just going to grow it out because why not."
"Ended up growing it out for about a year and a half, to the point where I was tying it up to keep it out of my face."
"Letting that down at the end of the day was pretty incredible."
- BimmerJustin
"When my daughter was little, at the end of the day she’d rip hers out and come to me and say 'shake it'… she’d want me to shake my hands through her hair and let me tell you the ultimate relaxation and bliss on her little baby face was something I cherished and still remember years later!!!"
- lulu-bell
Smothered
"When you don't have to smother you vagina with pads after a full week of being uncomfortable."
- island-breeze
"Just had a baby. 5 weeks of wearing a pad everyday. The first day without having to wear anything was life changing."
- ProfessionalCoyote54
"She can breathe again!! What a relief."
- Tworedangels2
You've gotten to experience a little bit of joy with Reddit, but now it's your turn to get in on the fun.
What's a simple pleasure you just don't see other genders getting to experience?
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
People Break Down The Best Non-Sexual Pleasure They've Ever Experienced
Life is full of the simplest pleasures; we just have to be open enough to all of them. Pleasure is not singularly linked to the sexual aspects of our brains. Everything from a good grade to a winning lottery ticket can give us full on body spasms. For me, the sound of Adele can transcend me to a place of peace and send shivers of ecstasy down my spine. When you stop to enjoy the moments, you realize finding sensation, is far easier than we think.
Redditor u/neeluxmth26 wanted everyone to share about what certain things in life give us all the feels and tingles by asking... What is the best non-sexual pleasure or sensation a human can experience?My Mixtape
Having someone sincerely listen to the playlist you put on.
My grandpa's here!
Arriving early to pick up my grandkid (F7) who I (M61) had not seen in months, she spotted me in the hall outside her 2nd grade classroom, With a squeal of glee, she blurted out, "My grandpa's here! My grandpa's here!" Her joy was very evident. Yeah, that stayed with me.
Auditory Feelings
Water coming out of your ear after it's been stuck there for a bit.
My ears don't always clean right and once a year I need to get my ear cleaned out at a doctors office. It hurts during but feels so good after.
They take a spray bottle and shoot up your ear with water and month old ear wax comes flowing out. It's like an enema for my ear, feels so good.
Counting threads...
Fresh bedsheets.
When I was a kid, I would play at the beach for hours. I'd run back to the house, rinse myself off and dive under the blankets. Most cozy comfortable feeling ever. Instantly out cold.
New Schedule
Working from home (before Covid once per week, since Covid 100% of time), I low-key already do this. Work more Mon-Thurs if needed, do meetings Friday early morning and then mostly chill. Same amount of work gets done per week regardless. This is in two different companies btw, and haven't had a single complaint so far.
the little things
Doing multiple in case someone already said one:
- When your scissors glide along the wrapping paper
- When you're using a nonstick pan and all of the sauce/ grease just sliiiiiideeeessss right out
- When there's a pause in the music and you hit the next note at JUST the right time
- Finding money in your wallet when you thought you had none
- When you're nice to a restaurant employee and they give you free food in return 💕 this one is fun for everyone involved so it's extra good 🥰. Edog6968
Chug...
Waking up at 3 am with massive thirst and then you take that nice, cold and godly sip of water!
I appreciate this so much more since in college there was a chance that water bottle had vodka. Starting to chug what you think is water and turn out to be vodka is the absolute worst throw up feeling I've had.
That Extra Day
Having a 3 day weekend and waking up on that Saturday realizing you still have two more days off.
Adding to this, thinking it's Sunday, and that tomorrow you have to get up early to go to work, and suddenly realize it's still Saturday.
The Givers
Seeing someone happy with the gift you gave them.
You know what I like to do? I like to put a lot of effort into the wrapping paper. I even learnt a way to do it without any sellotape and my good friends were so wowed and impressed with what I had created.
I love the whole process of preparing and giving a gift. I love it 100x more than receiving any gift. One of the very few things that brings me true joy.
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Life is chaotic and difficult.
Most things are out of our control, plenty of those things are tragic and stressful, and everybody else is facing the same uphill battle, so receiving regular support isn't always a sure thing.
But there are moments where all that chaos seems to subside. These stolen slices of comfort are unfortunately all too brief. You may strike on one every couple days at most.
And so many of these simple pleasures involve physical sensation. The stress of life can leave us in the realm of thought full time if we're not careful.
These brief encounters with pleasure, however, remind that we are human beings and we live in a concrete world that we can touch.
Voltaire1778 asked, "What are some of the best non sexual feelings?"
Just a Good Day
"For somebody who struggle with social anxiety it's that moment right after meeting when you are heading home..."
"...kind of relief mixed with happiness that you had glimpse of normal social life and you know you've done well."
-- SpartaGoose
Dry and Warm
"Changing into pajamas and dry socks after you come home soaked with rain." -- LucyVialli
"Yes. I often come home in soaking wet muddy PPE after work, putting those soft trackies and a hoodie on is bliss. Bonus points if the wife has lit the fire." -- ac07682
"Especially if they have been warned up on the radiator first, semi orgasmic bliss." -- kerrangutan
Open the Flood Gates
"Taking a piss after holding it in way too long" -- alpengeist19
"I raise you... Pooping after holding it in for way too long." -- nappythenfappy
"Best is when it's 5 am and you slide back into bed." -- kahoots
"A beer and a dart go together like a piss and a fart." -- gerbil_juice52
"Ahhhhhhhhh"
"Drinking water when you're very dehydrated." -- cyainanotherlifebro
"In that moment you know you are truly a sl*t for water, daddy water is just never enough and you can never be without H2Ohhhhh." -- Deus-system-failed
"2am ice cold water better than any food I've ever tasted..." -- minecraftspiderweb
A Wave Washes Over
"Do you know the feeling when something really hurts you and the pain subsides? Your body suddenly relaxes and you could just lie down and sleep." -- Daniel_85
"like being on an injured ankle all day and then propping it up on a pillow after getting home?" -- lambofgun
"When period pains subside! It feels like such a blessing when that happens!!" -- chaipattee
Palpable Love
"When you mum cooks your favourite meal without telling you and you find your plate ready" -- psychotictornado
"Your in your room doing hw or playing half life, and out of no where. 'DINNER' you come down and see a plate of jambalaya. Best feeling ever." -- bisexualflame
Encountered Comfort
"Petting a kitten and hearing it purr." -- Billbapawpaw
"My cat doesn't purr, he does that thing where he rubs his paws on my leg and doesn't realize it hurts." -- Sammy6appless
"When your grumpy cat who doesn't like sitting on laps, comes to sit on your lap. You are the chosen one!" -- teuchterK
Rubbing and Scratching
"Head scratches and backrubs" -- Woah_thereSatan
"Who let a dog have Reddit" -- FIROEDA
"Back scratches and head rubs?" -- tjsearles
"Belly rubs" -- jrwhill
The Joy of Stepping Off Two Metal Blades
"You ever ice skate for hours then switch back to regular shoes? 🤤" -- lei-ra
"See also: ski boots and high heels" -- stonegallows
"I'm a hockey player, i've played for 3 years now and i can confirm." -- Redditor101354
Chills All Down Your Neck
"When the music just hits" -- GorgeousGamer99
"I love it when I find a new song that just hits something directly in my soul."
"And then I proceed to replay that song 400 times over the next two weeks until any and all emotion has been beaten out of it." -- Dahhhkness
A Few Favorites
"Taking off your clothes after working on a hot day especially if you work in a kitchen"
"Listening to someones heart beat while cuddling"
"Having someone play with your hair or tickle your neck"
-- Calvin1228
60 to 0
"The feeling of an adrenaline surge subsiding the instant after the fear passes."
"Like right after you narrowly miss getting hit by a car. Or when you're bouldering and your foot slips but you catch yourself in time and save yourself from plummeting to the earth."
"That sh!t feels amazing."
Sound Everywhere
"Ever been to an airshow. The feeling in your gut when a fighter jet (or plane with similar engines) flies past."
"Sooo much power! Feels good man."
-- ant_exe
Autumn's Best Elements
"Crisp fall morning, Leather jacket, seeing your breath vaporize in the cold air. Fall colors. The feeling of the leather jacket against leather seats the the car."
"I don't know why, but all of that is euphoric."
-- StanYelnats3
The Ominous Moments
"For me it's always been waking in the early dawn at about 4am, and just laying in bed listening to the blackbirds singing while half asleep and feeling at peace with the world."
"Also, there are certain sounds like a motorbike or a train passing by in the distance that always evoke a sort of weird, existential empty feeling for me. Specifically at dusk/night time. It's a bit hard to describe but I like it."
Nothing But Potential
"The 15 minutes after the final bell on the last day of school before summer vacation as a child. Just hanging out in the playground waiting for your mom to come pick you up (or the school bus)..."
"...and the pure, total freedom of weeks and weeks and weeks of summer ahead and nothing to do but play with your friends outdoors every day."
Respites from Discomfort
"These are two weird ones but for some reason I like them."
"That great feeling in your stomach after you throw up and hopping in the shower when you're sick hits different."
In Good Hands
"When somebody trusts you enough to fall asleep while you're driving."
"Legit the best feeling I have ever experienced, knowing that they feel safe enough to fall asleep while their life is in my hands."
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
These are tough times.
Money is tight for many. The future is uncertain for all. Political dynamics are in flux and it seems that everywhere we look we see an example of a growing social chaos.
We cannot simply tune out, of course. These troublesome plain truths are real, impact fellow human beings, and must be acknowledged regularly.
But sometimes, for sanity's sake, we need a win. And those are found in places large and small.
Some Redditors recently gathered to name the smallest, simplest pleasures that provide abundant relief. Their comments illustrate a mindset: be mindful of the things that feel good in a normal day, if only for a brief moment.
vasunn asked, "What are your little joys in life?"
A Private Ode
"The parking lot near my place occasionally has a van parked in it. The van has a license plate that says SALAD. Whenever I see this van I will say 'it's the salad man, in his salad van!'"
"I know this is stupid. I know it to my core. But I also know my life is ever so slightly better because of that salad man. It fills me with happiness to see his salad van."
-- theWildBore
Early Oasis
"I wake up at 6:00 am before my wife and 6mo old son. The house is dark and silent. I pour a cup of coffee and sit down on the couch. The moment that first sip hits my lips..."
"I'm not dad yet. I'm not husband yet. I'm just me in that moment, without a care in the world. I'll add that I adore my family, but that one moment each day is a nice little breath of fresh air."
-- Saragon1993
Suddenly, a Smoothness
"Finally getting that little piece of food out that's been stuck in your teeth for hours" -- dick-nipples
"Similarly, when you are laying on your side, and the low-side nostril is blocked, then you turn over and the mucus drains to the other side, briefly unblocking both nostrils." -- keenly_disinterested
Out of Character
"When I randomly wake up at night and notice that my cat is sleeping cuddled against me or next to my head on my pillow."
"He doesn't like to cuddle but at night he is often very close to me."
-- Knofferini
Contemporary Cave
"When it's cold in your room but perfect temperature under the covers and you're spending the entire day snoozing in bed." -- FrostyHiccup
"Waking up while fall camping or in the alpine is this feeling to a tee."
"You're nice and warm and snug in your sleeping bag except for maybe the tip of your nose that's a little chilly."
"If you're lucky and didn't have any weather you might have set up the tent without the fly. It's still near or below freezing out but the sun is warming you quickly."
"It's just such a nice feeling." -- satanicwaffles
A Dynamic Landscape
"Seeing the wildlife in the park that is basically my back yard. Owls, eagles, otters, beavers, all the little birds, turtles..." -- Squealio
"Yes! I live on a lake and love seeing all the ducks, geese, seagulls, herons, and egrets. But my favorite are the huge snapping turtles."
"I've lived on or within walking distance to this lake for about 25 years, and I never stop getting excited about the snappers. They look like miniature prehistoric beasts." -- techtchotchke
The Long Road He Took to Be Here
"Watching my old dog sleep comfortably."
"He came from a highly abusive home with trust issues and then I started fostering him when he was about 9 years old, adopted him a few months later and we're getting close to 3 years now."
"These days he mostly sleeps next to my desk as I work and next to my bed when I sleep, wish I had him earlier in life but I'll take what I can get."
-- TwoFoxSix
Earned Comfort
"Firewood. Getting outside and seeing immediate results of my labor is very rewarding. Plus a great workout." -- cloudywater1
"Exercise just hits different when you're splitting freakin' tree trunks in half with an axe. Or a wedge and sledge. Both are fun." -- MyCatGreg
Truly a Simple Pleasure
"I feel happiness when I eat a potato." -- botaine
"Similarly, I weirdly stopped eating cereal for several years. I recently got back into cereal, and it's strangely something I look forward to at night. Like, 'Oh sh** yeah, Raisin Bran tomorrow baby!'" -- messy_eater
Empathetic Sounds
"Playing Chopin on the piano. Chopin has a piece for every possible mood I'm in at the moment." -- Back2Bach
"So true. Chopin, more than any other composer, knew how to communicate an 'inner monologue' that comes alive when it's played in a state of flow rather than an extroverted performance." -- funhousefrankenstein
Want to "know" more? Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again. Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
The contemporary moment is out of whack. Never has everything felt so utterly chaotic across the board, and people are hankering for some quiet calm.
Chaos breeds more chaos. There is a common, knee-jerk response when things feel too speedy, like every thread flies in countless directions that overlap and intersect without any pattern. We get worked up. We join the rush, adding one more tangent to all the others.
But even amidst those frantic conditions, there are stolen moments when slowness prevails.
These small pleasures are quick and fly past if one isn't looking. Lucky for us, there are more than a few Redditors with their eyes and ears open.
They described their favorite simple pleasures in a recent thread on the site. Perhaps their examples will help us be a bit more mindful about our own delights throughout the day, and we'll have a glimpse of calm in all of this.
Ididntfollowthetrain asked, "What is your favourite simple pleasure in life?"
The Vow of Cleanliness
"Getting in bed with clean sheets after taking a shower." -- MartyVanB
"I always wash my sheets before I go on the road/vacation. That first night home in bed from travel, nothing like it." -- macmooie
"This. And also clean the house. Kids if you're sitting in the car waiting for mom and dad before a road trip... they are inside cleaning." -- WiseReflection5
Comfortably Insulated
"Sitting on the patio during a rainstorm. Even the moments before the storm comes, you can smell the petrichor and everything calms down. Monsoon season can bring some crazy thunder, it's always been a very relaxing experience." -- titofetyukov
"I lived in Iowa for a long time, (for non-midwesterners, it's windy, cloudy, thunderstorm and tornado-prone all spring, especially March and April) and whenever there was a big thunderstorm or wall cloud (cloud that means a possible tornado, maybe, probably not) we would set up lawn chairs in the garage and watch it roll in."
'If it rained hard enough we would go out and play in it. It's an amazing mix of thrilling and calming." -- FluffyClowd
Drawn to the Familiar
"Re-reading a favorite book. I find most well-written books are even better if you already know the ending." -- survivalothefittest
"I have never in my life re-read a book - I always imagine it won't be as good as the first time. But then again I really don't remember much, so I guess my logic is flawed. Must try it some day." -- BasketOfWhatever
"G2g, I have to re-read the Harry Potter series for the 80th time." -- calebpro8
Growing Longer
"Stretching: simply hanging from an overhead bar, you can target and stretch every muscle in your back, when you hit those knots, the feeling is orgasmic." -- macmooie
"A good stretch. Just standing up on my toes, arms out... ahh. I legit feel better just thinking about it." -- ZoomJet
"As soon as I read this I had to get up and stretch." -- Red_Banded
Warm Things
"In January, my wife ran a towel in the dryer for a few minutes and had it ready for me when I was done showering." -- jeff_the_nurse
"Heated towel racks!" -- rocknroyce
"A heated pillow under my feet." -- Croesus90
Best Meal of the Day
"First sip of coffee in the morning and smoking the first cigarette in silence." -- PsychologicalPrice98
"^ This! Except I do it with an energy drink, on my balcony in just my boxers. But yes, having that first jolt of caffeine with a smoke or two is an amazing feeling." -- BigBearSD
Crispy Stuff
"Going out of my way to step on a particularly crunchy looking leaf and getting a super nice crunch out of it." -- HSingh95
"The cold side of the pillow" -- Badger_Wadger_420
"A crisp high-five." -- WatchTheBoom
"Taking deep breaths of cold air." -- Kazutothompson
Quite, Nurturing, and Dusty
"Going to a library and just spending an hour in the stacks. Picking out a pile of books and being able to try new things without incurring any cost. Being able to sit and read without anyone hassling me to buy anything."
"Libraries are my happy place."
-- Portarossa
Surveying the Kingdom
"Mow the lawn and work in the yard all day on a Saturday. After about five hours you get done. Go inside. Take a long a** cold shower. Get out. Put on some shorts and a t-shirt. Grab a beer and a cigarette and walk around the yard inspecting the work I did."
"I no longer cut my own yard or smoke cigarettes but man that was an awesome feeling."
-- MartyVanB
Exciting Conditions, Once a Month
"Clear night sky, full moon. I open all my drapes and turn off all electric devices flooding my room with only moon light. Once your eyes acclimate, you'll experience your space is way you've never seen before."
-- macmooie
Ahhhhhhh
"Drinking cold water after being out under the sun." -- sharpie_head
"When your esophagus is dry, and you can feel the water moistening it after the first sip." -- densetsu23
"That feeling when you're hot and thirsty and you can feel the cold water going all the way down to your stomach. It's wonderful." -- Troutmandoo
Simple Connection
"I just love spending time with the people that love and appreciate me."
"Spending time with people that only criticize or take me for granted make me realize the people who care, really actually care."
-- Icehawksfh
Paradigm Shift
"Finding a new song you love for the first time."
" 'What's this? Oh my god, I have to listen to this constantly and share with everyone I know. How did I not know about it's existence until now?!?' "
Warm Splats
"Peeing off a cliff so high you don't hear your pee hit the ground." -- Imabearrr3
"Please check if it is a rock climbing area first!! No golden showers preferred while rock climbing, please and thank you." -- sadmangosteen
"Do not try as woman." -- IIRedZeroII
High Up Things
"Looking up. Clouds & trees mostly. Stars, too. Some birds." -- Ghitit
"Those damn birds." -- JadedEdge7
A Wonderful Start
"My ex would wake up first for work, make herself breakfast, and head out he door. I'd wake up an hour later and there would always be an extra plate of breakfast (eggs, sausage, potatoes) waiting for me in the microwave."
-- dj_lambylamb
The Great Purge
Taking a sh**, now hear me out, imagine you've been at work, your all tense, customers sucked dick like always, you come home sit down for a minute then walk into your bathroom pull down your pants plop onto the toilet then just let all your trouble out, blasting the toilet with all your built up hideous emotion."
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk to him about it.