Curious to hear from strangers online about their developmental growth, Redditor 1234kyou_ asked:
"What did you swear in your childhood you would never do, but ended up doing anyways?"
Some hobbies that delighted us as kids never really go away as these Redditors have experienced.
The "Bird Creep"
"Birdwatching. I used to think it was the lamest way someone could spend their time when I was a kid. How could anyone just sit around and look at birds? What are you, some kind of bird creep? ... 20 years later and I'm obsessed with birds. Love hearing their songs and seeing all the beautiful colors."
– Koala-teas
Unfilled Dream
"Give up drawing."
"I actually broke my own heart when I recently found a school project we did back when I was a kid. We had to write a letter for our future selves and mine starts with: 'Hey, did you become an artist already? I really hope you did not become a boring adult with a boring job who gave up on his dreams and passions.'"
"Well, sorry little me, but I kinda did."
– Aesma_
Tending To One's Garden
"Gardening. We had a large garden. We raised and preserved what we grew. It was me and my sister's job to care for this garden. This was back when whipping your child was acceptable punishment. I was whipped sooo many times, because I hated that I had to grew and preserved vegetables I did not like. I hated it! Swore I'd never have a garden. Never do THAT to my kids. Then I had kids. A switch flipped in my head. I had to have a garden! I never made my kids take care of it. Gardening was my 'me' time. But being little kids, they wanted to be with mom and 'help' with the garden. I 'gave' them an area and they were allowed to grow whatever they wanted. If it was a fruit or vegetables , they had to eat it. As a result, they both love gardening and neither are picky eaters."
– Eogh21
When it comes to keeping it in the family, it's not always the goal.
Like Father...
"I have become my father."
– jer1303
Like Mother...
"I have become my mom.... even the voice is similar."
– rogue1206
Dad's Cynicism
"I've taken on a lot more of my dad's cynicism than I would like, but mostly I have my mom's wonder and carefreeness."
"But my dad is rich and mom is poor."
"He does not share the wealth he just shares 'you should've done X like this'. But his advice is the level of 'tear down the sign punch them in the face and say you're looking at your new employee'. I've also never heard a single dad joke from him."
– BugTester350
Posthumous Disapproval
"When I was touring houses to buy before the pandemic, my mother's spirit must have possessed me because I opened my mouth and her voice said 'i don't know, i don't think I could live in a house without both a coat closet and a linen closet.'"
– TJtherock
Adulting is hard.
The Financial Hole
"Get into debt I can't pay off."
– lilviviv
Potty-Mouth
"I said I wouldn’t curse unless a nuke was dropped on my house. That was a f'king lie."
– -notjosh-
Can't Wait, Don't Hate
"Have sex before marriage. Thank f'k I never made good on that one since I'm 41 and have never been married."
– squid1891
I'm a pretty fussy eater. Always have been.
I grew up in a Japanese family where regularly eating natto was a thing.
Natto is a Japanese dish made from Bacillus subtilis-fermented soybeans. It's known to have magical health benefits but the smell is overwhelmingly powerful, and the nutty taste leaves little to be desired.
Many people not used to eating exotic foods can't stand the flavor and slimy, sticky texture–let alone the pungent aroma.
I swore as a child that would be the one food I would never eat again after having a bad experience.
And yet, here I am as an adult, eating it for breakfast 2-3 times a week after truly understanding the health benefits.
Natto–which is rich in protein, vitamins, and minerals– helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure, and can prevent heart disease. Some studies have suggested it can prevent certain cancers.
Once I trained myself to get used to flavor and smell, I actually crave it now.
It's definitely an acquired taste, but it's crazy to know that we are all capable of liking or appreciating something previously thought of as repulsive once we set our mind to it.
While their intentions are good, sometimes the words of wisdom friends throw around are so hackneyed, that the person feeling dejected over their circumstances is better off without them.
Do they truly mean what they say as it applies to the situation, or do they just want them to "get over it?"
It depends on the situation, of course, but many of us are keen to identify the fake niceties.
Curious to hear from strangers online, Redditor Noiv3rn asked:
"What life advice can just f'k off?"
When it comes to bullies, some people think confronting the issue head on is always best.
Ignorance Is A Miss
"If you just ignore, they will go away."
– whaldener
Lesson For Bullies
"School is prison rules. Hurt your bully. Make them scared of you."
"You land one really solid punch, and take the punishment the school gives you. Whatever suspension or whatever you have to deal with is worth getting your bullies to lay off."
– coleosis1414
Not About Winning
"My dad told me to fight back with everything I have, while paying for karate lessons for me. When I told him I didn’t think I could win the fight because my bully was so much bigger, he said 'You don’t have to win. You just have to be more trouble than you’re worth.'"
– Incongruent
Love makes people do crazy things, said a famous person recently. Crazy things shouldn't involve pain, however.
Tainted Love
“'He’s only picking on you because he likes you.' It’s not advice, just promoting an unhealthy relationship dynamic. Pisses me off."
– Merely-Zero
Shove With Love
"Yeah I got pushed off the monkey bars and cracked my head open in second grade by some little boy who kept bothering me."
"When I returned to school the next day with a stitched up head, the teacher told me 'He just does that because he secretly likes you. That’s how boys show it.' I believed her. :("
– Munich11
Unqualified Therapist
"literally my therapist when I was in middle school said that this guy was bullying me because he liked me. No, the kid was just an absolute a**hole."
"So glad that therapist is no longer in business, she messed me up as well as my mom, pinning my ADHD on her as if i didn't have it, it was all her fault for raising me badly."
– Blundering_Dragon
Not all rules or advice apply.
"Sleep On It"
"Never go to bed angry at your spouse."
"F'k that! Sleep on it. Cool down a bit. Reassess the situation and then address it when you're calm. I am not staying up till 3 in the morning because you're mad that I didn't pull the clothes out of the dryer before they got wrinkled!"
– Obiwan_ca_blowme
Flaws Of Authenticity
"Be yourself, and don't compromise for anyone."
"No. Sometimes you suck and need to improve."
– flash17k
Easy For Them To Say
"Any advice given by people who clearly lack personal experience to be grounded in reality."
"Rich people saying 'money doesn’t buy happiness'. Pretty people saying 'looks don’t matter'. People who’ve been handed everything saying 'you need to work hard for things'. Politicians saying 'cheaters never prosper.'"
– sketchysketchist
It's Written In The Stars
"Everything happens for a reason"
"Doesn't mean it's a good reason..."
– Abigale_Munroe
Live To Work
"Any advice that encourages people to spend every waking minute grinding, and to sacrifice sleep/rest to increase those minutes. I don't get up at 5am, I don't work until 11pm, I don't log on when I'm not working that day. I work my 40 hours a week and any time outside of that is my own time, otherwise what the f**k am I working for at all?"
– BaseballFuryThurman
Level Playing Field
"We all get the same 24 hours".
– Throwaway_Tenderloin
"Yeah this is bullsh*t. Jeff Bezos doesn't have the same 24 hours I have, and I daresay he never did."
– Salarian_American
Dated Perspective
"College is the only way to open successful doors in life. A fun thing most old people say (half the time never went or finished college themselves) while thinking you can still buy penny candy today."
– _BluLeaf
Losing Faith
"God will never give you more than you can handle. Not religious but I hate this sentiment."
– Wannagetsober
We Don't Buy It
"Money doesn't buy happiness"
"First get money that tell me that."
– Micerog
Survivor Misconception
"What don't kill you makes you stronger."
– Internal_Crow_6278
Any time I hear someone tell me "if it's meant to be it will be," oftentimes it ends up meaning that it will never be.
Did I lose out on the audition because it just wasn't meant to be? No, there were other hopefuls in the room better suited for the role than myself, but I've landed jobs where I put in the work and was better prepared than most.
For me, relying on fate is just lazy. Luck helps, sure.
But, in my experience, I believe that applying yourself and making more of an effort gets you noticed most endeavors.
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Redditor citytiger asked:
"Redditors that grew up/live in the country what’s something every city kid should know?"
Slow Down
"We aren’t in any hurry and you can’t make us." ~ bigedthebad
No Bull!
"Leave gates how you find them—they are open or closed for a reason." ~ lighted_is_lit
"This is very specific. I won’t forget it." ~ jackof47trades
"It really is so important though!" ~ Dancersep38
"Like really important!" ~ unzinc
GiphyYes, Everyone Knows Each Other
"One time I played a gig in Wisconsin and the dude at the bar says, 'Hey you're not from around here huh?'"
"I said 'How could you tell, my accent?'"
"He said, 'No I just never seen you before'."
"Mind=Blown" ~ DrJawn
"My in-laws' family hails from a tiny Idaho town.
First time I was there with my then-girlfriend, a random old-timer 'downtown' introduced himself and said 'You must be Peggy's granddaughter's boyfriend'."
"He was right, so I asked him how he knew."
"'Well, she said you'd be coming, and you don't look related to anyone here, so... you must be him'." ~ Hititwitharock
Where Your Food Comes From
"Grew up in a very small town in Oklahoma. One 4th of July, was at my inlaws in rural Kansas. My wife’s cousin came up from Orlando, FL with his wife and their 10 yr old son."
"We all went for a walk in the early afternoon up to the barn. The driveway was lined on both sides by corn fields."
"The 10 yr old boy asks, 'What’s that?' pointing to the corn. His mom sort of looked stumped and I said, 'That’s corn'."
"The kid looked at me like I was an idiot and said, 'That’s not corn! Corn is yellow!' Then it hit me that he had no idea where corn came from and neither did his mom."
"I said 'Look it’s corn!' As I went and grabbed an ear and pulled the husk open to reveal the yellow ear of corn inside. That kid looked at me like it was magic. He was blown away."
"I had no idea that there’s a huge number of people that think food just comes from the store and don’t know much beyond that." ~ rylokie
"We had a group of kids come out to our farm on a field trip…the looks on their faces when potatoes magically appeared from the ground was priceless!"
"So important for kids to learn where their food comes from." ~ Timely_Cat_
GiphyAnd Everyone Knows Your Business
"Being in the country has more privacy but far less anonymity." ~ Schu0808
"That's the deal breaker for me. I've lived in medium towns all my life. Never cities and never small towns."
"I always had anonymity, which I treasure."
"I don't want anyone knowing about my business in the detail I'm told small town people know about each other.
"When I go out Friday nights, the only people who know what I do are the people I do it with and tell later."
"That's it. And that's how I want to keep it." ~ throwaway387190
No Sirens Doesn't Mean Silence
"How much noise there is from bugs after dark." ~ Crabser116
"I lived in the country for a few years and I enjoyed the sounds of thousands of insects at night."
"It made me feel like I was somewhere with a relatively healthy ecosystem, which I was." ~ dartfrog11
Giphy"Where I'm at we have loud a** frogs instead of bugs and one minute there'll be a cacophony of frogs and then all of a sudden they just stop."
"Every single frog goes silent."
"It stays that way for a while then they all start back up at once."
"It's downright unnerving. I always wondered if those frogs knew something I didn't."
"I live in an area where you are less than a mile from true, unbroken wilderness, you casually see bears, mountain lions and bobcats and the neighbors call each other to warn of predator sightings."
"You hear things screaming, hooting and howling at night and you have no idea what or where they are." ~ Tru3insanity
"It can actually get insanely loud in the spring and summer."
"The winter gets eerily quiet at night. You can hear a wind chime from a neighbor a hundred yards away." ~ downbleed
Red Solo Cups
"Just because a party is in the middle of the woods or a field doesn't mean the police won't break it up." ~ SamuelDoctor
"Unless the cop is throwing the party." ~ Visible-Ant1949
"I don't know what rural area you’re talking about, but in my area of Arkansas you’d have to set off a small nuke to get an unprompted appearance from the cops." ~ Whiskeywiskerbiscuit
Hello Darkness My Old Friend
"It gets dark. Very dark." ~ bretty666
"This isn't just darkness."
"This is advanced country darkness." ~ zombie_penguin42
Giphy"Oh, country darkness, this really bothered a city friend who grew up in big apartment towers. His first couple of nights in my remote rural/farming area really bothered him."
"He thought 'the nearest people are a mile away, so who is going to know if the criminals break in?'."
"In reality there's no criminals, and no people in that darkness. Just crickets, possums and coyotes."
"In my humble opinion way more peaceful and reassuring than a huge apartment building with 5, 000 strangers under one roof." ~ Thunder_bird
"This!! Omg so much this! You will never know darkness like country darkness."
"There’s something so eery about stepping outside and seeing nothing but pitch black woods." ~ big_ickslap
Common Knowledge
"Don't walk behind a horse, don't touch random metal fences unless you want to get a shock, and everyone you meet either cares too much or couldn’t give a sh*t about you."
"Oh also, no matter how kind a middle-aged woman seems, remember that she's 100% gossiping about you to the other aunts and asking people to pray for you." ~ 1_3A7_W0rM5
"Also do not f'k with cows/bulls."
"They’re cute but will absolutely stomp you dead." ~ leahlikesturtles
All For One And One For All
"If you start a fight with someone in a small town bar you actually just started a fight with the entire bar." ~ degeneratesumbitch
"Don't pick fights or run your mouth to people in small towns that you live in if you just moved there. Chances of you seeing that person again are 100%.
"Getting on people's bad sides in small communities cuts you out of a lot a lot of opportunities in the future."
"Keep your head down, mind your own business and be friendly to everyone." ~ Brancher
"And some of those country boys can throw down in a scrap like you wouldn't believe." ~ FlaccidWeenus
GiphyWildlife Is Wild
"Coyotes are not like dogs—stop feeding them." ~ MikeHuntessHarry69
"Don’t feed any of the animals, except maybe birds."
"Squirrels have sharp teeth people, they will f'k your hands up."
"All those sounds at night are normal."
"Be alarmed if there are no sounds, that’s when sh*t is about to get wild." ~ 30dirtybirdies
"No doubt. If you go out and it's already quiet, be very wary."
"If you're out and it suddenly gets quiet, get back inside ASAP." ~ libra00
"Wait, why? What is it that I should be afraid of?" ~ Cleeecooo
"Usually it means there's a predator around, like a mountain lion."
"In the former case it's probably not near you but that can change rapidly. In the latter case it's probably nearby and may be stalking you." ~ libra00
i
GiphySmall town life really is different.
There are benefits, there are deficits.
It's not for everyone.
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Redditor jcab0219 asked:
"Redditors age 35+, what’s the best piece of life advice you can give to someone in their 20’s?"
Smile and dance more.
And don't get tangled up in unrequited love.
Hard truth...
"HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU!!!"
Listen to your body...
"Wear your sunscreen! Or more broadly, take care of you. Your skin, your teeth, your joints, your sexual health, etc. Invest in yourself for the long haul." ~ Wildflower_Daydream
"Find some exercise that you enjoy doing. And don't forget about stretching! I cannot stress this enough." ~ cellar9
"Stretch before and after exercise/sports. Listen to your body - pushing through pain in your 20s haunts you in your 30s. Exercise regularly, try to keep your weight within a healthy range. Shoes with arch & ankle support!" ~ Wildflower_Daydream
Fund Issues
"Pay extra money for quality items that separate you from the ground like shoes, mattresses (including sheets, pillows, blankets) tires, couches, lounge chairs, etc). Also, protect your hearing because you can’t ever get it back." ~ seedemployee
"Start planning for retirement as soon as possible. The later you wait to start, the longer you will have to work." ~ seedcolobus
Be Smart
"Make a savings account of some kind RIGHT NOW, don't take anything out of it, only add to it. If you're gonna have the kind of sex that can result in pregnancy, be diligent about your birth control. Condoms, the pill, whatever - pulling out isn't good enough. Don't accidentally get pregnant or accidentally get someone pregnant."
"When drinking, learn your limits with people you trust and then don't make a habit of going past them. Don't leave your drink unattended in public places. Remember that you don't have to drink if you don't want to, and not wanting to is a good enough reason to avoid booze." ~ I_DRINK_ANARCHY
Teeth. The teeth!!
And our bodies.
They give out fast, if we let them.
So don't let them!
So Much to Learn
"Skip tobacco completely. Invest a small amount weekly or monthly with out fail. You have many investment opportunities with little or no road blocks than ever before. Never stop learning. Make friends and network as much as possible but cut your losses on toxic people. Learn to play an instrument. Take care of your body and teeth. Too many pieces to pick just one." ~ Chadchungus_Cajones
Spend a Little...
"Never go cheap on items that separate you from the ground. Especially mattresses. Remember that you sleep about 1/3 of your life. If you become say 90 you will have slept for 30 years!!! Imagine that on a crappy mattress." ~ Muisvleer
GiphyPreparations...
"Be prepared for eventualities. Have some funds stashed away at home that no one but you knows about. When you need it, banks might not be open, atms, etc. Bad weather can knock all that out. Same with food/water. Stop watching/reading the mainstream news. You’ll feel better mentally. Just... stop. This planet’s been through stuff 1000x worse than the latest scarce-story."
"It’s never too late to get into better physical shape. Ever. It does you good in all sorts of ways. Be wary of the latest trends. Don’t be a weathervane that blows in the wind. Learn as much as you can about stuff you’re interested in. This may well lead to a new/much better job or career." ~ SqueakyTheCat
Educate Yourself
"Don’t go to college unless you are going for law, medicine, teaching, engineering, etc something lucrative and that your loans can be written off or you can pay them off in under 5 years." ~ lexiezazzles
GiphyWalk Away
"You don’t deserve to be treated like crap by the people who are supposed to love you, and it’s okay to walk away from a toxic situation that is affecting your own quality of life." ~ BlackCaaaaat
"Learned this one the hard way. Sometimes walking away is the best thing for your health, even if the person is family." ~ jcab0219
Critical Thinking
"Think about children carefully. Children with special needs can happen to anyone, and parenting is forever. Try not to chase happiness. As lame as it may seem, happiness isn’t about having what you want, but wanting what you have. Be grateful for what you have." ~ shaylahbaylaboo
Don't be Tardy
"It's never too late, but if you spend your life telling yourself it's too late then it eventually will be." ~ Quzzyz
GiphyThat is a ton of great advice.
So let's start adhering to it.
What could it hurt?
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Redditor BabyPapayas wanted to hear about what wisdom we all have to share with our past selves, so they asked:
"You meet 10 year old you. You have 10 seconds only. What do you say?"
I want 10 year old me to hear... "BE STRONGER. BE KINDER. DON'T DRINK. SMILE MORE!"
That's just me.
Seriously?!
"Don't pee in that mail box for 20 bucks it's not worth the butt beating." ~ patchman101
GiphyHealth First
"To go tell mom to stay regular with her breast cancer screenings because it could save her life. It never gets any easier." ~ GlitteringBrother880
"I'm on the same boat as you. What I wouldn't do for a time machine :/ lost my mom two months ago. She fought breast cancer for ten years after they caught it at stage 4. I imagine what it could have been like if she caught it at stage 0/1." ~ DaughterOfWarlords
Buy/Sell
"Buy Bitcoin when it comes out and sell it in 2021. Do it or I'll come back and kill you in your sleep." ~ GaeOfHormuz
"People forget one important detail. It was a pain in the butt to get your hands on bitcoin and crypto when it first started. It's not like today where you pick from multiple brokers. You had to jump through hoops and I regret knowing it was going to become big and not jumping through them. Even a couple dollars would have made me set for life." ~ Nevek_Green
Bye Dad
"Go talk to Dad before he dies, you will miss him." ~ JayceeZooms
"Mine would be more like 'don't give up on talking to him."'
"He bounced when I was 3 and we could never track him down. He finally reached out when I was 19 and we talked like 3 times, but he was always drunk and kept losing his phone and getting new numbers. I stopped trying and figured we'd talk when he got his crap together."
"In 2018 I got the call that he had died drunk and homeless. I don't know that there's anything I could have done for him, but I know I didn't try. I know that he told people how much he loved his daughters. I know that he died alone on the streets with a BAC of %.43." ~ legendariel
Good Luck
"Pay attention in school, talk to your parents about depression, baseball instead of martial arts, and west instead of east. Good luck, kid. You're gonna need it." ~ MaximumZer0
GiphyAll sound advice.
Are we listening?
We don't have to just be 10.
Love You
"Stand up for yourself. Don't be a pushover. Avoid hard drugs. You're autistic, you don't have to try so hard to be like everybody else. Finish college. Appreciate the time you spend with grandma. You are not fat." ~ NoTomatoExtraPickles
GiphyYou're Ok
"You are NOT broken and there's NOTHING wrong with you. It's ok to not love or want to ever date. It's ok. (Contexts I'm aromantic and for the longest time I thought something to was wrong or broken with me)." ~ SilverSoulFox
"Ah you're ok. Yeah I do experience sexual attraction/desire but not romantic attraction. If asked I would say I'm Bisexual. But for romantic stuff nope notta. In general I'm Indifferent but when the romantic gestures/advances are directed at me I am repulsed... I catch on someone is being flirty/trying to get a date. I don't pick up on subtitle acts sometimes. 😅" ~ SilverSoulFox
Never Her
"Stay away from Courtney. For real every one named Courtney just ignore and live ur freaking life without years of depression and crap. Also, learn you're languages now." ~ Be-he-life
Bad Bloodlines
"Your family are a bunch of a**holes, there's nothing wrong with you. Don't try to fix them, they have no interest in becoming other people and there's nothing you can do about it. Get the hell out of there as soon as you can, you are a good person and deserve better." ~ Actual_grass
Read
"Read this 500 page book I wrote for you. It's advice on everything for the next 30 years, investment tips, life tips, sports gambling tips, etc. stick to the book kid." ~ SweatyGizmo
Tell me More...
"'It'll be okay.'"
"Just something that nobody really told me as my depression habits started developing." BboyTeddyB
Giphyi need time to reflect, as does 10 year old me.
So much to think about.
Listen up people...
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