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People Share The Things That They Look Forward To Every Day

People Share The Things That They Look Forward To Every Day
Candice Picard/Unsplash

I'll be honest, for most of my life I have had exactly zero daily routine.

The chaos was something of a calling card—but not one that was necessarily good for me.

Spoiler alert, I had a raging case of undiagnosed neuroodivergent shenanigans—and in recent years I've been able to get a better handle on being me.

As a result, a daily routine has sort of developed.


Reddit user Money-Associate1601 asked:

"What’s something you look forward to every single day?"

A few years ago I wouldn't have had an answer to this, but as I read through I suddenly realized that I have one.

Also, that I enjoy it!

Mornings spent relaxing in the hammock before my day gets punted into shenanigans by my kids, my dogs, my job, or some unholy combo of the three have become crucial for my mental health.

Huh. Who knew?

Let's see what Reddit loves about their routines.

Going To Work (!)

"Going to work."

"It sounds strange, but I love it because I'm working with my son. He’s 23. I’m 50. We spend M-F working together building homes. We laugh all day long."

"It’s the happiest time of my life. I know it’s finite, so I’m enjoying it as much as possible while it lasts."

- thecrab87

"This hits me(23) so much. My dad (50) gave me a job at his company a year ago and always tells me how proud he his of me."

"Just before Christmas he got sick and almost died. When he got out of the hospital he told me how much he cherished our relationship and how it meant everything to him."

"It makes me emotional every time I read things like this."

- Qc-ripguru67

"My brother and I did landscaping together on the weekends. We use to complain about it, but after we sold the business I really missed spending time with him."

"What I miss the most is eating lunch together and riding home after a long day."

- ripped-p-ness

Giphy

Pajama Party

"Changing out of work clothes and into pajamas"

- send_boba

"My pajamas are my real clothes. Everything else is a facade."

- sharkittens

"The best thing about the pandemic: I work from home all the time and I can wear pajamas all the time!"

- circle_jerker_2000

"Sometimes I get home by 3pm from work and get right into my PJs."

"Even if I’m going out later, I’ll just change out of my PJs when I need to. If I’m home for an hour or longer, I’m in my PJs."

"It’s the only way."

- dat_girl83

Giphy

Pick Up Time

"Picking my daughters up from daycare."

"As soon as they see me, they drop whatever they were doing and run to me with the biggest smile on their faces and yelling 'Daddyyy!' "

"The absolute sh*ttiest day at work just disappears in that moment."

- all_the_fun_stuff

"100% this."

"Basically anything to do with my kids. Waking them up for school and hanging out in bed for those 5 minutes in the morning is always so much fun."

"Meeting my daughter off the bus from school. Seeing my son when he gets home from preschool and just wants to play."

"Kids are the best cure for a sh*t day at work."

- pdxrunner82

"My 2 year old screams 'IT’S MOM!!!' in absolute delight every day when I get home from work. Nothing else compares!"

- thetermagant

Giphy

Employee Of The Month

"My baby dog’s big morning stretch. He's actually a senior but he will stay about 5 lbs for forever, so we call him our baby dog."

"Oh! And then watching him go back to sleep in his office bed when I start work. He works so hard. Employee of the month, every month."

- maltymawma

"I love working in the morning and then at about 11 am my dog finally gets up. She does her morning back scratches on the carpet and then demands snuggles."

"It's my favorite unscheduled break time that happens daily."

- Food_is_my_Motive

"My cat Ygritte is my supervisor. She works so hard sleeping and making biscuits on blankets/beds/boxes with blankets."

"She yells at me if I stop working, yells at me when it is break time, and starts getting in between myself and my computer 15 minutes before the end of the day."

"She won't stop until I clock out, it is her everyday being like Nahhhhh you done. Pet me instead."

"She is the best boss I have ever had."

- AltruisticProgress9

Giphy

Nightly Read

"I live at a friends family house. They offered me shelter after I became homeless and every night I go to my car to read."

"I find that reading in my car every night before going to sleep gives this family a chance to get a break from seeing me and I get a chance to be calm and away from everyone."

Giphy

"They are amazing people and It’s been so fun. I’m so thankful that they let me stay in their living room, but they tend to use it at night to watch a movie or have family time so I take a chance to let them be and I get a chance to learn something and relax in my car."

- AvocadoSaltAndLime

Fueled By Coffee

"My morning coffee. I get a different coffee every week and drinking it is the most relaxing part of my day."

- hafilax

"Same."

"I had a Colombian blend last week, this week I got a black roast that is so strong I swear its making me grow a beard."

"I'm up at 5 every morning for 'me time', which you dont get with 3 small kids and making my coffee and staring into space for an hour is amazing."

- 2_kids_no_more·

"Coffee is mine as well."

"I love to get a big-ass black coffee with a little cream, put on a good podcast and chill out for a bit while I wake up. Quite possibly the only thing I consistently look forward to every single day."

- instinctbluess

Giphy

"YES! I set up the coffee pot the night before, every night."

"In the morning my husband gets up to start it and crawls back into bed while it brews. When it's ready he puts his robe on and quietly brings me a cup, sets it on my nightstand and goes into the living room to peacefully wake up on his own, staring at his phone."

"In between alarm snoozes I briefly wake up and take a few sips of coffee. After several snoozes, I need a refill and that's usually when I get up to join him. It's such a great way to wake up, I love it so much."

"Some mornings he has to just get up and go off to a job site but no matter how early it is, he brings me a cup of coffee in bed before giving me a kiss and going. He's the best."

- theredheaddiva

Mid-Day Text

"That mid-day text from my husband, asking me if I can please come home early because he and the dogs miss me, usually accompanied by a photo of the 4 of them looking wistfully at the camera."

"It never, ever gets old. So thankful for all of them!"

- luisapet

"Ugh. Mine always wants to know when I’ll be back because he wants something."

- Funny-Tree-4083

"Oh my god I want this. You are so lucky."

- __Vixen__

"I also want this in my life."

"All I get is calls/messages from scammers or customer service."

- amrit-9037

Giphy

Observing This Scene

"The sheer, spontaneous joy my dogs have when my wife gets home."

"I tell them 'Who's home?' Then they hear the garage door opening and know Mommy's Home!"

"Batsh*t-crazy pandemonium ensues until I open the side door of garage. Even cuter, my wife is just as happy to see them, too!"

"Nothing beats observing this scene every day, for 11 years."

- Complex-Value-5807

"Absolutely this."

"I adopted a little baby potato two years ago. Now he’s a big old spaz and he has an absolute fit with joy whenever daddy gets home from work."

"He’s so excited he can’t even sit still for pets and kisses. Jumping up and down on the furniture, running around in circles, pure happiness."

- FunnyQueer

Giphy

At Peace

"I have 30 mins in my day in between work where I just sit on a bench in this park."

"No phone, no earphones, nothing but just me enjoying the sound of birds and whooshing of the trees. Feel most at peace during that time."

- DJTISTA

"I have recently started doing this towards the end of the day."

"It has started filling me up with peace and enthusiasm. I highly recommend this. Half an hour, daily, setting sun/rising sun, somewhere not too noisy, near water if possible."

- pappugulal

"Time like this is essential! Good for you for giving it to yourself!"

- Zebsnotdeadbaby

Giphy

Lunch

"The last 15 years of my working life was running a route, checking into about 235 businesses each month. It kept me very busy, I seldom had time for lunch over 1/2 hour."

"I always thought how nice it would be when I retire, to have time to set down and actually enjoy lunch."

"Fast forward 5 years, I've been retired and now I get one full hour of lunch and reading whatever book has my attention for those 5 days a week instead."

"It's heaven."

- zerogravity111111

Giphy

Listening in...

"My morning walk so I can listen to my podcasts."

- 5thSummersBrother_I

"Might steal your idea! I need to start walking more since I'm working an office job now but I find walking boring lol. I always listen to podcasts while I clean."

- chessysloth410

"I work in the office as well and dedicate my breaks to walking. I’m doing nothing else so I might as well get some movement in. I typically just eat lunch at my desk then. I actually lost a good amount of weight by just doing this."

- MYSTICALLMERMAID

Stay Home

"Getting home from work. I really enjoy that whole 'Not-at-work' time."

- ELPwork

"My job gives us 3 day weekends so today was my 'Friday' and i was so excited to leave today."

"I hadn't realized this coming week is Martin Luther King Jr Day until the end of work when my boss reminded us not to come in on Monday... "

"I don't think i've felt that happy in months lmao. Not working is great but surprise paid non-work is the absolute best."

- grandpa_grandpa

Learning Interests

"School. I always hated high school and now that I’m going to a school that caters to my interest, (auto tech) I can be happy going and seeing other people who have the same passion."

- yal_tryna_uhhhh

"Felt the same in college while getting a graduation in game development. It was so exciting to be able to talk to more people and work together on things we all loved!"

- OldAccWasFullOfPorn

Nutrtion

"Eating."

- intrango

"I'm currently on a diet. I discovered that food plays a huge part in my mood. Turns out I'm a lot more irritable when I eat healthy."

- White_Gables

"I genuinely love food, cooking is my hobby and dinner is the best time of the day!"

- Maximellow

"Super unpopular opinion, and I'm a foodie. But as a new mom, I wish we didn't always have to eat. Eating has become a chore to me and I rather sleep lol. But I do have some help and I am getting proper nutrition."

- SunKissedHibiscus

Episode 9 Diet GIF by FriendsGiphy

my environment...

"Honestly, every part of my home. As the daughter of an alcoholic hoarder, grew up in a very dysfunctional and at times abusive household. It was always dirty, loud, stressful and unstructured."

"Now that I'm an adult with the power to control my environment and lifestyle, I keep a clean, peaceful home."

"My bed is made, my carpet is vacuumed. I get to hang out with my cats and a good book and not have to worry about the electricity being shut off or my mom not coming home from the bar or any number of financial concerns that managed to steal my childhood away."

"I have what I dreamed of having as a little girl: autonomy and calm."

- ladystarkitten

Open Road

"The drive home after finishing work."

"I live over an hour away from the office and I like the long ride home because it gives me time to decompress. I’m also driving westbound so I’ve been able to witness many beautiful sunsets."

- tiraralabasura_2055

"Personally hate driving west in the early evenings because the sun is blinding as hell."

- selflesslyselfish

Driving The Muppets GIFGiphy

Purrr....

"Bedtime routine with my 10 year old cat, she’s my best friend, we’ve had the same routine for years. I call her when I'm ready for bed, she comes running n jumps on the bed and flops against my chest and purrs all night."

"I never want to live a day without her, it’s a nightmare to think about. I make sure to tell her I love her and say goodnight."

- thebillboardssaid

Escaoe

"My audiobook in the car on the way to work. I used to love reading but now I have kids and can’t let myself stay up all night reading. This is my escape time."

- she3099

Feel Good Audiobook GIF by AudibleGiphy

So what have we learned today, dear readers?

The thing most of these Redditors looked forward to was a moment of peace or affection.

Whether it was from a pet, a kid, a book, or a hot cup of coffee it seems people wanted a literal or proverbial hug.

Does that track for you? What's the part of your day you look forward to most.

Small Upgrades That Actually Made A Huge Difference In People's Homes

Reddit user Super_dupa2 asked: 'What small upgrade made a huge difference at your house?'

Smartphone showing a lighting switch app
Moritz Kindler/Unsplash

Making yourself feel at home takes work but not as much as you think.

Homeowners, for example, are apprehensive about renovations because of how much costs.

Even tenants renting a home can feel like they're stuck in a situation where they don't feel comfortable because of minor inconveniences they think requires major solutions to fix.

Cut to this Reddit thread, where the ideas for affordable home improvement options were shared that may make you wonder, "Why didn't I think of that?"

Curious to hear some tips from strangers online, Redditor Super_dupa2 asked:

"What small upgrade made a huge difference at your house?"

We tend to overcomplicate things when solutions can be simplified.

Taking Charge

"Methodically buying phone chargers with long enough cables to not have to ever move one again."

– ihadtowalkhere

"I am a pretty mellow dad (benign neglect parenting style for 5 kids) but I have two rules. Nobody messes with my bedside charger and nobody steals my two pillows."

"So, as such, I make many, long chargers available for everybody. It costs me a fortune:)"

– nicktam2010

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend

"Blackout curtains for sleeping. Such a game changer."

– blehbleh1122

"And they keeps my bedroom cooler."

– BunjaminFrnklin

"Insulated blackout curtains make a 10f difference in my living room on hot days."

– TryUsingScience

A Cool Idea

"Attic heat exhaust fan. Our attic used to get up to 140F on the hottest days, and on those days our ceilings were hot to the touch. The whole house was consequently uncomfortable. Now the attic fan is thermostatically controlled to 90 degrees, and the whole house is cooler."

– jermleeds

"I added a passive whirly bird that does the same thing. Heat rises and escapes before it can accumulate to those extreme levels. It also happens to be clear acrylic so now there's always light up there too which helps keep away any vermin.

– cantwejustplaynice

No major bathroom renovations are required to make tenants happy.

No More Slamming

"Soft close cabinets and toilet seats."

– AreWeCowabunga

"We have a soft close toilet seat at our home and every time I'm at a hotel, I completely forget that they aren't usually soft close and the slam startles me 😂"

– PinkHamster08

Nozzle Upgrades Can Do The Trick

"A better shower. If you can't redo the whole bathroom, just replace the head. This also works if you rent, just keep the old one in a box, so you can bring the nice one to your next house."

– maartenvanheek

"I'm a renter and I finally installed a better shower head this year, after just using the default head in all my apartments for almost 20 years. 10/10, highly recommend."

– Am_I_a_Guinea_Pig

Perfect Welcoming Gesture

"My wife and I own a smallish apartment complex . One of the things we do every time a new tenant arrives is replace the toilet seat. I learned that trick from my parents who had about a dozen single-family rentals. It's amazing the goodwill you receive from a tenant simplify giving them a new toilet seat. We actually put the box behind the toilet so they know it's new."

– YouInternational2152

It's electrifying!

Think Smart

"Smart outlets for Christmas lights, both inside and outside. I have them scheduled to turn on at sunset and turn off at midnight."

– Revolutionary-Try746

"Smart outlets are one of my favorite purchases. During Halloween and Christmas, we’re using multiple outlets for inflatables, house lights, and tree lights. The smart outlets allow you to have everything synced so they all turn in at the same time."

– cppadam

Things Are Looking Bright

"Replaced dated lighting fixtures - fixtures are now properly grounded, the interior looks more updated, and there is more/better light."

– SnooCauliflowers9981

Energy Conservation Option

"Motion activated light switch for the laundry room. Never have to worry about turning off the light when leaving with an arm full of clothing."

– AmazingAsian

Creating an environment can make a huge difference.

Source Lighting For The Win

"Lighting can absolutely make a huge difference in the way you feel in your room. Get some shoulder height (when you are sitting) lamps for your living room. You will notice a shift in how much more relaxed you feel when you use those instead of the overheads."

– ShoesAreTheWorst

Home Art Gallery

"Spending a day mounting my artwork. It felt so much more like my home after that."

– GinGimlet

"Every time I've moved, I put that off for way too long, then finally break down and do it and the house feels so much better to be in."

– Triolion

One major upgrade was our VE hybrid tech water boiler and warmer we got from Japan.

The Zojirushi kitchen appliance uses VE, or vacuum electric, technology for very minimal electricity to maintain the water temperature at a constant 195° so we always have hot water at the touch of a button.

There's no more time wasted boiling hot water over the stove every time we want tea or the occasional instant cup noodles.

Game changer.

man with girl on his shoulders

Brittani Burns on Unsplash

"Daddy's Girl, Daddy's Girl, I'm the center of Daddy's world..." ~ "Daddy's Girl" by Red Sovine

A lot has been written about the bond between fathers and daughters.

But there's always room for improvement, right?

And who better to offer constructive criticism than daughters?

Keep reading...Show less
woman making the shushing gesture

Bjorn Pierre on Unsplash

Full disclosure at all times with your significant other, right?

Yeah, good luck with that.

Let's get real—there are things we don't tell our partners for a lot of reasons.

Sometimes you just don't feel like having to explain something that doesn't really affect them.

Sometimes you're protecting them from something that will have a devastating effect on them.

These are probably going to be more that second one...

Keep reading...Show less

We all have that moment where someone we know says something so completely absurd, the only response we think of is 'WTF is wrong with you?'

Sometimes, it's something woefully inaccurate that you can't wrap your head around the fact that someone believes that.

Othertimes, it's something completely offensive and you regret your association with that person.

My college roommate was a girl I knew from my high school. I didn't know her too well, but we had some big things in common, so I figured it'd be fun to live with her.

This girl was half-Korean and talked a lot about racist people. At first, I let her rant, figuring maybe she or someone in her family faced some racism. I faced some myself, and I agreed with most of the things she said about racists. Eventually, however, I realized she was equating the word 'racist' with the word 'white.'

I spoke to her once, telling her she can't use 'racist' and 'white' interchangeably. She agreed to stop doing that, but within a few days, she started doing it again. She was a very bright girl, so I was a little concerned about this, especially since her own dad was white and was possibly the nicest man in the world. Not to mention, this made her and her siblings half-white too. Did that mean they were all half-racist?

I stuck by her for a while, but when she started saying things about what she wanted to do to racist people (once again using the word 'white' instead of 'racist'), I realized I couldn't be around her anymore. She couldn't talk about anything else after a while, and every time she spoke, I wanted to say, 'WTF is wrong with you?'

We did not room together the next year.

Redditors have stories similar to mine (and some even crazier), and they are eager to share.

It all started when a Redditorasked:

"What did the person do/say that made you go "what the f**k is wrong with you?"

How To End A Friendship

"In college I used to kill time between classes hanging out with a guy who was from the same redneck county as myself. We didn’t really have much else in common, but he was nice enough and seemed eager to socialize so I figured why not. I wasn’t overly social myself and didn’t know a whole lot of people."

"One day we decided to go somewhere off-campus, and he drove us. While driving, on an interstate mind you, he proceeds to show me his handgun that he kept in his truck - not in a menacing way, but in a “Ain’t that cool?” way."

"I was not immediately frightened, but I respect firearms enough to recognize we are going like 60-70mph on an interstate in daylight, and nothing good can happen in this scenario. I calmly asked him to put it away because I was not comfortable in this situation at all. He then tells me “Oh it’s not loaded” and presses the gun to his head before pulling the trigger."

"Thank f**k he was right, but still it was a wild and frightening display of reckless disregard for his own life and mine for that matter in the event that he’d accidentally killed himself while driving us. I didn’t hang out with him much after that, certainly didn’t get in a car with him."

– omjf23

"“It’s not loaded” famous last words of many an idiot."

– GloInTheDarkUnicorn

The Worst Kind Of People

"When my dad was in the nursing home, they weren't running certain expenses, like ambulance rides, through his insurance. When I took over his financials, he was tens of thousands in medical debt that shouldn't have ever been charged to him in the first place. He was in numerous collections, and his credit score was tanked."

"When I complained to the nursing home director, he said, "Well, it's not like he's going to be buying a house or a car!" Then he laughed."

"My dad was paralyzed from the waist down and needed lifelong care, so he was never going to leave the nursing home. Even though he was technically correct, I gave him the "WTF is wrong with you look." Then I complained to HIS boss and he got canned a couple a weeks later. My dad's insurance was fixed pretty quick, too."

– MNWNM

"“Sorry, what was funny about that? Could you please explain.”"

– v3n0mat3

...Seriously?

"MIL told my wife she should divorce me bc I googled whether a lasagna should be covered with foil while cooking."

– Struggle-Silent

"This is my first laugh of the thread lmao wtf."

– koreantrvp

"It actually ruined this entire trip. It was at my BIL’s wedding, which was only close family (siblings + parents) and they had the caterer make a lasagna for an evening dinner."

"Father of the bride was gonna pop it in the oven and asked if it should be covered. I googled lasagna cooking instructions and said yes it should be covered and cooked at this temp. MIL said absolutely not!"

"Me and the father of the bride kinda gave each other a look and he covered it. MIL was furious and texted my wife that I was an a hole and she should divorce me before we had kids."

– Struggle-Silent

Hostile Work Environment

"Boss at old job told the team we needed to ‘get used to a healthy level of conflict, fear and anxiety in the workplace.’ I dipped so fast after that."

– Prestigious-Energy69

"Similarly, a boss told me that I owed him my loyalty because he was paying me."

– Kylearean

How To End A Relationship

"A girl I was with while we were still together just looked at me while I was driving to her house and said.” You know I would get over you faster than you’d get over me” I was like …… Tf did you just say?"

– omega91301

"Huh. And just like that I'm over you."

– Pineapple_Spenstar

"Honestly, that would absolutely do it for me. When I was younger, I would be stupid and hurt and argue. I'm past 50 and I got no time for that nonsense."

– Terpsichorean_Wombat

There Are Other Ways To Stave Off Boredom

"I was DD for some buddies who wanted to go to a particular dance club in Baltimore. They're all hammered, it's too loud and we've been there for several hours. Casually an older woman next to me chats me up and notices my eyes are nearly crossing from boredom. I explained what I was doing there and casually (stupidly) mentioned I'm a bit bored. This psycho BITES ME on the chest! Afterward says "Well ya ain't bored now, are ya??""

– Mike7676

"Well, were you bored after that?"

– DontWannaSayMyName

"I must say, I was not!"

– Mike7676

That Goes Both Ways!

"I'm a man who works with kids, and when I started this job, I was talking to one of my old coworkers about how every once in a while I'll get weird looks for being a man working with kids and my coworker said I deserved it because some men can't be trusted with kids. I was shocked and she went on to say that I did it to myself and deserve to be questioned about it. I immediately stopped talking to her."

– Dolhedew

"What? What in the actual f**k? Doesn’t she know there are women who can’t be trusted with kids?"

– Anonymoosehead123

That Escalated Quickly

"The lady that accused my kids of cutting the line. (They hadn't, I was watching). When I went to ask her what was wrong, she told me to go back to my own country with that sh*t. (I was born in Massachusetts.)"

"The line was to pet dogs at a Renaissance Fair."

– pasafa

Everything All At Once

"While alone with a coworker, he told me that "women in the work place will lead to the decay of the fabric of society" to me. A woman. He also asked me out, got an attitude when I didn't say yes and continues to walk around with huge incel energy. He always complains that he has no one to go home to yet refuses to look at himself as a possible reason."

– Nopeferatu31

"Sounds like they should learn something from the phrase, "if you meet one a**hole, they're the a**hole. If everyone you meet is an a**hole, you're the a**hole.""

– tmpope123

Ouch!

"I told a coworker my wife had died."

"Her response: "You're one of those bald middle aged guys with a dead wife.""

"Me: "Yeah.""

– WalrusCello

"I want to think this was a wholesome thought that came out wrong. An awkward attempt at dark humor."

– ThisUsernameIsTook

*Cringing*

"Had an otherwise normal co-worker who was completely convinced windmills will cause the earth to stop spinning."

– Shadowmant

"WINDMILLS DO NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOOD NIGHT!"

– Torvaun

These are all crazy 'WTF is wrong with you' stories, but that last one blew my mind in 'how is it possible people think that could be true' sort of way!