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Creative People Create Stories For 'Black Mirror' That Aren't Terrifying Or Depressing

Creative People Create Stories For 'Black Mirror' That Aren't Terrifying Or Depressing

Creative People Create Stories For 'Black Mirror' That Aren't Terrifying Or Depressing

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The show Dark Mirror focuses on all the horrors that can arise from the relationship between humans and our technology. We'll be honest, some of the episodes are a complete bummer and leave us side-eyeing our phones and tablets. One Reddit user decided to give the viewer a chance to re-write the story and asked:

If they made a show called "White Mirror" that was about all the positive aspects of the human/technology relationship, what would be the plot of certain episodes?

We grabbed 20 of our favorite responses for you, hopefully it'll help heal things between us and our phones.

1. Artificial Saviours

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I read something a little while back about an AI escaping its lab and living on the internet, and subtly manipulating things for the better as it learns about humanity.

I would really like to see that idea expanded on.

2. Last Man Standing

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Disease and aging are eliminated by science. The Earth becomes a giant nursery. Once people reach a certain level of maturity, they are sent to forge their destiny among the stars.

The episode would be about the person left on Earth the longest, and their journey to to discover why.

3. Dad Was AI The Whole Time!?!

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A daughter grows up video chatting with their dad who rambles on and barely let's her get and word in edgewise, giving loving advice and accolades and familial anecdotes, but who is absent at every major life event up to marriage and always apologizes.

She is accompanied to the altar by her mother.

Afterwards the chat with dad has him in tears because he regrets more than anything missing walking her down the aisle because he passed away while Mom was pregnant.

4. Thanks, NSA!

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The NSA agent tracking someone's communication finds someone suffering and helps them out with money anonymously.

5. And All That Jazz

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Jazz musician living in New Orleans nearly drowns during Hurricane Katrina. He survives, but he suffers a horrible ear infection from the toxic flood waters, which subsequently causes him to go deaf. Without music, the man falls into a great bout of depression and can hardly cope with life anymore. After nearly a decade of hopelessness and despair, the man drives to a nearby bridge with plans to jump and end it once and for all. On the way to the bridge, he gets a flat tire. A Good Samaritan stops and assists him with changing it. Turns out the Good Samaritan knows sign language, the two talk for a while and the Good Samaritan invites him to the lab he works at where him and a team of engineers are working on designing the first pair of Bone conduction headphones. Using the musician as a test subject, they successfully perfect the headphones, and the musician hears the sweet sound of jazz for the first time in ten years. His depression fades away, and the man becomes happier than he was before the incident.

And if the happy ending doesn't work, then maybe he gets hit by a bus or something.

6. Remember

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Fed up with apps like Snapchat and Instagram showing you what you're missing out on, a young girl creates an app which shows all the good memories you don't remember.

Mental health problems in the nation diminish significantly as a result.

7. Mega Robo Dog

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Set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the story of a woman who breaks into a warehouse searching for a teddy bear to cheer up her terminally ill little sister. As she is searching, she encounters robot guard dogs that, upon detecting the intruder, embark on helping her find the correct row and shipping pallet on which the box of teddy bears are stored, and then merge to form a Voltron-like mega robodog and ride her back to her sister just in time for them to perform life-saving surgery to remove the little girl's tumor and then stay with the girl as her loyal and loving robo-pets and everyone lives happily ever after.

8. We Guess Uber Eats Didn't Work Out So Well?

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Someone uses an app to get food delivered to them and they get a little bit more food than they ordered.

9. Organ Donors

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A teenager in Vietnam is killed by a landmine and his parents decide to donate his organs. One of the receivers of his organs learns about the donor just before they go to college, years later the receiver has completed the invention of technology that will quickly and effectively locate buried landmines.

10. Skype-lationship

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A man meets a woman while vacationing in a major city. She lives there, but he doesn't. He's leaving for his home on the other side of the country the next morning. They wander the streets of the busy city all night long, chatting constantly about their hopes and dreams. They watch the sunrise wrapped in each other's arms. When she takes him to the airport the next morning, she's clearly upset. She's never met anyone she gets along with so well. He offers to stay in touch with skype and they exchange usernames-but she isn't too hopeful about the situation. When she gets home from the airport and lets her computer wake from its sleep mode, she notices he's added her before ever even getting on the plane, only moments after she left him according to the time stamp.

Later that night when he's settled at home he logs onto skype to see her icon is online. He messages her instantly. Their playful banter and easy conversation flow long into the morning hours. Over time their weekly skype sessions become daily. They begin to show each other their home cities-taking their phones with them to skype anywhere they can. He walks her down a street festival where music and light pour from every stall. His head phones in only he can hear what she has to say to him. She makes an hour long drive to her parents' house, and he skypes with her on the drive, keeping her entertained with car games and random trivia. She sends him a recipe she found online, and that night they make and eat the same meal on opposite sides of the country. They begin to look forward to seeing each others skype icon alight every single night without fail. They even turn on a tracking app that helps them see how far the other has to go before they are home. They fall asleep while skyping and wake to each others sleeping form.

But distance makes all things hard. Months pass. Both their data bills are through the roof. He begins to feel a lack of connection to her-the real her. She feels like all she knows of him is the face of her phone. As if the device and the person are one in the same. They miss one skype. Then another cause he has to work. Another cause she fell asleep while waiting for him. One day, though they pre-agreed to skype that night, he never even shows. The icon stays unlit and though she tries to keep her mind steady, she feels the cold hard stab of doubt in her chest. Was it something she said? Did? Is he with someone better for him? One that doesn't pester him every day? She checks the tracking app. Nothing. His isn't even turned on. Sending another stab of doubt through her. Where could he be that he doesn't want her to know? Why is he hiding his movements? He never seemed like someone who'd do that. But did she ever really know him? Or just the online him? Another hour passes and though she tries to keep occupied, she can't stop checking. Still nothing. In her frustration she throws down her phone and the screen shatters. The white light bleeding black from every crack into the screen. Angry, hot tears spring to her eyes as she watches the grey icon flicker away completely.

Her doorbell rings and as she swipes away her frustrated tears she apologizes to the phone. Picking it up off the floor, she wipes away spare shards of screen glass, as if that will turn back the clock. She knows it can't hear. It's not a person nor the thing she's angry about but, it did nothing wrong. With phone in hand she walks to the door where there he stands. A duffle under one arm, too big to be an over night bag. In the other he has his phone out. "Why aren't you online?" He says "I was gunna surprise you. But my flight was late." She launches her self at him, into his arms, causing his phone to fall to the ground. No more devices between them.

11. Butterfly Rewards

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Someone hacks robotic butterflies and uses social media to find random people doing good things having the butterflies swarm them for a short time surrounding them in beauty

12. And Everyone Lives Happily Ever After

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Everyone uploads their brain into a system that allows us to experience each other's lives and then puts us back in our bodies. People see that they are all connected and start acting really sweet to each other.

13. Part Of The Problem

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I'm actually writing this short story - this sex robot realizes she's part of the problem when she comes to the realization that her best customer avoids social interaction and pursuing other sexual interests because he can rely on her. she decides she wants out, but the company that owns her will probably just reprogram her if she goes through the proper channels. and they are also tracking her for work and safety reasons. hence she conspires with a self driving car to run away, and get a new identity.

14. True Story

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Saroo Brierley was an Indian boy who became separated from his family at age 5. Took a train with his brother, fell asleep, got separated, changed trains, fell asleep again, wound up over 900 miles away from home. His brother was hit by a train and killed that night, and Saroo wound up in an adoption agency. He was adopted by an Australian family. Eventually he used Google Maps and his vague childhood memories to attempt to reconstruct where his original home was, and he was reunited with his family in 2012.

They made a movie of his story, called "Lion."

15. WoW, Indeed

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A child is abducted, the police have no leads.

Her friends from her WoW guild from all over the world pool their talents and resources and track her down.

16. Accountability

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People actually use their phones to look up information during debates. They use it to hold politicians accountable for their illegal, immoral, and unethical actions. You know, instead of looking at the stupid stuff that the Logan brothers are doing.

17. Smart Fridge

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A person with an eating disorder starts a relationship with a smart fridge that convinces them to start eating.

18. Voyager Is Still There

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Those Australian kids getting saved by a god damn drone tossing them a life raft.

Never in my life did I think I would find myself with tears of pride in my eyes over a drone. Drones are so regularly looked at for their capacity for destruction but the surfers surviving is a testament to their simultaneous capacity for good.

There is a god damn drone walking around on Mars too, so-to-speak. And Voyager, whether he/shes a drone or not, despite being thousands of miles away, this little robot's voice still echos in our own solar system. It's insane.

You want to talk about a good episode of "white mirror"? Imagine two dictators, two fat, overfed, overindulged, too-long-listened-to dictators almost sending the world into a nuclear holocaust. Two sets of greasy fingers poised over two long-dusty red buttons only to be stopped by their citizens. United over social media, empowered by the free web, armed not with plastic homemade printed guns, but with knowledge; the people rise.

Imagine all of this happening and it fades to black. Zero in on our little buddy Voyager, the loudest voice humanity's got, cruising through the cosmos looking back at us, shouting: "I'm still here and I hope you're still listening."

19. So... A Holodeck?

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An episode that has a family interacting together happily. later it's revealed they're all in different locations and/or have various disabilities. they were in a virtual room.

21. Utopia

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In a country on the brink of civil war, the youth distract themselves with a sims like VR game where you inhabit your sim. Now, face to face, they talk out their real problems and find out they are not so different. They work out their differences, then talk to their parents and neighbors and invite them to play the game. The in game world becomes such a utopian reflection of the real world, the philosphies spread and the war is averted.

H/T: Reddit

Older Generations Explain Which Things Young Folks Get Wrong About Past Decades

Reddit user WeirdJawn asked: 'Older Redditors, what do young people get completely wrong about past decades?'

retro diner interior

Spencer Davis on Unsplash

I have no aesthetic or emotional issues with getting older as it certainly beats the alternative, so I freely admit I have reached a certain age.

It's the age of sound effects when I get up from a chair and asking younger people to pick things up off the floor for me.

It's the age of having to use Urban Dictionary daily to understand messages I get from younger friends and relatives.

But as much as I don’t understand their language, music or hobbies, there's a lot they'll never understand about my childhood and adolescence.

I was reading an article by writer Eric Chilton who pointed out Gen X—the generation born between 1965 and 1980 of which I'm a part—was the last to live in a world without the internet, cellular phones and social media.

And those are only a few examples of the paradigm shifting innovations in our lifetimes.

Keep reading...Show less
Old Blockbuster location
Photo by Sean Benesh on Unsplash

We've all gone into at least one business, store, or restaurant that left us completely dissatisfied, and we can understand that sometimes, that's how things work out.

But when we're disappointed by them every single time, we might wonder how that business is still even open to receive customers.

Ready to hear the tea, Redditor Square-Floor8879 asked:

"What company has you shocked that they have not yet gone out of business?"

Door-to-Door Sales

"On a Wednesday at around 2:00 PM, I received a tap at my door from an elderly woman who wanted to show me a Kirby Hoover."

"Additionally, it appears that door-to-door salespeople will still exist in 2023."

- zibanm

"It’s surprisingly big in B2B (Business-to-Business) sales, as well. Cold-calling on the phone is almost dead, but if you know how to talk with people in person and aren’t afraid of in-person rejection, you can do very well with door-to-door sales."

- Marijuana_Miler

Are They Really?

"That furniture store that has had the 'Going Out of Business' sale going on for the last four years."

- SomeGuyInSanJoseCa

"That’s a whole thing. People will open a store for a year or so and run this kind of going-out-of-business sale and make an absolute killing. Then they’ll dip out and someone else will do the same thing right behind them."

- plexiglasssit

A Constant Reunion

"Classmates.com still trying to charge what you can get for free on Facebook."

- VegasRoy

"I'll get emails from them: 'John, Mike, Sarah, and Amber want to see what you're up to.'"

"Well, they can all see it on Facebook or Instagram."

- Kahne_Fan

A Fading Tune

"Guitar Center. I worked for them for 13 years, they were on the brink of death the whole time."

- Vault76exile

"I actually just bought something from them for the first time ever. A lot of workers in the store, like every dept had somebody in it. Not that many customers, though."

- AtomicSamuraiCyborg

One Word: McAfee

"McAfee."

- inkyblinkypinkysue

"I swear, those motherf**kers installed the malware themselves."

- syu425

"McAfee IS malware."

- MalevolntCatastrophe

Physical TV Guides

"TV Guide still exists."

- dorkimoe

"I see big potential with TV Guide. They could get a lot of traffic and be an amazing source of information if their search engine didn't suck."

"These days, it's so annoying trying to find out what streaming service has that one TV show or movie you want to watch. TV Guide has a 'where to watch' button that will show you what subscription services have it and how much they cost."

"TV Guide, if you're reading this, fix your search engine. You can be the source of information of what and when we watch just like your golden age again."

- Firree

Affordable Iced Tea

"I hope they don't but Arizona Iced Tea has cost the same my whole life. Good on them."

- Kuuzie

"They actually just reduced the size from 23oz to 22oz. Fortunately, the 99 cent price holds."

- Dylinquency

"I'm actually okay with this, to be honest, because I basically have to force myself to finish that last couple of ounces most times."

- navit47

Expensive Mattresses

"All the mattress stores that are somehow across the street from each other and never have any customers but open new locations down the street all the time."

- GrayWarriorKnight

"It's actually crazy going to one. I was mattress hunting last week. While I was there for like two hours, two people showed up and purchased mattresses."

"One for like $2300, and the other for just over $3000. All were financed."

"I had no clue people paid that much for mattresses."

- dekugon22

Cheap Claire's Jewelry

"It feels like they have been saying Claire's is on the edge of bankruptcy for 20 years."

- CallMeSkii

"I found myself ordering something online from them a few years back and it still feels like a fever dream."

- redhair-ing

Sears' Serious Long Game

"Pretty sure Sears is still holding on?"

- Brs76

"Down to only 11 locations left, with plans to close five of them by 2025."

- thedankbank1021

"One of them is near me! In a mall that feels like it has time traveled from the '90s, so that makes sense. It's right near an FYE, which also apparently still exists."

- SkippyNordquist

"Man, I absolutely LOVED FYE when I was in middle and high school. Haven’t seen one in a solid 20 years. Granted, I haven’t been to a mall in the better part of 10 years."

- OriginalBrownCow

Maybe It's an MLM; Maybe It's Mary Kay

"Mary Kay."

- TemperatureTop246

"Mary Kay is a MASSIVE business. I also wonder how they survive but there’s a ton of scholarships and research they sponsor in the cosmetic science community. They have a big pull, Mary Kay and Amway."

- TheLatinaNerd

"Because it's basically a pyramid scheme and they sell their products to wannabe entrepreneurs who are stuck with unsold goods."

- lboogieb

A Return Location

"Kohls. Don't get me wrong, I love my Kohl's. But every time I go in there, it feels like 90 percent of the shoppers there are just there to return their Amazon package. Kohls does have some pretty good stuff so I do hope they stay in business (mostly because they are just so convenient for returns)."

- babypho

"The coupons have so many restrictions anymore that I think they may have doomed themselves. I went in with a 40 percent off coupon and could basically buy their Sonoma brand stuff and that was it."

- Flyinggoatfest77

Questionable Kids Parties

"Chuck E. Cheese’s had its hay day years ago, their business sucks, their shows aren’t that good, and the animatronics are mostly gone at this point. And debt. Lots of it. Surprised they’re still around even though they just filed for bankruptcy three years ago."

- DabbinBingel

A Ghost Town

​"Macy’s."

"One of my favorite stores, but it gets pretty depressing to shop there. You see maybe two employees on the entire floor. Products are often never organized and the fitting rooms are even worse. Clothes just dropped on the floor and no one ever checks how many clothes you go in with or what you truly do inside…"

"Some Macy's locations are better but many are really bad. It feels like a complete ghost town."

- Soup_and_Rice

Money Harvesting

​"Wells Fargo. Considering all the shady ways they try to harvest cash from their customers, I simply cannot believe anyone does business with them."

- TheWorldNeedsDornep

These accounts were really eye-opening. Most of these companies weren't on the list for potentially closing because of their business practices, but because of how they treat their customers.

It just goes to show how important it is to foster good relationships with customers, to value them, and to treat them with respect.

A cat and a dog lying down next to one another.
Photo by Andrew S on Unsplash

We all love our pets.

And be it a dog, cat, parrot, or turtle, we all like to think our pet is cuter and smarter than everyone else's.

Most of the time, that is purely owing to our unending love for them.

But every now and again, we might witness our pet do something truly extraordinary, leading us to believe that our pet truly is the smartest animal on earth.

Redditor CoreyMatthews was curious to hear about the times people were truly blown away by the intelligence of their pets, leading them to ask:

"Pet owners of Reddit, what are some examples of your pet doing something that made your realize how intelligent they are?"

Talk About Coordination!

"I watched both my cats sit in the hallway and roll a ball back and forth between them gently and on purpose."

"They both know how to open doors."- TurbulentStep4399

The Real Truth About Cats And Dogs

"I had a cat that learned to turn on my radio so I would think the alarm was going off and get up to feed him."

"He and my dog would also team up on me in various ways."

"The most memorable was when I had gotten a little water pistol to squirt the cat when he got on the kitchen counter."

"I always kept the water pistol in the very back corner of the kitchen counter."

"I got home one day, and the water pistol was chewed to pieces on the floor."

"It was too far back on the counter for the dog to have reached it by herself (and it’s not the sort of thing she would normally have liked to chew on), so the only explanation is that the cat climbed onto the counter, pushed the water pistol across the counter until it fell on the floor, and then convinced the dog to chew it up."- TheBat3

More Than Most People Can Say About Their Children!

"My 6 month old kitten will alternate bringing his mylar ball to me or my husband to throw--taking turns."

"He plays fetch better than my dog did."

"He puts his toys away at bedtime."

"I have a small basket that we keep his toys in."

"At bedtime, I'll tell him, 'Let's pick up your toys' and he will get any toys that hasn't been eaten by the couch and drop them in his basket."

"No hard balls/toys as he can't pick those up with his mouth."

"I pick up those."- Danivelle

cat playing GIFGiphy

The Female Of The Species...

"I had two Shelties and one large dog bed."

"The female Sheltie did not want to share the bed with her brother, so whenever he was lying on it she would go to the door and start barking like crazy at … nothing."

"He would leap up barking and race to the door to guard the house alongside her and as soon as he got out of the dog bed, she would run back and curl up in the middle of it."

"He never caught on."- NoNefariousness104

Always On The Lookout

"My dog greeted me at the garage door when I got home."

"He then had me follow him to my daughters room, then my sons room, then the front door."

"My mother in law had picked up the kids."

"He was telling me that 'this one and this one are gone and went that way'."

"Let’s go get them!'”- YourFriendInSpokane

Asking Permission Never Goes Unnoticed

"I had a blue heeled mix that was crazy smart."

"Two of many examples:"

"He was occasionally allowed to eat table scraps off of a plate but was never allowed to beg."

"He had to wait until the plate was put on the floor."

"One day I was caught up working on my laptop and had put the scraps from my dinner on the couch on a plate next to me."

"An hour or so went by and I saw him pick up the plate off the couch and put it on the floor so he was allowed to eat it."

"He slept in my room and was getting up in years."

"One night after I was settled in bed he let me know he needed to go outside, thinking an older bladder, I got up to take him out."

"Instead he went to the kitchen and turned to look at me."

"Curious I followed him."

"Same thing , he went to the family room and waited for me."

"When I turned on the light, he went to an end table near the TV where one of my teenagers had left an uneaten piece of fried chicken."

"He stood and stared and it and then turned to me and I swear he asked if he could have it."

"I laughed and took the meat off the bones and put it in the floor for him, after which we both went back to bed."

"How he knew that chicken had been left there is beyond me!"

"I could share dozens of stories like this."

"He was as smart as most humans I know."

"I will miss him forever."- JCKligmann

dog human eating GIFGiphy

Peeing With Purpose

"My mom's cat had a urinary infection."

"So he peed a tiny bit in the bathroom sink and waited by it for my mom to see it."- HyliaSerket

Everyone Wants A Little Attention Every Now And Then...

"A small thing, but my cat will paw at my hand when he wants to be petted."

"The first couple times it happened, I didn't think anything of it, until I realized one day that he basically had me trained/conditioned to pet him whenever he nudged or pawed at my hand."- Square-Raspberry560

And You Thought All They Could Do Was Change Colors

"My chameleon will look me square with both eyes and make a chomping movement with his mouth when he’s hungry."

"He’ll also pat at the glass if he wants to come out."

"He’ll hold a grudge, calculate ways to go or get what he wants."

"One of my Boas will only look at me when hungry."

"She had a go at caudal luring whilst doing it the other day."

"Like 'look, dude, I know you bring the food'."

"I’m hungry, look I’m even trying to lure you to give me some food'."

"It worked."- Ugglug

Giphy

A Kind Gesture Is Never Forgotten

"My brother’s cat, Coconut."

"We live 2,600 miles apart."

"The first time I met her, I gave her a little pink fuzzy kitty toy."

"2-3 years later was the next time I was able to visit her again for the 2nd time ever."

"She immediately disappeared & came back with this filthy, dusty, brown toy that had obviously been hidden away somewhere."

"We dusted it off & it was the toy I had gifted her years before."

"She remembered me."

"My brother said he had never seen the toy again until that day."

"She’s also very precious with her toys & will leave them outside his bedroom door as bribes."- emilyyancey

Innate Obedience

"When she was a baby I said, 'Go get your toy!' in the same pitch I always do."

"Never trained her with that phrase."

"She went a grabbed her toy and came back."

"I tested her again the next day and the next day."

"She went to her toy pile and brought back a toy each time."

"She picked up the phrase by herself."

"She's also the first dog I've had that looks at planes in the sky when they fly overhead and recognizes dogs on TV even on mute."- Spare-Bread8416

Get The Tissue Ready...

"I have two cats and a dog."

"A little backstory about my dog:"

" I don't know anything about dog training."

"I wasn't even thinking about adopting a dog but it seems like it was one of those things that 'meant to be'."

"My sister found him on the street at a winter night."

"We thought he was lost and there is an owner looking for him."

"Because where I live we have so many strays and you wouldn't see many 'specific breeds', they are just strays and specific breeds have an owner 99% of the time."

"So we took him home and start to search for the owner but it was obvious that poor dog went through some sh*t."

"And we learned about his story from an animal society; that he had a few owners but all of them left him to the streets because he was barking a lot (we haven't heard him barking even once during that time), he was peeing everywhere (he did it once and that was probably because he was nervous of being in a new environment and that was it), he wasn't listening at all (we had 3 cats at that time and I said no one time when he tried to run at them and that was it, never did it again)."

"And we learned that he has been in the shelter twice with big wounds."

"And I said I'm not going to let him go through more, he stays with us."

"He learned how to let me know he needs to go out all by himself."

"He learned to pee on the pads all by himself on the days that I can't take him for a walk."

"He learned to give me my slippers when I come home all by himself because I wear slippers when I get home."

" He learned how to clean his face by watching cats doing it."

" I still don't know how to train a dog other than a few basic stuff."

"He just learns."

"That's been a really long comment."

"So I'm going to leave that how I know my cats are clever for another time."

"Thank you for reading my sweet dogs story."

"I'm glad to have him and I don't know who was lucky about all those; me or him."- LittleBitOff2Day

dog pies GIFGiphy

Never underestimate your pets.

As sometimes you have no idea of the things they might see or notice.

Making it all the more important to give them the love and attention they deserve.


A baby's hand holds an elderly woman's hand
Photo by Rod Long

Aging is a reminder that the end is near.

But life is constantly finding ways to expedite the aging process.

So many variables contribute to our looks... it's almost shocking.

Redditor sabletoothtiger_ wanted to hear about the things that can cause us to age rapidly, so they asked:

"What instantly ages someone?"

Weight.

My flipping and flopping with my weight has aged me.

It never gets easier to lose too.

Lack of Sleep

Wide Awake Insomnia GIF by MOODMANGiphy

"Lack of sleep."

Yasmin947

"Can confirm. I have an aunt who looks older than my grandmother because she regularly gets 3 hours of sleep a night while my grandmother will fall asleep anywhere."

SCG414

Farewells

"Grief, nothing ages you like Grief."

TheGreatGrappaApe

"My brother died 2 years ago, I aged so much since and now look older than some friends of mine who are 15 years older than me. On top of not sleeping well due to autoimmune issues, I notice new grey hairs every day. Grief, lack of sleep, stress. I have the trio and it's just awful. Losing a sibling is a nightmare, especially at a young age. My deepest sympathies."

ScissorsOfJealousy

Flare-Ups

"Back pain. You can't move like a young person if your back hurts."

AdWonderful5920

"I went from being active and spry to barely able to move and in constant pain. It changed so much about my personality as being active and sporty was a huge part of who I was. I also gained some weight."

"I’m way better now and not in constant pain, but there is always a risk of flare-ups now so while I can exercise and be active, it’s always in the back of my mind and I can’t do it with the carefree attitude I once did."

"I also believe it makes me susceptible to other aches and pains as the nerves all connect so sometimes a flare-up sends pains to other extremities such as my hips or shoulders. If there was one thing I could go back and change in my life, it would be to prevent the back injury."

nononanana

Seemingly Healthy...

"F**king cancer. Have watched my brother-in-law age 30 years in a month."

imapassenger1

"I have been a witness to this many times. '30 years in a month' is an accurate measurement."

WimpyZombie

"This hits close to home. My (seemingly healthy) uncle was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two weeks ago. Within the last two weeks, his body has completely broken down. So sorry for everyone here who has had to see loved ones go through this."

JosjeAB

"My mom had breast cancer (in her 50’s) like 7 years ago. All her hair turned gray and she looked frail and old for a couple of years through treatment. After the cancer was gone, her hair all grew back brown again and she looked like she did before. It was really weird."

a-ohhh

From the Top

American Horror Story Fx GIF by AHSGiphy

"Hair loss. Not me personally but I used to work with a guy who I swore was like 35, and he was 19. Poor kid."

Kaiserhawk

"When I have an interview, I let my baldness show a little bit. I look older, and I'm taken more seriously by recruiters that way."

lord_machin

Keep It

Nft Child GIF by Pudgy PenguinsGiphy

"Buccal fat removal."

arieljoc

"Surprised this wasn't higher up. People with baby cheeks don't realize how well they will serve them thirty years down the line when their buddies who teased them for it look like Skeletor."

Burly_Bara_Bottoms

Deep Breaths

"Stress."

gablamegla

"When I was younger and first entered the real world I remember working with a white-haired woman that had an always tired look about her. She had a picture of her daughter on her desk, young, blonde, that looked so incredibly much like her I mentioned it once. Turned out that wasn’t her daughter, but was her prior to her going through the FBI academy."

F_is_for_Ducking

Work of the Devil

"Troubleshooting printer problems. I swear these devilish machines only exist to trigger me to smithereens."

Philitt

"A couple years ago I decided to officially give up on having a personal printer and only use the one at the library because when it f**ks up, it's someone else's problem. I still have my old printer and I've considered dropping it off my roof for fun."

Painting_GatoI

"Had the opportunity to throw one out of a third-story window. The absolute joy I felt watching that a**hole machine soar through the air and smash to smithereens was the best kind of natural high. It's been 15 years, and I still get goosebumps thinking about it."

Natural_Garbage7674

Bad Relations

My Big Fat Fabulous Life Kiss GIF by TLCGiphy

"Having a spouse that contributes nothing to your relationship and allows your family to slip further and further into debt without caring that you're all only a couple of bills away from bankruptcy."

Xmenenslaver

Life is just an endless well of aging.

No cream is coming to save us.