Every now and then life hands you a moment where you get some sage life advice from the "Uncle Iroh/Mr. Miyagi/Yoda" figure in your life. Or maybe it's someone hitting you with some hard truth.
Sometimes all it takes is a sentence or two for things to get really, really real. One Reddit user asked:
What was a sentence said to you that changed your life forever?
We expected "I'm pregnant" to be a popular response - but what we actually got was something else entirely. Take a look.
Be The Adult You Needed
Cry Lol GIF by Shalita Grant
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"Be the adult you needed as a child"
You can be an adult who remembers how to be a child.
That's What Makes Them Good Friends
"F*ck you and the problems you create for yourself"
One of My best friend said that to me 4 years ago and we're still close friends today. It was a wakeup call that I needed.
Good friends sound like a**holes when they need to. That's what makes them good friends.
- JADW27
So Sure
"I've never really loved you, I was just so sure you'd change"
This was after seven years and a child together.
Nothing but BS. This is why I'm bluntly honest. I'd rather just tell you what's wrong and work through it than sit there, make a life together, and just leave and blame the other person. Gets on my nerves.
Arguing With An Idiot
When I was at school, I chatted to a drunk guy at a bus stop once and he gave me some life advice. It was something like this.
"You have a quiet look about you. I can tell you're not a loud mouth and that's a good thing. If anyone tells you not to be that way, f*ck them."
"You can laugh at them when you're a doctor or something. Don't argue with those idiots. Right now I can tell you're smart, but once you start arguing with an idiot, I can't tell the difference."
- WhtCt
Why?
"Why do you care so much what they think?"
Said to 7th grade me after crying for the 187th (ish) time I came home and complained kids were making fun of me.
Now I have the reverse problem. I don't give 2 sh*ts about anyone's opinion...so I speak my mind and let insults roll off...even ones that should bother me.
Part Of Success
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"Failure is PART of success, not the opposite."
Boss said this to me when I was in a funk at work. He knew I was feeling down about myself and wanted to do anything to bring me out of it. Honestly, one of the best bosses I've ever had. Still keep in touch with him from time to time.
Not Happy Pills
"Anti-depressants won't 'make you happy', they're not happy pills. They're like life preservers so you can focus on having fun at the pool party instead of drowning."
Having narrowly gotten through a crisis scenario and escorted to a student health center with nothing else to lose, I talked to my doctor about my hesitation to take meds. He said that and it flipped my depressed pre-conceived notion of "weakness" and medication on it's head.
Months later my chronic chronic depression and panic disorder were in remission, where they have remained for 6 years. :)
Needed To Hear Kind Words
''You're the best mommy ever. I'm glad you were born in this planet''
My little son told me that one day when my family made me cry. I never wanted him to see me crying but that day my family was so rude with me in front of him.
Sounds crazy but I really needed to hear kind words. My family used to criticize all the ideas or things I like. The unique approbation I need was my son's one.
When my child said those words I decided to left my home and start a new and nice life together far away. That's the choice we made and everything changed. It was time for being the best version of myself. He deserves a much better environment.
- selm_for
Get It Done
"If you get it done and over with, then the rest of the day is yours."
My dad when I use to complain that I never had enough time to do chores or I would put them off until my parents got home and they weren't done. On one particular day my mom was furious. She lit our @sses up like a Christmas tree.
I went to my room mad as hell at my mom. Then my dad came in and told me that quote up above.
The next day I got up, did my chores early, and had the rest of the day to myself.
My brothers didn't take that approach and when mom got home she let them have it.
I felt like a king of his own kingdom. I rode that smart @ss smile all week; then that week quickly became years. School became the same way.
"Just get it done and over with and you won't have to mess with it." I hear it in my dads voice.
I Watch What I Say
A small, warm hand on my mine.
My youngest looking up at me with large, solemn eyes and saying, "I'm not ready for you to go."
This was in response to a stupid comment I made... I have really debilitating migraines now and again. I said it was so bad, I wished I would just die.
And that was his response to my immature outburst. I watch what I say and how I word it now. Kids are so impressionable and it hurts my heart that I caused him sadness.'
Fingers Crossed
"I didn't lie, I had my fingers crossed."
This was said to me by my now ex wife about her cheating on me. It taught me that people will tell you what they want you to hear, and nothing more.
Ew
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While most are putting phrases that changed their lives in a good way, here's a bad one:
"Ew, ew, disgusting" - said by a girl who hated me. At the time I had huge acne problem which I was really self-conscious about, and that single phrase wrecked my confidence for a long time.
And even though we are good now and I consider her a friend, I still have no confidence in my appearance.
Liking And Learning
"You don't have to like someone to learn something from them."
It's helped me to try to look a little deeper at some people. Don't get me wrong I still cut out toxic people and don't associate with anybody I don't want to, but it does help to give me a more positive outlook as well as to add to my life experience.
"I Don't Have Problems"
About 13 years ago my marriage was falling apart. When I asked my wife at the time if she wanted to go to marriage counseling she said:
"I don't have problems- you do. I don't need counseling - you do. It's not about you and me, you don't have to tell me you love me - I really don't f*cking care - you can f*ck off ... and bring the boys with you - I'm sure they'd f*cking love it."
So I took her advice, went to counseling and brought my 2 young boys everywhere with me. They did, in fact, love it.
Her sentences, without a doubt, changed my life as I chose not to try and work on the marriage any more and we divorced a couple of years later.
Listen
"Shut the f*ck up and listen"
In the early 1980's I was 21 and complaining about how this WW2 vet would always want to tell me stories about the war. Another man who was in the group said "
I've known [WW2 vet] for 30 years, he's never once mentioned his time in the war to me - consider yourself lucky. Shut the f*ck up and listen".
I thought, "he's right" and I started to listen from then on. It got to be a habit and I've learned a lot from just listening to people.
- CQSteve
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Real life contains the scariest horrors you could ask for. So aren't we all living in a horror movie, in a way? At least, these people sure freakin' were.
MisterSnowman69 asked: What was a moment in your life that felt like a horror movie scene?
In the words of the legendary Mary Vivian Pierce in the film Pink Flamingos, “Murder merely relieves tension”. I’m sure the following Redditors felt differently.
Nothing scarier than the woods at night.
Went into a real deep woods hike for only the second time in my life.
My gps broke and had to rely on my compass. Got turned around a few times because I couldn't remember the direction I came from, and it was getting dark. Lost the trail way.
But the woods are weirdly silent in the dark and alone.
It was around 2am by the time I found the trailhead.
Darn foxes.
the simpsons react GIFGiphyMy friend and I got lost late on one foggy night in the Italian countryside. There were rats all over and every once in a while we heard someone scream.
I've never been more sure I was about to get murdered than I was that night.
It was probably a red fox that was screaming.
Could've also been a lynx, but they are much rarer in Italy.
At least she wasn’t speaking in tongues.
My mom is quite the sleep talker, but it's usually pretty short and incoherent when it happens. One night as a teenager, I woke up to her scream-yelling the Hail Mary prayer (my bedroom was across the house and upstairs).
Difficult to get back to sleep after that one.
Sometimes scary sh*t ends up just being funny coincidences. Super funny. Right?
Don’t give them any ideas.
I was exploring an abandoned mental asylum and then got the scare of my life when a scary looking person inside one of the rooms was just staring at me without moving. Turns out some joker had left a cardboard cutout there.
And now I have plans this weekend... Just need to find a couple of cardboard cutouts and to break into the local abandoned asylum.
Don’t you hate when that happens?
Evil Dead Horror GIF by Coolidge Corner TheatreGiphyI was driving home on backcountry roads at midnight in heavy fog. Like can't see 10 feet in front of you thick. Suddenly I see an all-white silhouette running in front of the car. Every hair on my body stood up. I immediately think "oh god, oh f*ck, it's a f*cking woman in white, I'm gonna f*cking die"
Nope just a drunk who dove into the ditch.
Gotta love paranoia.
When I was about 12, my parents went out for dinner leaving me home alone. We lived out in the country, on a private road with only three other houses, surrounded by cow fields and wooded areas.
I went into the the kitchen and glanced out the window towards the trees and there in the fading light I could see a person walking slowly through the woods. They were wearing all black, moving slowly and appeared to pause behind trees. My heart started pounding so hard in my ears I couldn't hear anything else and I was weak and shaky from fear. I froze and just watched them. Would they come to the house? Where were they going?
This was before cell phones but I suddenly remembered my mom had left the number of the restaurant by the living room phone. Slowly, I made my way towards the living room, trying to watch this stranger in the woods.
Just as I entered the living room, all the lights in the entire house went out. By this time it was nearly dark outside. I started openly sobbing and in the dark I heard a weird boom like noise. That was it, I ran to my parents room, hid under their bed and sobbed. That's where my mom found me hours later (it felt like).
Well, turns out the stranger in the woods was a stupid cow that had busted through a fence, the lights going out was from an accident a few miles away (hit the power line) and the boom was the pilot light in the gas stove. Man, I have never been that scared in my life though!
I have a lot of questions.
A naked man who was covered in blood chased me across a park at 2 in the morning. I was totally alone. He just wanted money for a bus (????) and luckily nothing bad happened but I thought I was going to die.
But of course, the genuine horrors do exist. And they aren’t scary in a fun horror movie way, they’re actually terrifying because they can happen to anyone.
A scary few seconds.
car chase GIF by Mayans M.C.GiphyI am a "baby" in a car seat in between cousins in backseat. Dad is driving. This is in the 80s and it is my aunt's insistence that I am in this seat even though I am like 5.
A sleeping semi driver is coming over into our lane and there is a cliff on other side. Basically my dad did some amazing driving but semi blew us up. I am uninjured sitting in the seat swinging my legs while everyone is unconscious. They all wake groaning. Dad doesnt wake up.
Long story short just minor scrapes and dad has broken leg. But the crunch of metal and those few seconds/minute of being the only "alive" person was quite fear inducing.
Glad they’re all ok now.
Two days after my now boyfriend told me he liked me he fell from a zip line and broke his back. Almost died. 6 months later he got into a car wreck from a drunk driver - almost died. 6 months after that, he passed out and had to have emergency brain surgery, again, almost died. I now have severe anxiety/separation anxiety/and ptsd. That whole year was a f*cking nightmare
Edit: we're both okay now, the brain injury was almost a year ago. But TBIs take a while to heal so he still has side effects. Thankfully our relationship is still strong; he's physically getting better and I'm healing emotionally too. Lucky for him, the trauma of the injuries has caused him to forget the majority of the pain and memories of those incidents.
ALWAYS wear a helmet.
Driving home from work at 23, listening to my favorite song.
I pull up to a red light, and see this guy on a motorcycle coming up next to me in the other lane. I rolled down my window to compliment his bike when he stops. He doesn't, and runs the red light. He hits a car going at least 55mph. His motorcycle shatters apart, he goes flying, hits the hood of another car, and lands on the ground and rolls into the curb (no helmet). The car he hit with his motorcycle was totaled. I had to step over his body to talk to the police. He was still alive when they got there. I regret not holding his hand. It was just a normal day, and all of a sudden it felt like the rug was pulled from out beneath me. He was only 18.
Edit: The song was Sunny by Boney M., for those curious
What did we learn today, kids? Foxes scream like humans, shadowy figures are usually cows or drunken rednecks, and once again, PLEASE WEAR A HELMET WHEN YOU RIDE ANY KIND OF BIKE.
Scary sh*t surrounds us. But where there is horror, there are heroes. So next time you think you see a scary figure in the woods, know that Bruce Campbell is probably right around the corner
Hypocrisy is everywhere; it's like a disease. And sadly everyone does it. Some of us indulge in smaller doses than others. But some people live their life by it. Like how can you support civil servants, like police, firefighters, etc... yet try to find ways to hide money in order to not pay taxes? Tell me... I'll wait.
Manga...
Hungry Night Court GIF by LaffGiphyItalian moms that say you're too fat then say I'm making grandma cry by not finishing my pasta.
Asian moms too! Not only that if you try to not eat, they make to go containers for you. Oh, sorry I have to leave, RUNS AT LEAST HAVE SOME FRUIT.
Phonies...
Celebrities positioning themselves as champions for social justice while launching a clothing line with no comment on the labor conditions their garments are made in.
Sexy Times...
The Porn Industry
Why is prostitution considered a crime, but it becomes perfectly legal once a camera is put beside them?
I think the first amendment helps with that one. There's been many a supreme-court case about whether porn is protected speech.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
You can get away with WAY more crap, in general, when you're attractive.
But we all kind of aspire to attractiveness and it's not like it's attractive people's fault, exactly. So what is there to be done?
So true. Money and beauty are treated like virtues and they aren't. They're luck of the draw. It probably helps you to be a better person if people assume that you are gentle and clever just by looking at your face or wallet.
KIDS
GIF by MOODMANGiphyPeople screaming at you if you don't want Kids and Kids are the greatest thing in the World and then turn around and whine how expensive they are and how annoying yadda yadda.
Yeah see... humans are a mess. And too often then not, personal conviction and dignity are just a myth, or a punchline. Double standards have always been a way of life. And many of us have begrudgingly learned to navigate.
Fashion
Fashion Model GIF by NYFW: The ShowsGiphyIf a skinny person wears something out of the ordinary, it's a fashion statement and awesome. It can even just be something like a crop top or overalls.
But God forbid a fat person wear the same thing.
Distractions
The hypocrisy hypocrisy. People love to call it out but rarely notice it on themselves and if they notice it then it's something completely different or a distraction.
That's the worst. I hate that I have to hate that. But if I don't hate it, then the hate will just continue. So, really, my hate comes from my love of an end to hate. So anyone who hates my hate hates love. And we must hate anyone who hates love!
My Morality
My own personal hypocrisy; When I was a lot less well off financially, delivering pizzas trying to get through college, I kept a cup of coins in my car. When a homeless person would approach me for spare change, I gave them the cup. Most of the time it was nearly full, so there was probably 20-30 dollars in there.
Now that I have a good salaried job, even if I've got a few bucks in my wallet, I tend to not even make eye contact anymore. I know it's awful, I know it makes me crappy, but the last 4-5 years have made me a jaded craphead towards people in general. I used to be so hopeful and I wanted to help everyone, and tried to live a life that reflected that.
Now, while my general and political morality is pretty much the same, my personal morality has gotten more grey. I'd jaded, I hate people, I assume the worst of people I used to assume the best of. I don't really care about the strangers around me like I used to, but I still expect everyone else to.
Placing Blame
Victim mentality.
It's so freaking frustrating when it becomes entrenched. "You did this, it's your fault" "you should've known to do x, its your fault" Yeah bro your problems aren't my problems and if all you do is make excuses and blame me for them, it's not going to be my fault when you don't develop as a person and accomplish your dreams. I'm sure they'll find someone to blame though.
In D.C.
Donald Trump Reaction GIF by Election 2016GiphyPoliticians work part time, are given free housing, education, and health care, and exempt from the everyday violence we experience, but refuse to lift a finger to help us.
At this points most people running for a position in the government are only in it for the benefits of being a politician and the amount of money they can embezzle. Well in my country at least.
Just speak a truth and live it. Yes, it maybe hard. But what part of life isn't? Hypocrisy is just lying. Plain and simple. And it's a sin to lie.
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