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16 Conversations That Changed People’s Lives

You never know when someone you run into accidentally, for just a few minutes, might change your life.

If that statement seems like something that only happens in the movies, well, these 16 people are here to share their real-life tales.

16. You can’t judge a book by its cover.

I’ve told this story before but whatever.

I was broke as f*ck in Eugene, Oregon. Steady work was scarce. I smelled like shit because I could barely afford to do my laundry and often didn’t even have detergent when I did do laundry.

The holidays were close so I took a contract job with the Salvation Army, ringing a bell. I’d stand on a cold sidewalk in the freezing pouring wind and rain on a sidewalk outside of Fred Meyer, wearing a thin gray zipup hoody, shivering and ringing for 8 painful hours.

This gorgeous soccer mom rolls up in her gigantic suburban assault vehicle. She steps out wearing a very tasteful tan camel hair coat, jeans, nice boots, her long blonde wavy hair draped across her shoulders.

She walked past me with a disappointed look. When you’re broke as shit, you get used to that facial expression from decent and good people, and you sort of condition yourself to shirk away like “sorry I’m a smelly degenerate piece of sh%t who’s near you”

Anyway, more people come and go, her giant SUV is still out front, when I hear this very loud and aggressive woman bark, “HEY!!” at me.

I turn and look, and it’s her. She has a shopping cart overflowing with bags. She rolls up to me, shoves a hand in a bag and says, “here! Put these on!”

She handed me a very nice and expensive fleece beanie, a puffy fleece scarf and these very expensive looking fleece lined leather gloves.

“Its absolutely freezing outside. You should be wearing more than that thin jacket. Do you have a home?” I told her yes, while putting the new clothes on. They were so damn warm!! I noticed the rain would bead up on the scarf then just roll away. A gust blew and my ears didn’t ring in pain.

She said “well, you need to eat” and handed me a bag of jo-jos and a bag of chicken strips. I swear to God my stomach rumbled at the sight of the warm food.

She stood in front of me and said, “I’ve seen you here before. You were nice to my son when he was having a bad day. You’re a good looking kid, and you seem pretty smart. You deserve better than this. Go to school or something. Figure out a plan and follow it. You don’t have to do live like this.”

I started to well up, but bit my tears back. She realized how awkward it all was, so she just said, “okay, well … Merry Christmas,” then walked off to her vehicle, loaded it up, and drove away.

She showed me kindness and generosity at a time when I thought it was all gone, and she represented love from a demographic I’d grown to hate. She changed my perspective about humanity in less than a minute, and inspired me to aspire for more.

15. The adventure of a lifetime.

Back in 2012 I went my first solo trip to Thailand I was living in Karon Phuket . It was my first day there and at a late night BBQ up in the cliffs , just finished my food and was sipping a cold Chang and this American guy walks up to me .

“May I join you?” ” .. yeah sure I said , he was a 50 year old originally from north Carolina working in Dubai as a teacher that’s wife had died . He asks alot about me why I’m here , aspersions in life , family situation . We have a very intense discussion about life in general he was incredibly intelligent . The conversation switches to him and why he is here , he tells me that he bought a moterbike and he has zero agenda , he had been biking all over Asia solo for months with no concrete plan, He pulls out a little scrap book and starts going through the places and pictures and notes in it and starts giving me tips on places to go , places to eat , places to stay , routes to take . I got some paper from the bar and started taking notes on these amazing hidden gems all throughout South East Asia . We drink all night get hammered and he takes off in the morning I never see him again .

A few years back I traveled on a bike to one of the routes he recommended eating at places he talked about , caves , lagoons , waterfalls , hot springs you name it he recommended it. It was a hell of an adventure loved every minute , he recommended some amazing things and I’m truly grateful I met that American that night. Great bloke hope he’s doing well .

14. This is a great story.

When I was a freshman in college, I took a shuttle from my off-campus dorm to the campus every day. A few weeks into the first semester, a guy sits down next to me and compliments my anime messenger bag. We strike up a conversation, and he offers to introduce me to the other nerds at our dorm.

He brings me to another guy, Mark, but then leaves. Mark proceeds to escort me around to a few rooms, and I meet more people. One of these people becomes my boyfriend 2 months later, then my husband 4 years after that.

The weird thing is, I never see the original guy from the shuttle again, and no one knows who he was. That random stranger led me to my soulmate, then disappeared.

13. A small kindness.

I (f, 22 at the time) was at the airport waiting to go home after visiting my boyfriend that I don’t get to see much. A little heartbroken, I just sat there trying to keep the tears in my eyes, but a random stranger noticed my emotional turmoil.

Instead of asking if I was okay, he simply said “I’m sorry to see you’re in pain, can I do anything to help you?” And offered me a tissue. He was such a comforting presence. We ended up talking for a while as we were on the same flight that got delayed, and eventually cancelled until the next day. We hung out in the smoking lounge together, he made me promise to quit when I got home. He told me about his travels, I told him about mine. He managed to get my mind out of its pit of sadness, we talked about our shared hobbies, what we’d been doing in that town etc.

Next day we found out we were flying to the same destination via connecting flights, and as he was a flight attendant even on holidays he was able to change his booking to be on my flight and sit with me.

Our ways parted when we lost track of each other at the third airport. I never got to say goodbye or thank him for being such an A class human. His kindness made my trip home so much easier and I will never forget it. Sven if you’re reading this, thank you. I hope to be able to pay your gesture forward to someone who needs a friendly face some day.

12. The kids always suffer.

When I was eight or a bit younger, my mom brought me with her to a divorce lawyer’s office on the higher floor of a large building. While she was meeting with the divorce lawyer in his private office, I was trying to keep myself occupied in the waiting room. I recall that it was a very big waiting room.

There was a man in the waiting room. I don’t exactly remember how old he was, but he didn’t seem that old. I would probably guess in the 30-45 range. I can only assume he noticed the bored, sort of sad-looking little girl in a divorce lawyer’s waiting room because he came over to me. He talked to me, played with me, said I was a beautiful little girl and I’m pretty sure that he said something about how the bad stuff that was happening wasn’t my fault. I spent the whole time in the waiting room with him. I don’t remember his name and I can barely recall his face, but I had an innocent crush on him. I asked him where he lived and he told me he lived in San Francisco, which was not at all far from where I lived. Maybe it’s because I’ve just always been a very sensitive and empathetic kid, but while he was smiling at me (gorgeous smile, too) and trying to make me happy, I got the sense that he was sad. I can only imagine why, given the location.

I’ve never forgotten him after all these years. I wish I knew how to get in touch with him because I’d love to just give him a hug. He will never know how much he helped me during a time where I was subjected to my parents’ messy divorce at home and being relentlessly bullied at school. I was a sensitive big-hearted kid with drug addict parents (both are clean now) and I was emotionally neglected a lot of the time… so I think his kindness will live on in my heart forever. Whenever I go to San Francisco, I spare a thought for him and wonder how he’s doing.

11. A road trip together.

I had just finished grad school in another country and was moving back home to my parents’ in Florida after a big opportunity I thought I had fell through. I was devastated, exhausted, and second guessing all of my career choices. Really depressed.

My parents live in SW Florida. The last leg of the flight was on a prop plane (short flight from Orlando) and we couldn’t land due to bad weather. We circled and circled for a while and finally they decided to divert us… aaaaaall the way down to Key West. I could have driven from Orlando by this point and been at my folks’ place.

Anyway, we land in Key West and deplane and they tell us we can’t get out of there at all that night. Weather, etc. Of course the airline is not helping at all.

I end up chatting with this older (than me) woman in her 50s or 60s and we decide to take a big chance and just get a hotel together for the night, rent a car, and drive up to Fort Myers the following morning. Complete strangers. Both of our families thought we were nuts, I’m sure. But it was awesome.

She was so lovely and was a shining light. She had just beat cancer. She was so encouraging to me and everything I was going through. We stopped for key lime pie and scenic pictures on the drive up. We sang Tiny Dancer in the car. A crappy situation ended up one of the most beautiful experiences I’ve had.

I wish I had her number or even remembered her name. I don’t know how I lost her contact info but I did. If you’re out there and stumble across this — thank you — I still think about you a lot and hope you’re well. Send me a message if you’d like to reconnect.

10. I don’t even know what to say.

I worked in a subway for the summer years ago. There was a regular customer, 60 odd, rode an old timey bicycle with a basket that he kept his dog in.

Anyway, one time he comes in and it’s just me and him in the restaurant. He asks how I am, I tell him I am fine. He asks how I really am, and for no particular reason i told him some of the problems I was facing in my life. Let me note, this was particularly out of character for me, I keep myself to myself and dont tend to open up to my closest friends and family, let alone strangers.

He told me to “breathe, and listen to what the wind has to tell me”. I didn’t really know what to say to this, so I engaged in a thoughtful conversation with him. The way he spoke was unlike that of anyone I’ve ever met, so sincere, honest and calm.

He proceeded to explain to me how he has the ability to mentally travel to anywhere in the universe, he simply has to clear his mind and close his eyes and he will travel outside of his body and see the wonders the universe has to offer. He paused to tell me, if I think he is crazy just tell him to stop, as most people thought he was.

By this point, I was completely hooked on his stories. He told me of worlds that rained diamonds, black holes, conscious beings made entirely of gases and resin. As he left he said I would see him once again in my life, but only when I was ready. This was about 6 years ago.

I will add, the man did not strike me whatsoever as crazy, and insisted that he had never touched a drug in his life. I honestly believed that he wasn’t crazy.

I dont know if he was just fucking with me, having a bit of fun, or whatever. But the way he told me this story, I honestly believed every word, and I am not a very gullible person. At the time as well, I had never drank or taken any drugs.

The story honestly sounds so ridiculously unbelievable, and I have never spoken to anyone of it. But I hope I see him again.

9. Like untying a knot.

My daughter was born and she wasn’t breathing when they took her from us. I assumed she was dead but she wasn’t when they took me to the NICU she was tubed with all these scary monitoring. All the other babies were in incubators but mine wasn’t.

I remarked to the nurse that that felt like a good sign. It was a gut punch when she said ‘We only have her in the open air in case she has a heart attack and we need to move quickly. We will control her environment when the doctor says it’s ok’ A doctor came in an explained the she is very sick but getting better.

I simply didn’t believe him I was terrified. One of the other parents in the NICU took me aside and told me that the doctors here wouldn’t lie to me for liability reasons. If he thinks my girl is going to get better she probably will. It was like he untied a knot in my stomach and made it a little easier. She pulled through and is healthy.

8. What a fun story to tell.

I was on a plane flying to my first consulting gig and elderly gentleman was seated next to me. Normally, I just heads down on the plane, but he was really friendly and initiated the conversation. He told me he was coming home from a music festival and was excited to get home and wanted to know why I was traveling. I told him that I was a bit nervous because this would be my first big consulting gig but had spent time preparing, studying the customer, reading up on similar customers, etc. He told me that I should feel confident because I had done everything I could ahead of time and now it was time to enjoy the payoff.

When we got off of the plane he was met by an entourage, and whisked away. He was obviously “somebody” so Googled him to learn it was Hank Jones. He basically invented bebop piano. That music festival he was returning from was the Montreux Jazz Festival.

I have always kept his words in mind. Doing everything you can do to prepare ahead of time is what gives you confidence in pretty much anything you do. Then it is up to you to just enjoy the payoff.

7. Someone’s cutting onions.

When I tried to kill myself in high school I ended up in the hospital, and then shipped off via ambulance to a local mental hospital.

On the way there, the EMT in the back told me he used to be suicidal, we talked the whole way about how he chose to live and why and how he could tell I was a nice and worthwhile person from the little we’d interacted.

I don’t remember most of the conversation because I was all drugged up, but I remember feeling like someone actually saw me, actually understood, and actually cared.

It was kind of a first, and it’s one of my happiest memories even tho I can’t remember most of it. I don’t even remember his name. But whoever you were, I hope your life is great, and thank you.

6. A wise man.

There was a homeless man called Grant who stayed at a tunnel underneath a pretty busy road. I had always tried to give whatever spare money I had and he’d always been incredibly kind to everyone.

I think he got back in touch with his family and he left that tunnel but the last time I saw him he told me “Get some self respect because you’re helluva better person than you think you are.”

It was a major boost in my confidence and Its nice having some confidence for once. He also told me to stay away from Apple stores.

5. That will change your perspective.

I was in a plane at JFK stuck on the tarmac for three hours, feeling kind of sorry for myself. Struck up a conversation with the elderly man next to me. Turned out he was the youngest child to survive Dachau. Showed me his tattoo. Told me he survived because he ate whatever was left on the dishes he washed.

I don’t feel sorry for myself so much any more.

4. This is hilarious.

I told this once before on a different account.

I was on a cruise in the Caribbean, three days out of Miami, to Nassau and back to Miami. Dude at the bar was chillin, about 20 years older than I was. I was already drunk, started talking to him and asked where he was from. “Jupiter!” was his answer. I assumed that this dude is just nuts and I left mid conversation.

Years later I learned that Jupiter, Florida is a real place and I was just oblivious and needed to get out more. The only assumptions I make are about myself now.

3. Just when you think all is lost.

Had a customer at my previous job telling me about how he used to stress about being single for most of his life until a week after his 40th birthday when he met his future wife outside a grocery store, just after he had accepted the possibility of being alone. He ended with sometimes waiting patiently is the only course of action, even if you don’t like it.

I think about that whenever I’m feeling the single’s blues.

2. When a stranger really sees you.

I was going through a really rough time, I was about 15 at the time. I was having a lot of identity issues and family troubles, I was also struggling with dissociation.

This culminated in me sobbing in a Kohl’s bathroom. I was at the sinks and a woman came up to me and told me “I don’t know who you are, I don’t know what your going through, but it gets better”.

She offered me a hug, which I accepted. It wasn’t a lot but it definitely helped me realize that there’s some genuine nice folks out there.

1. Sometimes a reminder is all you need.

Once at the mall I was chasing my 3-year-old. I was feeling real irritated when this guy yells to me ”just like his dad, huh?” indicating I was a child too once. Really gave me some perspective, just that one sentence.

These are beautiful stories, don’t you think?

If you’ve got one to add to the pile, I’d love to hear it!

The post 16 Conversations That Changed People’s Lives appeared first on UberFacts.

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People Share What They Would Do WITHOUT a Moral Compass

The fact that we all live in a society with rules and norms isn’t the thing that keeps most of us in line every day. We have our own moral compasses that are built in from birth, and we follow them because something inside us says it’s the “right thing” to do.

It can be fun to imagine a world without that little voice, though, and these 16 people are musing on what they would be doing right now if their Jiminy Cricket suddenly disappeared.

16. Scary to think about, as the spouse at home.

Drain my bank account, take out a loan on the house, cash out retirement and bail.

Move to some beach in Europe.

15. Do they really check those things?

Writing straight-up lies on my resume as I look for new jobs.

14. That last one, though…

Follow my pleasure instincts. Eat, f*ck, give in to anger and probably murder.

13. Speaking your mind.

Telling certain patients to f%ck off.

I want to take care of people, I don’t want to be talked down to, yelled at, threatened, lied to for drugs, or so many other stupid things all while smiling and biting my tongue.

I kind of hate my job.

12. Would that really make you happy, though?

Not giving up my life in my city to help my mother have a comfortable hospice in her home.

Living like I’m just here for myself.

11. The other side of the story.

I quit a pharmacy over their inability to tell the seekers we weren’t playing their games.

“Your doctor hasn’t approved the refill”

Ten minutes later, they call saying they called their doctor and the doc’s office has sent it over.

They hadn’t sent it over.

I actually got pretty good at catching the phone before others when the ID was showing someone who was a known seeker. I would just pick it up and hang up. I couldn’t care less. They would spit and cuss us up one side and down the other if we wouldn’t fill their 13 different controlled scripts a week early. I’m not losing my license for that sh%t.

F*ck off.

So, one day, I had a customer who had proclaimed she wasn’t going to move away from the window until we filled her script. I went through all the regular requests for her to move with all of the normal pleading for her to be a decent human and let us help the others waiting in line. But…nope. she just stood there. My pharmacist, the store manager, all the other techs just kept their head down and never stepped up to help move her out of the window. With 20 people backed up in the line, I looked at my pharmacist and said ‘Welp, I’m not doing this sh*t anymore’ and walked straight out the door. Walked past 20 of my customers I had for years. Never looked back.

I haven’t worked retail pharmacy since. Not, will I do it for long in the future of things change for me. We should be able to fire customers without the government or the state or the company having any say. Though, some of those people would have pulled a race card or the s*x card or a political card or what ever card they had in their deck to sue us. All types of people are addicts and all of them will mistreat their pharmacies. Yet, because a doctor keeps them prescribed without question, they are not breaking any law. It sucks.

Soccer moms are the worst. Xanax addicts all half asleep driving their kids around. Scary.

10. There are good people in the world.

Packing for school. My dad tested positive for covid this morning, and although I haven’t been in close contact (he just got home from vacation) I have to get tested and it’s recommended I quarantine two weeks regardless of the result.

My college move in day was supposed to be Saturday. I’ve been stuck at home for so so long, haven’t seen my boyfriend in months.

I was so ready to go and this setback has me losing my mind, but my moral compass is telling me I shouldn’t put people at risk even if there’s only a small chance of a false negative (I’m expecting to be negative). I wish everyone else actually took quarantine seriously.

9. I wonder what it could be?

I can’t say exactly, but it starts with ‘S’ and ends with ‘elling drugs.’

8. How dare.

Call Ann Landers a boring old biddy.

Yeah, I’m living on the edge, fam!

7. There’s something soothing about it.

Well, at this moment in time I’d be doing the exact same thing.

Staying up until 1am on reddit.

Simple yet self destructive.

Mwa-ha-ha!

6. Seems like a lot of effort.

Pillaging I guess.

I’ve always wanted to pillage.

5. This just made me laugh.

Absolutely wrecking some 12 year olds Minecraft world.

Oh, that would be wonderful.

4. This is a good one.

Selling pics online.

Don’t judge. Your girl needs money.

3. Dang conscience.

I’d be married to a guy who owned his own airplane courier company.

He was boring as f*ck, but he was rich and into me. I could have used him for his money but it just didn’t feel right.

2. This hot take.

This made me think a moral compass has close to zero effect on my moderate actions, which are mostly conditioned by shallowness, apathy, fear and social stupidity.

I’m not doing anything significantly unethical not because I’m good, but because I’m dull.

1. Life is hard right now.

I’d be in a car driving away from my kids leaving my sick wife to deal with the two little lunatics.

I’m so exhausted I just want to sleep for 12 hours and not have to break up constant fights/screaming crying about nothing.

It would be simpler in some ways, right?

Or maybe just easier.

Share your answer with us in the comments!

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Little Things That Feel Rude, Even Though They’re Not

Human beings sure are weird. We try our best to get along, to avoid conflict, and we worry far too much (imho) about our interactions with strangers.

Sure, some people could stand to be a little more polite, but for the rest of us, we should stop worrying that things like these 13 are horribly rude.

13. This person is probably Italian.

Saying “no thanks” when offered more food.

Especially at a family function, there’s always those relatives that offer so much.

I really don’t need to eat that much food.

12. You feel like you’re taking advantage.

Accepting an offer that doesn’t benefit the other person too.

11. I just avoid walking past them.

Rejecting kiosk workers feels rude, but i digress.

I went to a mall and I have really big, thick hair. One girl asked me if I ever straighten it and I said no and she was like “well, this straightener is easy, less damaging, let me try it on you!” And I said no thanks and then she’s like “come on i insist!”

And I was like noooooo fucking thank you.

Then like an hour later I walked by the same kiosk again and a different guy was working and asked to try the straightener on my hair and I said no, and he asked “why not” and I said because I don’t like straightening my hair. He’s like “well this is not time consuming!” And I got really mad and kinda yelled “I’m not buying a hair straightener from you!”

10. I feel like there’s some subtext, here.

Calling people out for social misconduct.

As in saying they are coming in 5 minutes only to not hear from them again.

Mildly specific, I know.

9. Those still exist?

Ringing the bell when there is no one at the service counter.

8. Like you’re saying you don’t want to be with them, but that’s not true.

saying you need space/time to yourself.

i don’t know why, but it always feels like i’m being rude when i tell people this, even though it’s just part of life and needing some alone time/time to think and reflect.

7. This makes me giggle.

Giving ppl the thumbs-down motion, especially when driving.

My dad and I do that instead of flipping ppl off.

Gets ppl madder than shit but it’s still hilarious.

6. Always ask why you feel like you have to do it.

Telling the truth about something that might hurt but is going to save your butt in the long run.

5. Ok but this is kind of rude.

Not continuing the “pay it forward” at drive-thrus.

It’s happened several times to me, and I’ve always reciprocated.

I’ve hit a financially rough time, and I’m working 6 days a week starting at 5:30.

If I miss a coffee the rest of my morning will feel like hell, even though I’m pushing my budget to get one.

The cashier told me my coffee was paid for already, so I left a small tip, and went about my way. I’ll pay it later when circumstances are better.

4. The good ones should understand.

Telling a doctor that you want a second opinion.

3. Especially with Gen Z kids.

Texting with a proper punctuation.

2. I thought it was only me.

Asking someone to correct your food order.

1. You gotta do it.

Discussing salary.

It’s a good way to make sure you and your coworkers are all being treated fairly.

Be polite, but don’t be a doormat, y’all.

What, if anything, would you put on this list?

Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

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People Share the Things That May Seem Rude, but They’re Actually Not

What makes a behavior “rude” can be a bit subjective.

What bothers or offends one person could go unnoticed by another, but most of us just get that awkward feeling when something that’s been said or done feels off.

This post, though, is about those moments that occur even when the action or words in question aren’t rude at all – strange, right?

15. Only in the Midwest.

Passing people who are walking really slowly.

“Ope sorry, just going to squeeze by. Sorry. Sorry about that.”

14. Being an introvert is not a crime.

Leaving a party/function early, or even at a reasonable hour.

A lot of people take offense if you leave before the end and it’s a drag.

13. Oh, sweet summer child.

Calling out of work when I am sick.

Most act like I’m faking it so makes me feel bad whenever I need to due to medical issues.

12. This modern world has downsides.

Not being available 24/7 despite being reachable 24/7.

11. You have to learn how to do it.

Saying no to anything.

10. It’s not because you don’t want to. All the time.

Not being able to do favors for someone when asked

9. Just say thank you.

East Asian here.

The act of “pretending to turn gifts down and the giver insisting and going back and forth for a 3 f*cking hours and eventually accepting the gift anyway”

Just f*cking irritates me to no end.

8. This is so hard to do.

Asking for money that is owed to you.

It seems awkward and rude but it really isn’t, or at least shouldn’t be.

7. Only if it’s the first time, though.

Correcting someone if they mispronounce my name.

6. You just want to leave.

Ending a conversation with someone who is legit trying to commandeer your time.

5. Your real friends will understand.

Not hanging out with people because you are tired.

4. Being honest.

Actually telling somebody what you think about their abilities. There’s a way to do it without being rude.

I spent 2 years studying a craft in a very competitive field and toward the end of the 1st year I started to fall behind and my instructor started to give me polite responses instead of actual feedback. So I followed him to his office one day and said I feel like I’m getting shrugged off, I know I’m not going as well as others but lay it on me.

He didn’t want to because these are peoples life-long dreams and its hard to crush people’s spirits. But he laid it all on the line, said I’m going hang on for a while and fizzle out within a couple of years. I asked for specifics, he hit back even harder. I didn’t take it hard and in fact I was excited because I was going to fail anyway before he was brutally honest but now I had specifics to work on and improve on!

A couple years later we were talking and he said “you know I was wrong about you” and I got to say “no you were so right. and if you hadn’t told me all of that, I wouldn’t have worked on it”. Because of his honesty I had two choices that were better than the path I was on. Either find something else to do with my life, or hone in on my shortcomings and work tirelessly on them and if it hasn’t gotten better a year from now then I can find something else to do with my life. I got better over that year and now work in the field I’d started my studies in. That definitely wouldn’t have been the case if that instructor had kept being polite and never gave it to me straight.

You gotta be honest with people you know. Not in a mean way, not fully unsolicited. But if you’re not honest with something people are trying to get good at or pursue a career in, you’re setting them up for failure by not pointing out weaknesses they can fix or by accidentally encouraging them to go down a path that leads to a dead end.

3. Why is this so hard?

Telling people what you want as far as your boundaries.

“I don’t like being touched. Please don’t touch me.”

“I prefer not to text a lot during work hours.”

“I don’t like making last minute plans. Next time please let’s set up plans ahead of time.”

“I don’t think we really click. I don’t think this is working.”

But standing up for your boundaries encourages people to stand up for theirs, too.

2. I’m cringing right now.

When you’re at a craft fair or farmer’s market or some other outdoor event where people have a bunch of tables set up to sell their wares, go up to a table to check out what they’re selling, and walk away.

Either you don’t like what they have, or they’re selling their nice soaps for waaaay too much money.

They are looking at you this whole time with this happy, expectant look on their face, like “This is it, I’m going to get a sale!” Or worse, when you ask them what they’re all about, and they go into this long pitch about their thing, only for you to realize that you’re not interested.

I always feel like a complete a$shole for going, “Yeah. Well, okay. Bye!”

1. Unless it’s your spouse.

Actually, i am not in the mood of talking right now.

I totally agree with these, and I honestly hate these scenarios!

Is there one you would add to the list? Share with us in the comments.

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Tumblr Users Teach Us All the Adulting Life Hacks That You Should Know

Adulting is hard. Life doesn’t come with an easy-access handbook, so we’re pretty much left to our own devices.

Luckily, we have each other for tips, tricks, and easy fixes. This tumblr user mined the web for solutions, and the internet denizens did not disappoint. Here are some adulting life hacks that you should know to make life a little bit easier.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Sometimes, parents don’t have all the answers. When that happens, we need to turn to other adults for some perspective.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

This thread has it all: from navigating family drama to what brand of ketchup is good.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

The big lesson here is, there’s a lot to learn. When there’s a lot to learn, there are also a lot of opportunities to make mistakes.

You will make mistakes. Constantly. Sometimes they’ll be small mistakes, like forgetting to use dryer sheets. Other times, they’ll be big mistakes, like putting Dawn in the dishwasher.

Both are okay.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

The grandparents trick really does work. Just so you know.

By the way, here’s what happens if you do accidentally put Dawn in the dishwasher.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

So yeah, really try not to do that.

Plus, when you do have accomplishments, treat yourself. Life isn’t easy. Any small success is worth a little reward.

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Having a cupboard and fridge stocked with the essentials can save you a lot of time, effort, and money when it comes to cooking.

Organization and cleanliness go a long way, too. There’s nothing like the comfort of knowing your bank account won’t be bombarded by bills on the same day, or that the dishes in the dishwasher will ACTUALLY come out clean.

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Bleach and other cleaning solutions are necessary, but be careful. They’re still chemicals.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Medications, too, can cause a dilemma. Over-the-counter meds are still drugs, and there are certain things (like alcohol) that they should not be mixed with.

Moreover, there’s a lot more to them than just the brand name.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Remember those generic names, and you can save a whole lot of cash every time you need to stock up.

Let’s face it… You might put Dawn in your dishwasher. You might need to live off of ramen, potatoes, and hot dogs. But there are solutions here.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

Plus, here’s how to make the most out of you food supply, get rid of ink and blood stains, and even dissolve superglue.

Photo Credit: Tumblr

The beauty of wholesale clubs goes far and wide, my friend.

What are some of your top adulting life hacks? Share with us in the comments below!

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People Discuss What They Think Folks Will Be Nostalgic for in the Year 2060

It’s hard to believe that people will be nostalgic for ANYTHING that’s going on in the world right now, but you never know…

I’m sure people in 1980 thought the world was going to Hell in a handbasket, but 40 years later, 1980 probably looks pretty decent to some people…

But what will people be nostalgic for in the year 2060?

Here’s what people had to say on AskReddit.

1. Privacy.

“Privacy and the ability to go somewhere without seeing 75 cameras all the time.

Went to the beach today and no one was in the water except for me and my friend. Everyone else was waiting for “golden hour” in their dry beachwear.”

2. In-person.

“Playing physical games with friends.

Going to friends’ houses to play basketball/soccer and a few video games, and then have a sleep over.

Socializing to the extent even the youngest here have experienced.”

3. Remember when…

“The short period of time in 2020 when most of us got to spend some time at home with our families, traffic was bearable, people in the supermarkets were asked to keep distance.

As an introvert, I’m gonna miss it for sure.

As a doctor, not so much.”

4. Hang on to it!

“Physical media so you don’t have to micropay for every movie you feel like watching.

When the DVDs and Blu-Rays are no longer in the stores, there will be no reason for streaming services to charge a flat rate.”

5. That’s depressing.

“Driving.

Cars will be 100% automated and it will be illegal to drive your own car on roadways unless you have a special license, because it’s so dangerous.

There will be amusement parks where you can drive a car all by yourself.”

6. Show me the money.

“Paper and metal currency.

Virtual money, wire transfers, alternative finance models, blockchain money will be a norm I anticipate.

It is coming faster than we think.”

7. I really hope not.

“The golden days before covid-25 when you just had to wear a mask instead of a full hazmat suit…”

8. Scary stuff ahead?

“Contemporary weather patterns and jet streams.

Lack of mass migration and climate change refugees.

Clean beaches. Peace in India.”

9. Off the grid no more.

“Being able to go “off the grid” for a weekend.

I may have been the only student my senior year of high school and first few weeks of college not to have a cell phone (Out 200+ person freshman engineering 101 intro class, 5 of us didn’t have a cell phone, and the other 4 were from mainland China.

I was the only one who had the access to phones that would work on American cell phone networks but simply didn’t own one) and then had a pay-as-you-go phone mostly for emergencies for the next two years.

It wasn’t until the summer between my sophomore and junior year that I got a phone on a plan, and that was bc I needed it for a job with “on-call” shifts. Even now, I’m on one of the smaller carriers, so when I go camping for a weekend, I’m frequently out of cell phone range when I’m not on the interstate.”

10. Scary to think about.

“Cashiers.

They were already slowly being replaced by self checkouts, and now covid has put a rush on it.”

11. Not much faith…

“Large animals.

Rhinos, elephants, orangutans, giraffes. I have little faith that we won’t destroy the world.

Looking at the old onesies from our kids pajamas that we packed in a box showing safari animals will become as extinct as dinosaurs, but more painful…”

12. Bleak.

“Jobs.

Most people fail to realize what is happening in industry. They are blaming other people and countries, but the truth is, along aside the technical revolution of phones has been the technical revolution of industry.

Industrial level stepper motors and servos have become so cheap, along side multi core 64 bit control boards, which are so cheap they are essentially disposable, that entire swaths of the labor pool have already been replaced by computers.

The issue here is these incredible control boards are continuing to get better and cheaper, and the software is getting better. Every day the march of technology continues, the closer it comes to replacing Jobs we traditionally think as irreplaceable.

Computers don’t need a break, they rarely make a mistake, and they are cheaper than your labor. We are <10yr from massive disruption in some of the largest employment vectors, like transportation, that is going to put a lot of people out of work.”

13. No!

“Barnes and Noble.

They’re the last major chain bookstore, and they’re not doing well. The one where I am is going out of business after 20 years.

There will not be a bookstore in my city. (I’m in a suburb to LA, so not the middle of nowhere.).”

14. You’re being watched…

“Someone already said privacy, so I’m gonna go for freedom, it’s basically the same but it’s the effect of the lack of privacy.

People change when they know they are being watched.

This is already happening and will only get worse with time and technological improvement.”

15. Look into the sky.

“The night sky.

By that time, Musk, Bezos, and god knows who else, will have hundreds of thousands of satellites in orbit.

Our cities will have doubled in size, and urban sprawl will cause further light pollution. Stargazing will be something future generations will only hear stories about…”

Now we want to hear from all the readers out there.

In the comments, tell us what you think people will be nostalgic for in 40 years.

Please and thank you!

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People Talk About What’s Common in Their Country but Rare in Other Parts of the World

Doesn’t traveling to a far and distant country sound incredible right about now?

Because of this seemingly never-ending pandemic we’re going through, it looks like it might be a while before we can venture to another part of the world…but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it happens sooner than later.

Because traveling exposes us to different cultures, languages, customs, foods, etc. And it’s great to get outside our comfort zones and to learn about different people. So let’s do some more of that!

AskReddit users talked about things that are common in their countries but rare in other parts of the world.

1. Sounds delightful.

“Such cheap olive oil.

And eating incredinly late.

Lunch is more or less at 1-3 pm, and dinner at 9-10 pm.

That is why in Spain we have snacks between foods.”

2. This has to be in Scandinavia.

“Saunas in most apartments or at least apartment buildings, haven’t lived in a building that doesn’t have one.

A lot of great well known (and underground) metal bands.

And a nuclear power plant that is at this point 11 years behind schedule and according to Wikipedia the 3rd most expensive building in the world.”

3. Paradise.

“Bagged milk, legal weed and fermented maple syrup.”

4. Free drinks.

“Milk dispensers at school cafeterias (or restaurants but it’s not as common).

I live in Sweden where food and drinks such as water and milk is provided free for students.

Whenever I tell someone outside of Scandinavia that we have milk dispensers they’re always very surprised.”

5. USA!

“Root beer.

In America this is widely available and basically universally liked, but give it to someone from another country, especially a European country, and they will hate it.”

6. India.

“Cheap Streaming subscriptions.

In my country a pack for Disney+, HBO, Showtime, ABC, Live Sports and a lot more, costs less than 2 dollars a month.

Yes 2 dollars TOTAL.”

7. I need this in my life.

“They look like snowballs in size and shape, but they’re made of potatoes and boiled, with a piece of meat inside for flavoring. You eat it with sausage, fat’n’bacon and kohlrabi/carrot puree.

It’s not as common as it used to be because it’s mainly grandmas that used to make it.

Also known as “komle”. In some places they simply refer to them as “potato balls.””

8. The paranormal.

“In Mexico we experience paranormal stuff very close. Even people like me, who doesn’t believe in it, have parents, siblings, children or grandparents who have experienced ghosts or other entities very close.

Not in the “friend of my friend” kind of way. It is really really common to be in the same room, and someone just says: “I saw my great-grandfather coming out from the well” or stuff like that.

And nobody makes a fuss about it. We just process it and move on. But really, I don’t know anybody who hasn’t experienced a close encounter with something paranormal in one way or another.

And again, I’m an atheist and a skeptic. I haven’t experienced something at first hand. And that makes me an exception. Not the average.”

9. Probably not these days.

“Drinking a hot drink from an hollowed pumpkin through a metal straw and sharing it with others all drinking from the same straw.”

10. Interesting.

“The Swastika.

Although a banned Nazi symbol as assumed by others, a swastika is actually a symbol of divinity and purity so you will see that alot in my country.”

11. Drink up!

“Underage drinking.

I live in Belgium and everyone does it from the moment they’re 14.”

12. Not cheap.

“Expensive fuel.

A liter of gasoline costs like €1.

It might not sound much, but look at the average wage of a working class Romanian.”

13. Corruption.

“Drinking at the age of 12.

And bribing police, politicians, and basically everyone.

Welcome to Greece.”

Do you have any insights about things that are common in your country but not in other parts of the world?

If so, please talk to us in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you!

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Things That People Wish They’d Started at a Younger Age

Hindsight is 20/20, and once you’ve reached a certain age, it’s common to look back and think about all of the ways you could have improved your life by starting one good habit or another earlier.

These 14 people have some great thoughts, so younger people take heed!

14. All day every day.

Listening to radio/podcast/audiobooks.

13. It’s ok to take a reaction beat.

thinking. sometimes you just have to stop for a while and think. you will be seeing a lot more

12. You don’t want to get stuck.

Quitting my old job to find something better. I’m a person of habit and I stayed there because it was stable and I was afraid of losing that if I tried to find another job.

I dropped an application at another company with my years of experience listed right on the front. My phone blew up the next day.

They wanted to hire me on the spot. Offered me double what I was currently making. I nearly had a heart attack. It’s been almost a year now and I couldn’t be happier.

11. Don’t obsess over it, though.

Taking my diet seriously. Not long before my 25th birthday I had high blood pressure, insulin resistance (from PCOS apparently), popping joints, fatigue, permanent discoloration from obesity chub rub, sleep apnea.

The past 3 months I’ve lost 15 out of the 150 I need to lose, so the road ahead is long. I just want to be hot (and alive) while I’m still in my 20s lmao

10. Do it sooner rather than later.

Saving for retirement. It’s always said and mostly ignored until you get older and realize you’ve made a grave mistake. To compare, if you started saving just $200 a month at 18 to retire at 65, you would end up with approximately $330,000 (at a lo w rate of return).

If you waited just 10 more years to start saving the same amount, and started saving $200 a month at age 28, you would only have $200,000. Your best friend for saving for retirement is time. Even if you are only saving $50 a month at 18, it is still vastly better than saving $200 a month if you’ve waited too long to start.

9. Especially with your kids.

Saying yes more often.

Once I started doing it, I began realizing how much fun/great stuff I had avoided because of prejudices or lack of good will.

8. A worthy pursuit.

Learning a second language, My Dad’s side of the family are from France and came over to the UK during Ww2, My nan wanted to teach me French when I was younger but being a stupid kid I just wanted to play PlayStation and never bothered.

It is the one regret I have in life, now she is no longer here I am teaching myself. I would highly recommend learning a second language for any reason even just as a way to pass time on a train with duolingo

7. It’s not a dirty word.

Mine would be saying no more often, interestingly enough. The thought of staying in on a weekend night repulsed me for the longest.

It didn’t help matters when I met my wife, because she was the exact same way. We’d go to concerts and comedy shows on weeknights, double dates with friends at least once or twice a week, just any excuse to go out, blow money, and socialize.

Over the last year or two, we’ve started to morph into homebodies, and this quarantine stuff has helped even more. It feels nice to stay in and enjoy each other’s company, or even do our own thing in opposite rooms.

6. Both mediums are worthy.

Watching movies. I have always been a reader and watched movies very rarely but due to lockdown i was looking for some movie recommendations and made a list of movies my favorite writers liked.

Watched every movie by fellini and chaplin and now it feels like falling in love. I have literally watched a movie a day last month.

5. Being an introvert is fine, but not every day.

Have friends, spend time with people, social interactions.

4. Just keep at it.

Waking up early in the mornings (5ish),

I really struggle in the mornings so waking up early and going for a walk lets me get through the shit before I start working, Took me a few months to adjust though.

3. Try something new every day.

Eating food with more spice thus trying foods from other cultures.

For years the spiciest food I ate had only salt and pepper and I missed out on soooooooo many other foods from sooooooo many other cultures.

2. You never know when it will be the last time.

Spent more time with my mum while I could.

And my dad I suppose, but feel that regret less.

1. Not just for a rainy day.

Saving money.

Still so angry at teenage me for buying all that crap when I could have been building a nice pot up without even having to sacrifice too much disposable income (which was most of my income at that age!).

I agree 100% with all of these (though some I still need to work on myself)!

What would you add to the list? Tell us in the comments!

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Parents Who Need Bedtime to Be Over ASAP

If you’re a parent and bedtime is your favorite time of the day, then tell me your secrets. Sure, there are nice things about it, like being able to check in during a quieter time, bonding over books, snuggles…but we’re just so tired, right, and we’re so close to being able to check out with Netflix we can taste it.

These 14 parents are ready to wave the white flag and beg for mercy if their kids don’t give up the ghost rtfn.

14. Time for clean pajamas!

Whose kids make it all day without dirtying their clothes?

13. You suddenly see where they get it.

Yet, you don’t bother anyone else with your tactics.

12. They’re basically dying.

And it is your duty to hydrate them!

11. She knows exactly what she’s doing.

Don’t be fooled by the cute innocent face.

10. It’s honestly kind of impressive.

In an enraging sort of way.

9. Enjoy the days before they can read.

It won’t last forever.

8. My kids have never done this, not once.

Tell me what it’s like so I can live vicariously.

7. It’s like spooking a horse.

Or a monkey at the zoo.

6. She wasn’t thinking straight.

Sleep deprivation will do that to you. It’s a cycle.

5. Just the thought of it can be too much.

You’ll always regret not summoning the energy, though.

4. An excellent point.

And a smart kiddo, it would seem.

3. Dads everywhere can relate.

Moms everywhere are rolling their eyes.

2. Five more minutes!

Times a hundred, if you keep saying yes.

1. Why are they like that?

I mean…we already know the answer to that I guess.

 

I am feeling their pain, I swear!

What’s your kid’s favorite bedtime stalling tactic? Regale us in the comments!

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People Weigh in on How Citizens Can Make Daylight Savings Time Permanent

For many people, Daylight Savings Time is a minor inconvenience, but with everything else going on in our lives, we just deal with it twice a year and move on. We adapt, we adjust, because that’s what human beings are good at.

That said, other people are flat-out fed up with being forced to change their clocks twice a year for no discernible reason, and want it to stop.

What can I, a US citizen, do to help get Daylight savings time cancelled? from NoStupidQuestions

If you’re one the latter types and are ready to do whatever it takes to make it happen, here are 13 suggestions for what you could try.

13. Start a petition.

Call/ write a senator or congressman or start a petition.

12. Call your representatives.

The entire west coast has already agreed to switch to permanent daylight time, and just needs Congress to pass a law to allow it before we’re scheduled to “fall back,” which I don’t think actually has any congressional opposition, but just hasn’t been a priority.

It will most likely happen in the next few months.

11. Support Andrew Yang?

Andrew Yang actually has this as a policy of his for if he becomes president.

10. It’s more than an inconvenience.

Are There Really More Accidents Around Daylight Saving Time Changes?

Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder studied the daylight saving time period (from March to November) for 10 years and discovered there was a 17 percent increase in traffic incident-related deaths the Monday after the spring time change. Traffic fatalities all that week were also higher than average. Some of the effects can be attributed to lower visibility (the fact that it’s earlier, and therefore darker, than drivers are accustomed to), but most of the accidents, experts say, are because people are struggling to stay awake behind the wheel.

The traffic statistics alone seem like pretty conclusive evidence that daylight saving time is more than a mere inconvenience. And researchers say that the grogginess we feel for the first couple of days after we change the clocks might just be scratching the surface of how our bodies actually process the disruption. People who only sleep four or five hours a night under normal circumstances are at a much higher risk of causing a car crash than people who sleep six or seven hours a night, and people who get eight hours of sleep or more are least likely to cause a crash. But when sleep cycles get disrupted, everyone gets messed up.

9. Put it to the people.

Depending on your state you may be able to bypass your legislature and submit an amendment directly to voters by gathering enough signatures.

Technically once that happens the federal government would still need to give your state a waiver but if enough states do this the movement will have the political capital for this to happen.

Thank you for your interest in this and you are doing the lord’s work.

8. It could cause confusion.

The problem with using “permanent daylight savings time“ is that it will put you into the next time zone on the map. Congress wouldn’t have an issue if people just wanted to do away with daylight savings time altogether, but wanting to stay in daylight savings time causes problems.

The local time within a time zone is defined by its offset (difference) from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the world’s time standard. This offset is expressed as either UTC– or UTC+ and the number of hours. So time zones are an international thing that are drawn on maps and wanting to push entire portions of the country one time zone to the right really screws things up and take much more consideration than if a state just wants to do away with daylight savings time.

7. The struggle is real.

People think I’m an idiot for wanting the whole world to go to a single time and dump time zones (and DST) completely.

They just don’t know the struggle as a software engineer.

6. Those West-coasters are on top of things.

If you live in Washington state you are in luck.

We’re in the process of opting out now.

5. Seems unlikely.

Become a multibillionaire with one or more well-funded lobbying firms and super-PACs under your direct control.

Nobody else has any voice to get anything accomplished in America anymore, big or small.

Well, you could probably get local ordinances or even state law changed at the multimillionaire level, but Daylight Savings Time is a national issue, so…

4. State representatives, too.

CA and WA are not opting out.

They are trying to move to permanent daylight savings (sorta just changing their time zone in a way).

But while states have the authority to opt out they cannot opt to permanently change their time zone without federal approval.

Either way contacting your state representative is probably the best realistic route.

3. Not everyone is the same.

Unpopular opinion but I don’t like DST. I’d prefer standard time. Sure the sun might go down later but where I live in MN at least the sun still goes down before I’m out of class/work anyway. I wouldn’t know the difference if the sun set at 4:30 or 5:30.

We’d get the earlier sunrise meaning it’s easier to wake up all year, and the sun wouldn’t be out so late in the evening so I could actually sleep.

And FWIW I enjoy the dark melancholy. It makes me more productive and kind of grounds me to where I am so to speak. I know that’s totally opinion based but maybe others feel the same way!

2. That’s a real shame.

Move to Arizona, we don’t observe it there. Moved to Oklahoma and now I’m all f%cked up.

Can’t change the time on my coffee pot.

1. It’s cute that people still think non-partisan issues exist.

Write your congressman.

With non partisan issues like this, just one person expressing concern can have a lot of influence on what that congressman does.

I’ve gotta say, I’m way more bothered by it now that I have kids!

Are you going to start campaigning, or go back to your bi-annual grumble? Tell us which and why in the comments!

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