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You've probably heard of the ‘butterfly effect’ from the 2004 American sci-fi movie featuring young Ashton Kutcher. But the term stems from the branch of math called chaos theory and is actually associated with mathematician and meteorologist Edward Lorenz.
According to Lorenz, a tornado could be influenced by minor perturbations and a tiny change in the initial conditions would create a significantly different outcome. His ideas quickly spread among philosophers and mathematicians, but today, the whole concept of the butterfly effect is often used to describe a situation when a small change causes great consequences.
Like the decisions we make in life. So this time, we’re diving deep into real-life stories of the “butterfly effect” shared by people in this Reddit thread. Some of them are truly unbelievable, but hey, truth is stranger than fiction.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
TL;DR: I over-drafted and caused four marriages and five babies.
Longer version, I was just out of high school and new in town with no job. I was living off what savings I had left and my account went below zero without me knowing. I was overdraft charged like 10 times and owed $300+. I went down to the bank spoke with a teller and she ended up being a lifesaver. She worked with me and got all the charges removed. On top of getting the charges removed, we got to talking about my situation and she said that her son worked at a local restaurant and she would help me get a job. She was a woman of her word and by the end of the week I was working full time. Fast forward, I meet a cool dude who worked there, we became friends, I introduced him to my sister, they fell in love, got married and had two kids. His best friend came into town for the wedding and I introduced him to my roommate at the time, they fell in love, got married and had two babies. I also got my best friend a job at the restaurant where he met a girl working there, they feel in love, got married and had a kid. Right before I left I got my roommate a job at the restaurant, where he met a customer, fell in love, got married and had a kid.
As a bonus, my best friend, who I helped get the job repaid the favor and got me a job at a different restaurant, where I met a girl, fell in love and got married.
RELATED:
#2
I was walking to school and got distracted by a hedgehog that ran in a bush next to me then a big ass tree branch fell infront of me, would've crushed me if I didn't get distracted by a spikey little mouse scurrying in the bushes. I gave him a dead cricket the next day, he took it and ran off. God speed spikey mouse.
Floofy Samoyed 4 years ago
I love hedgehogs and now I have another reason to admire them. THEY'RE LIFESAVERS
Pheebs 4 years ago
Lol. I had a similar experience as a kid. Went camping, got up really early the first morning. Dad told me to go back and lay down, which I was about to do but decided I wanted to go use the bathroom at the bath house first. Made it all of 20 feet down the path when a tree fell and crushed my tent. Poor dad thought I was inside as the last he saw me I was entering the tent again.
Pink Floydian Panda 4 years ago
I think we need to wait a bit. What if he turn out to be the next Hitler? Then the hedgehog is not so much a hero, is he? Just kidding, cool story. Seems like Spike knew what was going to happen and saved you on purpose.
Courage the Cowardly Dog 4 years ago
The hedgehog is like: "I got scared by this blond bearded clean-shaven guy and he saved me from being crashed by a tree. The next day I go back and dude gives me a dead cricket. He must be traumatized for life too" "And, yes, Liz, his beard is the color of the fur of our cousin Mr. Hedge"
To find out more about this incredible phenomenon, Bored Panda reached out to Helen Marlo, a licensed clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst who provides psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, and consultation. Helen is also a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Department Chair at Notre Dame de Namur University.
“At its core, the 'butterfly effect' describes a phenomenon of interconnection between people and our larger world,” she explained and added that “This phenomenon has been expressed poetically by Walt Whitman in 'Song of Myself' when he describes the natural, inherent interconnectedness across space and time between individuals and the world.”
“Whitman writes:
I celebrate myself,
And what I assume, you shall assume
For every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.
Walt Whitman (1959, p. 25)”
#3
My teacher encouraged me to enter a poetry competition when I was 17 years old. I only entered because there was a cash prize, but I ended up winning and getting my poem published. Well, a couple of months later, I got a Facebook message from a girl who wanted to know more about my poem because she had to analyze it for her upcoming exam. It turned out that we were about the same age, so we decided to meet up and discuss it. We've been together for four years and are getting married next month. I often wonder what my life would look like if my teacher hadn't approached me back then.
Thomas Turnbull 4 years ago
I was bored one day in the 1980's and ended up filling in a Pen Pal form I ended up marrying my pen pal and we have been together for over 30 years and married for 26.
Kassie Fulmer 4 years ago
You should get back in touch with your teacher and share that with them. I can guarantee you it would mean a lot to them
#4
When my dad was 20, he needed to find someone's phone number, so he called the operator from a pay phone and she gave him the number. He hung up, and she accidentally refunded the money back to the pay phone. She called the pay phone back and asked him if he could put the money back in, which he did and hung up again. She accidentally refunded the money a third time and had to call back again to ask him to put the money back in...he did and hung up.
She was so flustered, she refunded the money AGAIN and called back AGAIN and, since it was such a funny situation, my father got to chatting with her and got HER number. They set up a date, got coffee, and — four years later — were married.
This coming August, it'll be 50 years for them.
If my dad didn't need that original phone number, I wouldn't be here. My dad still calls it 'The most expensive phone call he ever made.
mom24boys 4 years ago
If it was in the US, she knew what she was doing the whole time - both -O- for operator and 411 for information are free calls. Your coins are always refunded.
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Anke Dieken 4 years ago
There are quite a lot of funny stories which end in marriage. I've got one, too. Went bowling with my dad and some of his colleagues as my mom didn't like it that much anyway, started going regularly, befriended the only other kid there, went with her to a party at one of her friends (who happeend to be a younger sibling from a classmate), befriended her friends, went to a convention with said friends where I met my future husband who fell in love with me during chatting on the internet after the convention.
Philly Bob Squires 4 years ago
That's so cool and hilarious at the same time! It was meant to be! The phone even knew it!
Alan Gale 4 years ago
I remember from years ago. Boss was on holiday, somewhere on the south coast UK. He walked past a phonebox, which started ringing. He answered it, and his secretary called him by name, and said that there was a major problem with an important order. Long story short, she had dialed the order number on the paperwork, instead of his home number, and that just happened to be the phonebox. Not buttefly, but freaky.
#5
When I was in eighth grade, I had a really long bus ride home, so I would pass the time by reading. One day, I faced the very serious situation of having nothing to read and only a minute to grab something in the library. For whatever reason, I grabbed a book on astronomy. That book was amazing and grabbed me like nothing else had before. I remember being so excited to realize every astronomer on Earth was 13 years old once too, and that was a career you could actually do, even if you were from Pittsburgh!
Anyway, today I am a professional astronomer who studies gigantic space explosions for a living. There was a lot of work to get from that moment to this one, but I’m always grateful that I picked up that library book!
François Carré 4 years ago
And lots of cool things in life happen thanks to libraries ;-)
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deanna woods 4 years ago
My mom would agree with you. She loves reading and now that she's retired, she's finally getting to enjoy it.
Load More Replies... Miss Frankfurter 4 years ago
I envy your job. When I was in grade 5 I was really into astronomy and was waaaay past any of the other kids, as in starting to read and understand some advanced books. I wanted to be an astronomer so badly, but back then girls couldn't do that. Definitely not.
Leah Ma 4 years ago
When I was in grade school I was really into astronomy also. There was a song. I don't remember who it was by or even what the name was but I think it started with--Little Mercury is first and Venus is the second ???? something. (They're on a spaceship with passengers.) Suddenly one of the passengers says, "Captain, captain, I forgot my wallet." The captain sings, "You won't need your wallet here, a thousand miles from the atmosphere. (something in here) Finishes with, "There is so much to see and know, there is so far for man to go!" It's probably been almost 70 yrs since I heard that song. At least 65.
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°•King-A•° 3 years ago (edited)
i read the lord of the rings when i was about 13. it was thanks to granny and her office librarians who recommended it to read. it wasn't well known at that time.(well, not as much as after the movies) I'm really proud that I came to know these books before the hype.
Kim Lorton 4 years ago
May you continue to find wondrous things, as you look to the heavens, and watch the stars!
DragonMaster 4 years ago
I got into one of my favourite book series the same way. In fourth (third? Fifth? I don’t know anymore) we had a few minutes left to get a library book. A student had left a book in the table, and panicky me grabbed it, because it had a dragon on the cover. I signed it out, read it and loved it.
Helen continued that similarly, this phenomenon has also been described, psychologically, by psychoanalyst Carl Jung. “His concept of 'synchronicity,' which he defines as an 'acausal connecting principle,' involves the simultaneous occurrence of two meaningfully but not causally connected events,” she explained. So ‘butterfly effect’ is not only referred to in mathematics or philosophy, it also has a significance in psychoanalysis.
#6
My parents dream was to have a 'famous child.' When my older sister's figure skating career ended in her early twenties, the spotlight shifted to me. I was a fine oboist, and took private voice lessons with the intent to audition for the local music faculty. In any case, there was a lot of pressure and, while I was successful at school and with classical music, it was never enough. At 17 — before senior year began — my sister gifted me a kitten. My parents had given her two in her senior year and the implication was that it was my turn. When my sister dropped me off at their house, my parents locked me out, saying that if 'I wanted my own pet, I needed my own place.' So I found one that night. I worked three jobs to support myself through my senior year and graduated with entrance scholarships to both of the local universities. Still, I couldn't afford a music degree while living on my own, even with the entrance scholarships. It was a good thing. Entering the work force showed me how much I love active jobs. Three years later, I enrolled in college and became an industrial mechanic/millwright, to my parents great shame. After a few years of this I landed a sweet contract where I work on Saturdays and Sundays, but receive a full week's pay. Although I am a living beacon of disappointment, I comfort myself with my 100k a year job, two day workweek, and two cats. So, basically, kicked out over a kitten saved me from wasting years chasing an improbable career just to please my parents
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
I had the misfortune to meet the parent of an Olympic-level skater. How she didn't cut that parent's throat with her skate blade, I'll never know....
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LangiStudios 4 years ago
This story reminds me of Asia Carrera's (aka Jessica Steinhauser) home life. Her parents were hell-bent on having a genius daughter and poured on the pressure constantly. And she wasn't an academic slouch either - they just wanted perfection. She loved playing piano and they'd prevent her from taking lessons or even playing at home if she brought home anything less than an A for any of her grades. It got too much for her one day and she ran away from home. Became a stripper to cover her expenses and a porn star shortly after. My main takeaway was that her parents didn't appreciate the child they had and drove her away because they insisted on getting the "perfect" child they wanted.
Bored Birgit 4 years ago
This is so sad. What could have been without those parents. I can't understand that parents forget so fast how it is to be a child with needs and dreams.
Load More Replies... Vicky Z 4 years ago
Sounds like those parents shouldn't even have a child especially a famous one!
Pamela Blue 4 years ago
Agreed. Let's just hope they don't have any say over their grandchildren!
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chrissy goodman 4 years ago
never do wat ur parents want u do to do. i have an anxeity disorder and social anxeity disorder bc i tried to do just that. i failed at making my parents happy wen i was a kid it wasnt until i was going to college that they realized somethings wrong. i was afraid to b in a classroom or on campus in general but 3 failed college runs later and 12 failes jobs later im on disability (after making both forms of anxeity worse may i add) having free time led to walking and exercise which led to me meeting the man who is now my husband. if i hadnt disappointed my parents and not gone on disability and unable to work i wouldve never met my husband. im the happiest woman in the world now. i still have my anxeity and social anxeity but at least im happy instead of depressed and feeling like a disappointment
Randolph Croft 4 years ago
When your parents don't even UNDERSTAND 'happiness', you have a different problem.
#7
My mother and her five siblings were deported to Auschwitz in May of 1944. Soon after their arrival, my mother was placed into a line of people assigned to 'take showers' after their long trip. My mother was 13 years old and very frightened, so she held her mother's hand. Well, a Nazi soldier happened to spot this, and he ordered my mother into a different line, thinking it would be funny to separate her from her mother and make her cry. My grandmother was gassed to death about 15 minutes later, but my mother had been put in the line for the work camp. She worked in that camp until the Russians liberated Auschwitz in 1945, then moved to Romania, where she met the man who would become my father
SentimentAndBadJokes 4 years ago
Honestly, that's such a horrible thing. Auschwitz was a terrible place that had to business in existing, and that solider who thought it was funny to seperate two loved ones he was about to murder was a sick, sick person. What a terrible place and event. I find it hard to even call the mother 'lucky'.
Alphabet Soupy 4 years ago
And the same sentiment was/is being used in the US, first when slavery was legal, and now with immigration. Some people in our government look to the Holocaust for inspiration, cough Miller, cough Trump who keeps Mein Kempf on the nightstand, cough.
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P.A.B. 4 years ago
I’m absolutely sure I’ll be downvoted if anyone reads this, but here goes. I’d like to think that the guard deliberately moved your mom to the other line in order to save her life. She was so young and he knew what was in store for her. It might’ve been impossible to move your grandmother, too, so he might have done what he could, in a way that wasn’t suspicious to the other guards, hence the laughter. I hope this was the case. 🙏🏾😔
Stephanie IV 3 years ago (edited)
This is highly unlikely. The nazis trained children from a very young age to be hard and unfeeling, and to suppress feelings of compassion. The people staffing the ramps would have been so depraved and detached from anything remotely resembling human grace that it’s far more likely they had some other motive.
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InfectedVoice 4 years ago
This is part of the reason why I punched a guy with a swastika tattoo at a punk show once. F****n heartbreaking, hard to imagine, how evil you must be to laugh about separating a young girl from her mother, just to add to the already horrendous hell they're in.
Nicole A 3 years ago
I'd like to buy you a virtual beer 🍺 I'm not even Jewish, but these fckwads need to be put in their place.
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Jason Boyd 4 years ago
Attributing motives to people is always difficult. Rather than separating them to be cruel, is it possible this guard saved the lives he could while he was there? He may have diverted dozens of children from 'the showers' - he certainly wouldn't want to look sympathetic when he did that...
Leah L 4 years ago
This story is most likely not true. Generally whenever a new train arrived at Auschwitz anyone able to work was sent to work camps or to do labor at the camp because they needed the workers. Anyone deemed to old too young or unfit in any another way was gassed or shot immediately. A healthy 13 year old girl would be sent to work. And the soldiers knew exactly where each line went as it was their job to separate the people they were not random lines. As terrible as it is to acknowledge the soldier was laughing because he knew her mother was about to die. May we never forget
chrissy goodman 4 years ago
this story obviously came from her mom and her mom being 13 at the time wouldnt have known any of that so since its a 2nd hand story it could b true just from the eyes of a scared 13 year old. u have to keep that in mind
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wonderboy 4 years ago
Maybe at this time your mother think to be separated from your grandmother was a bad joke from the Nazi soldier. However the Nazi soldier was aware of the real « shower » at the end of the line. So when he asked to the 13 year girl to move to another line, he know he was saving her life.
#8
I was going out to grab pizza and a case of beer for me and my roommate but he texted me that he had a stomach thing so I walked to a restaurant and ordered dinner at the bar and met a girl there and now we are married and have two kids because my roommate had diarrhea
Andy Acceber 4 years ago
Please never abbreviate this story. "So, how'd you two meet?" "Diarrhea."
Phee C 3 years ago
Yes but it's straight to the point. It didn’t take 8 season
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The psychoanalyst also said that in the butterfly effect, these meaningful interconnections happen with such frequency and often trigger reflection. “I have found it valuable to work with them, as other sources of reflection, guidance and meaning, in my psychotherapy practice,” she said.
Helen even coined the term, “Synchronicity-Informed Psychotherapy,” “to describe treatment that is informed by these kinds of phenomena.”
#9
My mom made me sign up for French in high school since I already spoke Spanish. I didn't really care about the language, but I became friends with a girl in that class. Later that year, she became sick with cancer, and she passed away the following year. Well, I had become close with her family, and they told me that French was her favorite subject and that it was her dream to study abroad. Her parents asked if we — her friends from French class — would do that on her behalf.... I was the only one who worked towards it, and I finally spent a semester there during my third year of college. I had always enjoyed French, but it wasn't a passion until something shifted that semester. So I came home, finished my undergrad degree, got my masters in French, then moved back to France. It's been 11 years since my friend died, and three years since I've lived here, and the whole time it's been clear to me that she's been with me on this journey.
Alphabet Soupy 4 years ago
Her friend’s spirit possessed her, that’s the “something” that she felt! Jk obv
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Sanchi Shiva 3 years ago
It says “Thank you for this beautiful story and welcome to France!”
Load More Replies... R 3 years ago
Absolutely true. I lost my son in August. I've pivoted my life. I was on a totally different corporate track. Now, I'm emigrating to the country my son had plans to, I'm building a house on the hillside that he wanted to. The views are phenomenal out to the ocean. I don't know how it's all coming together but my son is with me on every step of the way.
Kim Lorton 4 years ago
To carry on a dream for a friend, is such a great honor! You are, a kind and honorable friend! I have no doubt, your friend was with you! And enjoying it just as much as you do!❤️❤️💗💗
#10
My girlfriend and I were on a road trip on the West Coast, and we had planned to spend a night in Las Vegas, go to Zion the next day for some hiking, and then spend another night in Vegas. Well, when we woke up for our Zion trip, we discovered that our hotel's coffee machine had broken down, so we had to go to a nearby McDonald's to get some coffee to go. When we got there, however, they told us they had run out of milk, so we let our GPS direct us to another one around the corner. Well, we arrived to find that one was permanently closed... The third McDonald's we tried to find only existed on the map. So, we nervously arrived at the fourth and final McDonald's and agreed that if we can't get coffee there, we'll stop wasting time and just go to Zion. They did have coffee and milk, but after we got to our car, we realized our order was wrong. We replaced it and laughed the whole thing off, and headed to Zion late. Well, we got back to Las Vegas just before 10 p.m. and started getting ready to go to the Harvest County Music Festival on the strip. We knew we were late, but thought we'd go anyway. But we were stopped at our hotel exit by a policeman telling us to remain in our room. There had been a shooting there, and if not for wasting all that time in the morning trying to get coffee, we would have made it to the festival in time. 58 people were shot dead that night at the festival. If not for McDonald's, it could've been 60
beastmachine. 4 years ago
This probably is the only good thing that happened due to broken mcd machines
Micheal Sharp 3 years ago
Or the best things that's happened as a result of McDonald's ever!
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Jen A-Ben 4 years ago
My mom and her sisters were there. All 3 were fine, but it was very scary.
Vicente Carmi 3 years ago
Eat fast food if you'd like. Just not McDonald's please
Load More Replies... chrissy goodman 4 years ago
my cousin has a mcdonalds story like that. he lives in california him and his friends were going to a club and realized they didnt eat anything so they went to the mcdonalds near the club after they were done eating they heard screaming coming from the club they were going to. turns out a shooter had gotten into the club started shooting up the place. if my cousin never brought up that him and his friends didnt eat anything yet idk if my cousin would b here today. a year later my aunt and 2 cousins came to new york and he told me all about it since i asked he said he stopped going to clubs after that. within that year there had b a few other club shootings. i was happy to hear he doesnt go clubbing anymore. i m grateful mcdonalds was there bc he said it was the only food place close by and if it wasnt he wouldve never thought of eating
Bobbie Jones 4 years ago (edited)
A bit unbelievable as the concert opened at 2pm and the last act Jason Aldean went on at 930pm. If you would have went you would have not even caught the last 15 min of the show. So to say you were headed there at 10pm when the shooting started at 1005pm. Not buying it. You may have been in Vegas and gone to Zion but I highly doubt you were going to the concert that you didn't even call by it's correct name. It's also was a 3 day concert. Not just one night. Route 91 Survivor here.
Bayou Billy 3 years ago
It's weird what ppl invent online isn't it? Like the ppl who confess to murders to the cops it's just whyyyy?
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Joyce Mbwika 4 years ago
This reminds me of the day I missed the tsunami in Thailand. So I bought a holiday package to Thailand 3 months before the trip and went about my business until traveling day. Pack my bags, go to airport and everything is fine until I reach check in, they’re like sorry ma’am, due to some recent changes in legislation, passport holders of your country now require a visa . Am pissed! Livid ! I call for the manager, and insisted on getting on that plane. I did get on that plane and yup the Thai authorities were like you ain’t getting in, so I miss my connecting flight to Phuket where I had reserved meridian hotel for two weeks. Spent 24 hours with no phone at suvanaburmi airport and was told either get your visa from Hongkong of fly back to country of departure. I was so pissed! Flew back and upon landing turned on my phone with over 100 missed calls. It was the day after the tsunami had swept and killed millions. My hotel was under water and I can’t swim. Legislation saved my life.
AzKhaleesi 4 years ago
Omg same, but different, my fiance and I were in Vegas that night too. we were going to go but last minute didn't have enough for tickets because last minute tickets are expensive, so we said screw it and went to freemont st. We got back super late and our hotel was on the other end of the strip. Imagine our surprise.
#11
I had to renew the sticker on my license plate a couple of years ago and really didn't feel like sitting in the waiting room by myself forever, so I told my mom I'd take her out to dinner after if she came with me. The guy working at the counter turned out to be my mom's long-lost biological brother. If she hadn't come with me, I would have never known
lara 4 years ago
I NEVER answer the phone [I have a land line] if I do not recognize the number or person. One day I was in the kitchen. The phone rang, I did not recognize the number and it said "unavailable" and for some reason I answered the phone. It was a lawyer. He said "are you ****" and I said "yes" and come to find out he represented a friend of his who IS MY BIOLOGICAL BROTHER. I knew nothing about him, our mom died in 1975, and he had been looking for her until they found her records and my signature on the records. And I NEVER ANSWER THE PHONE, but that day I did and found my brother. Thankgawd.
Leah Ma 4 years ago
I'm like you. I have a landline which I never answer if I don't recognize the number. I know there's not going to be any long lost sibs popping up though. I wish there would be. That would be so nice. My family cherishes every member it gets. It particularly would never be through my mother who had a gigantic hangup about virginity. Her proudest thing in life was that she was a virgin when she got married. Frankly, I think she would have been even happier if she could have remained one forever. She had so many accomplishments she should have been so much prouder of. I'll never understand her.
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deanna woods 4 years ago (edited)
A few years ago, my dad found his paternal half brothers and sister, so now every once in a while I get to see my Aunt Terri and Uncles Bobby and Jerry. Aunt Terri and Uncle Jerry are twins, so I also learned that twins run in our family.
Addison Bonine 3 years ago (edited)
I remember one time my Grandfather took me and my siblings to a graveyard, so he could teach us about our family lineage. We had been there all of 5 minutes when another car pulled up and out came my Grandfathers Uncle he hadn't seen since he was 7 or 8. It was such a beautiful moment, and that was the first time I had ever seen my Grandfather cry. If he hadnt taken us, he would probably have never seen his uncle again.
Bernadette Circle 3 years ago (edited)
He could have recognized their last name (not all girls grow up with fathers)
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Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
I really need more of this story, like what was their reactions, did they cry and hug or was it awkward? I NEED MOREEEEE
Moreover, “Psychotherapy is a process where two people mutually constellate the unconscious. It is a unique dialect between two psyches where patient and therapist develop a meaningful exchange guided by their conscious and unconscious mind.” Such an exchange may include experiences from synchronicities or the “butterfly effect,” Helen concluded.
#12
Pregnant cousin usually takes the bus at around 5:10pm after work. She was about to hop inside the bus but she needed to pee really badly and the commute is about an hour long so she decided to go to the restroom instead and just catch the next bus. That 5:10 bus ended up falling from a cliff.
Lauren Caswell 4 years ago
Oh hell, may those poor ppl rest in peace and their families find solace :(
Albert 4 years ago
It doesn't say that anyone died in the fall. But if they did, indeed lots of sympathies for the families
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Vicky Z 4 years ago (edited)
Yeah that baby saved her life just by squeezing her bladder!!!
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Louloubelle 4 years ago
I remember after 9/11, the number of stories of people missing their planes - the ones that crashed. It was chilling to think about.
BlackPearltheSeaWing/NightWing 4 years ago
Where was the bus if it was able to fall off a cliff?
Timothy Leung 4 years ago
After 40 years ago in my first job, a colleague just got married and went on a honeymoon trip to China (we were located in Hong Kong). On the day the newlyweds were scheduled to go on a flight to Nanjing, we heard on the news there was a crash with a casualty of over 80 persons (the plane was a small outdated Russian model). Mobile phones were scarce at the time and there was no way we can reach our colleague. The next morning he called us to let us know he arrived at Nanjing. When we asked him about the crash he seemed to know nothing about it, but he told us he barely got on the flight but was kicked off when a party of 'important VIPs (read government officials) needed to go on that flight on 'urgent business'. I have never seen karma working that fast.
#13
So a few years back, I lived in Nice (South of France) for a while. As a musician, I would make a bit of extra cash busking, and one day, I figured I'd go and busk at the Promenade des Anglais by the sea. It's usually packed, but a generally pleasant place to be. I set up, played a couple of songs and was doing pretty well and making a decent amount of money. Then, suddenly, not one, but two of my guitar strings snapped (I even remember I was playing 'The Scientist' at the time). I was massively gutted and decided to cut my losses early. I stormed off home (by the station) in a bit of a sulk at having to re-string my guitar and cutting short what was essentially one of my most productive days of busking since moving there. Literally one hour later, my phone starts to blow up with family and friends freaking out and asking if I was at the promenade. It was Bastille Day, 2016. The truck drove into the same crowd I was playing to, killing 86 people, including my at-the-time gf's uncle. I had two other friends who were among the 458 injured. I moved home the next month because it was too much, and haven't been back since. It's hard to explain, sometimes I think I was super lucky, sometimes I just kind of cry and wonder why I was lucky and others weren't. It's surreal, and despite what people think...it's a truly horrible feeling
FloC 4 years ago
yes but the only guilty party is the fanatic who was driving the truck.
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Marlène Hanecart 4 years ago
I'm living in Nice. Every year with my fiancé we used to watch the Bastille Day fireworks, going home at the end walking on the Promenade. That time, a couple friend offered to watch the fireworks together and have dinner on the beach, avoiding us being right on the trajectory of the truck... I will never forget and I understand what you feel, but we need to enjoy every day. We were truky lucky.
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
Survivors guilt is a very real thing, but it wasn't your time so make the most of what you now have
Leslie Burleson 4 years ago
Always remember that the man who did that is the one who should feel horrible. I have found that even the most terrible things can reveal themselves to have a reason. You weren't meant to die that day. You are needed for something else. You didn't harm anyone by surviving. You couldn't have changed the outcome. Make a positive difference in the world , big or small.
deanna woods 4 years ago
You are blessed to be alive and the only person that should feel horrible is the idiot that was driving the truck.
#14
had to call my heart surgeon to give him my new insurance number, which was delayed by a bit because I was waiting on the insurance lady to call, but she had the flu. When I finally called, the receptionist said, 'Oh hey, we just had a cancellation for this Friday! Do you want it?' Of course I wanted to get it over with and not wait another full month, so I decided to take the open heart surgery cancellation appointment. Well, my surgeon said thank goodness I did because — once he got a look inside — he realized I would not have survived to the original appointment date. So, if the insurance lady didn't have the flu, I would have gotten those numbers sooner, called at a different time, and probably never have gotten the offer to have the surgery when I did. Someone else's flu saved my life
lara 4 years ago
You had to WAIT?????????????????? What the hell kind of medicine is that? I would sue the hell out of everyone. Here if that happened and you died it would be considered malpractice and a criminal action.
chrissy goodman 4 years ago
unfortunately some doctors get backed up and booked or insurance companies take their good ole sweet time getting things done. the doctor wasnt in the wrong here he was doing his job and needed her new insurance before he could do anything. if he did the surgery before having her insurance info alot could have happened including her having a hospital bill she cant pay or other backfires. insurance is more important then u think it does more then just cover costs for u having it can save ur life
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Pamela Blue 4 years ago
It would have been nicer if you hadn't had to depend on your insurance company to decide if you were going to live or die.
princess tiara aka queen weird 3 years ago
Okay so what happened to the person who cancelled? I hope it's not what I'm thinking
Marilyn Ransberry 3 years ago
Waiting for insurance to get life saving surgery. 😡 And people think socialized medicine is bad. 🙄
#15
I had been looking for direction, and went out for Chinese food one day. In my fortune cookie was a fortune that said, 'To teach is to learn twice.' I thought hard about it, and it led me to apply for a job at a local school as an ESL instructor. Well, two years later, there was an earthquake in Taiwan which caused many English teachers to leave. The school I was working for asked if anyone was interested in replacing those teachers at its sister school — I signed up, got a promotion there, then a wife, dog, son, and daughter. All because I like Chinese food
Monday 4 years ago
"Daddy, how did you and mommy meet?" "Well you see kiddo, daddy took some advice from a cookie".
M. 3 years ago
This is why I always listen to cookies. Don't question the cookie. It is our lord. We must make a sacrifice to appease the unholy god of cookies. I mean- what? Who said that? *Laughs nervously and hides knife behind back*
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chrissy goodman 4 years ago
we give my dog fortune cookies. we read the fortune to her and everything. a month after i got engaged my dog got the fortune "someone in your family will hear wedding bells soon" not only was the cookie telling the dog id soon b living with her but shes become my dog too. after i was married the dog was so happy the she was now my dog too i never left the house, i was here every night she is in heaven having me living here now. fortune cookies can b scary sometimes. we still give her fortune cookies if we get chinese food none of the fortunes have been as accurate as that one tho
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
I made fortune cookies the other day. Made the fortunes myself and everything. As a joke, I wrote in one "Hugh Jackman is in your future." When they were all done, I got one to eat. It was that one. And guess who was watching Les Miserables that day? (It was unplanned, my dad suggested I watch it)
Bernadette Circle 3 years ago
I believe he listed them in chronological order
Load More Replies... #16
Four years ago a kid I barely knew from school invited me to a Six Flags. I was a bit of a loner at the time and I heard rumors about this kid being 'weird,' so I intended not to go but, on the day he wanted me to go, I was extra bored and decided on a whim, 'Why not?' So I met up with this kid and two of his friends.
It's been four years and that 'kid' is my best friend, and I have three other very close friends I met through him. Not only that, but I also met my first ever girlfriend because of the connections some of my new friends had. It transformed my high school years from being lonely to having an amazing group of friends I could do almost anything with.
I intend to ask him to be my best man one day, and I don’t intend on ever falling out of touch with any of them. I’m home from college now, and we are still having a lot of fun together. Going to Six Flags was still the best decision I ever made
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
He was probably labelled "weird" by the same people who labelled you "weird" and made you "a loner" so hopefully you also learnt an important life lesson about believing the prattling of fools
Skyfire647 (she/zey) 3 years ago (edited)
"Prattling of fools" I like that.
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Jenny Hickmott 3 years ago (edited)
In 1981 my Mom went 2 see a therapist 4what wud later be diagnosed as severe BIPolar disorder w/schizophrenic tendencies. She almost didn't go but @ the last minute she did & sat next to a woman who after a brief conversation became her best friend. When my Mom's mental illness would put her in the psych ward I stayed with who I will always know as my other Mother. This woman kept us 2gether & kept me out of foster care. I had an amazing childhood & an amazing family because of her. They were best friends until my Mom's death in 2002. Other Mother passed in 2009 from Alzheimer's. I helped her daughter, my adopted sister care 4 her until the end as she did for us.Im infertile & after a long, losing battle w/Endometriosis & 6 weeks into our adoption classes I was diagnosed with MS. 2 mos. later my adopted sis. found out she was Pregnant. Just when I was ready to give up I became an Aunt & fought like HELL. All because of a chance encounter in a waiting room in 1981.
Susan Egan 4 years ago
I was working in a flower shop. The owner told me the delivery guy was weird and they all thought he was odd. Since I wasn't fond of the owner nor some of the other employees I made a point to talk to him. We've been happily married 34 years now. He's my best friend and one of the most caring people I've ever met.
Kim Lorton 4 years ago
Always make your own assessments and decisions about people, based on your learning , when you meet them. Never listen to gossip, especially mean gossip meant to separate another from the flow of people in life.
Christina Rosetti 3 years ago
Except when someone has actually DONE horrible things to people you care about or are close with. I hate when someone is friends with someone who has done really bad things to me, and they say, "Well, they've never done anything bad to ME." Not yet babe, not yet.
Load More Replies... Kim Lorton 4 years ago
Isn’t is funny, how one capricious decision, completely changed your life? I am so glad you did go! This is wonderful!
Happyunicornnap 777 3 years ago
This happened to me but online anyways so i was playing with someone who was my now ex friend. Then my now bestie for life joined and we met and went to a switched to a different server and her best friend joined and we have been all friends since 2020 had fights but stick together no matter!
Keisha 3 years ago
I have heard similar tales such as yours. Fortunately alot of people have decided to befriend a kid that had no friends and the person planned to take their life but by someone coming out of their comfort zone and trying to be a friend that person changed their lives and didn't take their lives as they were no longer alone.
#17
My grandfather, then a toddler, woke in a night during WWII, and moved to his parents bed.
His room was a short while later decimated by a German bomb.
Nadine Bamberger 4 years ago
My grandma, when she was a very young woman during WW II, looked after her neighbor's kids when her city was air bombed. There wasn't enough space for her and the children in the bunker part of her building, so she pushed the kids in and sought shelter under a massive table on the other side of the basement. Her building got hit and she was the only survivor. She never got over it.
Mutlut krutnut 4 years ago
It’s not your fault. Not all Germans are evil.
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Lynne Stankard 4 years ago
Tell us more - which country was this? Why weren't they in the air raid shelter?
#18
High school, I didnt get into the AP history class wanted. Changed up my schedule, including a different gym class, without everyone I knew. I was heartbroken. I really wanted to teach, and without an AP class senior year, I was screwed.
Made a new friend in gym class, who was wearing a volunteer firefighter shirt. He had just joined. Seemed interesting, and he invited me to check it out.
They paid for me to get my EMT. Fell in love with healthcare.
Fast forward quite a while, and I'm an ER Nurse and 'precept' students and new nurses, teaching them how to survive in the ER. I also do public outreach and injury prevention. And I love it. Glad I missed out on my class.
Pernille Dyre 4 years ago (edited)
That i can relate to. My parents were teachers... I would never ever become a teacher, i swore. Long story short. I became a midwife and my strong side is/was teaching: students of all kind, pregnant women, sick pregnant women, fathers-to-be, women in labor ... And I didn't find out my self! The doctors told me.... do you know your patients release them self when you leave???? I became a teacher and I love it ❤❤❤
Rachel 4 years ago
What do you mean the patients release themselves? Like they leave the hospital before their observation time is up (for me it was 48 hours after the birth)?
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Kim Lorton 4 years ago
Yay!!from a former nurse to an active one, thank you, for loving healthcare! And thank you, for all your hard work!
Anna Roemokoy 3 years ago
God had to swift you from the other direction... He has His own plan ON and FOR you... Now, you are where He wanted you to be... Thank Him.
Katie Trimue 3 years ago
It would have taken you less time to Google it than it took to type out your comment, so it’s clear you’re just annoyed in general and decided to take it out on someone in the comments section. I sure hope it made you feel better because it certainly didn’t make you look good. AP stands for Advanced Placement. It may not be a universal term, I really don’t know, but literally everyone in the US knows it as and refers to it as “AP” so it has nothing to do with laziness or “improper writing.”
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#19
My mother wore heels to work and slipped on the carpeted steps, resulting in a broken high heel and a broken leg. While she was home recovering, she somehow developed allergies that led to her needing an inhaler*.
The inhaler* interfered with her birth control and now I have a brother 13 years younger than me.
Monday 4 years ago
A correction was made on the post but BP didn't bother to add it. It was penicillin that interfered with the birth control, not an inhaler.
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SoozeeQ 4 years ago (edited)
I don't think that's the case. OP didn't say it was at the same time, just that while she was recovering, she developed allergies. The Ventolin inhaler messed up her birth control, so that when "eventually" she got back with Dad, perhaps she didn't realise that her BC was ineffective? That's my take on it, anyway.
Load More Replies... Mary Rose Kent 4 years ago
I’m allergic to dust and mold, which means that basically I’m allergic to breathing...
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Whitney Anderson 4 years ago
my aunt is 45 years old and her sister is 25 so they are 20 years apart
deanna woods 4 years ago
My brother is 23 years younger than me and 26 years younger than my sister.
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Alex Salazar 4 years ago
Wouldn’t she have developed those allergies without falling? I’m confused.
Just me 3 years ago
If she needed penicillin (not an inhaler as originally posted) she would have been treated for developing an infection, not allergies.
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Meami 4 years ago
I wonder if she was on antibiotics as well. I have asthma and have used an inhaler for years with no accidental pregnancies...
YourLocalFnafSuperfan 3 years ago
There was an error that BP didn't bother to fix, that's why there's an asterisk next to the word "inhaler". It was actually penicillin that the mom had to take, not use an inhaler.
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#20
When my now-husband was 18, he found out that his mom's side of the family was Spanish, not Mexican. He found this interesting, so he changed his country to 'Spain' on MySpace, instead of the US, which is where he really was.
Meanwhile, in Australia, I was helping my friend find Spanish people to add as friends, since she was learning the language. I came across my now-husband's profile and decided to send him a friend request as well. We got along really well and met in person after three years. We have now been together 11 years, married for seven. If he didn’t change his country to Spain (which he only did for a day or so) we’d never have known each other existed.
Pheolei 4 years ago
My cousin was dating this guy. She was over at his place and I had him on MSN messenger, I message him asking how my cousin was. To my surprise his friend answered we hit it off we were friends for over 9 years then he asked me to be his girlfriend and then sometime later his wife. Messaging on his friend account was super out of character for him but if he didn't we wouldn't be happily married with amazing dogs and a chonky cat.
Monica Isnota Robot 3 years ago
I always liked MySpace more than FB. Except when people would get offended by not being in that top 8 (12...24... whatever) on someones page.
#21
At the end of 6th grade, my class took a field trip on a whale watch. That night, I saw a commercial for a documentary TV series on whales. Ever since that day, I wanted to grow up and protect whales from being hunted. Today I work in the military specializing in Marine Preservation.
Mary Rose Kent 4 years ago
I would like to suggest you go on YouTube and find a relatively short (15~ minutes) clip called Saving Valentina
Eagle Girl 4 years ago
Had no idea any military did Conservation work. They need a better marketing team.
Pualani Dalton 4 years ago
I work for a whale watch company and my goal is to inspire young people to focus on conservation and saving the oceans- because we may have banned whaling but they still need our help due to all the other things we have done! Also a great documentary to watch is called sonic sea- a good look into noise pollution, which is something not a lot of people know about.
Amber Miller 3 years ago
Thank you for what you do! The world, whales and many others need people like you out there in the thick making an actual, critical difference
Teddi Chasteen 3 years ago
Michael Fishbach maybe related to my relatives, the Fishbacks. I’m going to investigate a bit to find out!
#22
My desire for pizza set off a chain reaction that destroyed my family: One day, I got home from school and really wanted pizza. My family was poor, so spontaneous food trips weren't always in the cards. I really worked my pouty face on my mom, and begged to go to the local pizza place for dinner. She actually went with it, so we went. While chilling there, I saw my uncle walk by, and I said, 'Uncle [insert name], is that you?!' Now, you might be thinking, 'He just wanted pizza, what's the big deal?' WELL, he lived several states away, so to arbitrarily be in town and not tell anyone was strange. Turned out he was having an affair with his sister-in-law (my aunt on the other side of the family). One thing led to another and now everyone hates each other, and we haven't had contact in like 20 years. I just wanted some pizza
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
It's not the Pizza craving that is at fault. It was your sleazy uncle and aunt that were to blame.
Eslamala 4 years ago
If the uncle was a douche, is nobody's fault by his own. Also, what's with everyone meddling on other people's marriage? Fckn ridiculous.
Vicky Z 4 years ago
These situations always affect the family... it doesn't have to do with meddling... you cannot stay neutral in these cases it's inevitable to pick sides so one thing leads to another and few years later nobody speaks to each other
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Bored Birgit 4 years ago
Hahaha, I like your comments, now Im following you.
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CultOfBambi 4 years ago
Thought there might be ninja turtles involved. How disappointing... Instead, just some skeezy douches being skeezy and causing the poor OP unnecessary guilt.
Kim Lorton 4 years ago
Wow. That is unreal! Why isn’t anyone talking to each other that weren’t involved? That is sad, but. It really isn’t your fault. They were cheating, and got caught.
#23
A few years ago, I was on the phone with my boss as I was getting home. We were discussing what we needed to get done the next day when he asked, 'What the eff is that noise?!' I said it'd make more sense to just show him, so I took a video of me opening the door and feeding my (very loud) farm cats. He wanted me to show the video to other people, but I realized I didn't like anyone crowding me awkwardly looking at my phone to show the video, so I uploaded it to YouTube. The next morning, I went to show someone on the computer, and noticed it was up to 11 views, which I found odd. Then, it went viral. Thousands of views per hour. I was getting constant calls and emails about buying the video rights and just asking for permission to use it. It took off again in the pandemic time and has been a nice little source of income when things have been rough. All because I didn't like holding my phone to show people a 30 second video."
Katie Lutesinger 4 years ago
I think this might be it! Boy, they really are noisy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EYZnSXEla0
Monica Isnota Robot 3 years ago
I just watched the video....ohmygawd those are some loud animals!!! All five of my dogs are now ripping through my house trying to find the noise now 🤣🤣🤣 also, what an awesome way to pull in some extra cash!
Alexander Superlex 3 years ago
I got one little kitten and she's louder than all those cats One kitten I've saved her from like four blocks away when I saved her up in the top of a tree meowing she was meowing for her life I guess and so yeah took me almost no time to find her she was meowing so loud she sound like 10 of those cats 20 of them 30 of them she's really grateful now and she's my lovey the video had some very beautiful cat cries in it though I mean whatever is really beautiful my cat was meowing for her life I saved it for her but she remembers that every day and she's a really good to me kitty cat I make her check in every 5 minutes cuz I'm extremely attached to the little kitty and worry about her when she gets words on her side and both sides she has words on her look like she says love toy twokittys her name cuz she'moves so quiet and she's everywhere it doesn't make sense sometimes so there's got to be more than one of her I've almost caught them together and I could tell thim apart I swear to God
#24
I procrastinated one day in high school by watching a foreign musical on youtube. I ended up trying to learn the lyrics and eventually the language. That led me to discovering the field of linguistics, which I'm now majoring in. I don't know what I'd be doing now had I actually started doing my homework that day instead.
Vicky Z 4 years ago
I'm a master of procrastination and nothing good has come out of it! What am i doing wrong?
Tiny Dynamine 4 years ago
I set myself a new year's resolution of procrastinating more, but I never got round to doing it.
François Carré 4 years ago (edited)
It's common that you don't get to what you are meant to do by obvious, straight ways, but by something that seems completely random at first. I had been unemployed for a long time and was quite desperate about it when I applied to 3 job offers that I deemed completely unrealistic - and yet one of them led me to the position I have had for 14 years now, in a professional field everyone around me agrees that I fit quite perfectly into.
Angie Bracken 3 years ago
Very interesting field..i gotta admit, ta guy i worked with born in boston,living there until a teeenager and then moving to Hattiesburg,Ms really thru me a curve ball until i asked where he as from
TiaCalenture 4 years ago
I was bored and watched a Bollywood movie on Netflix and that became my love for India! I want to move there and find the love of my life!
Angie Bracken 3 years ago
Absolutely no desire to go there except to see the Taj Mahal
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Stella Duson 3 years ago
Hey, that is the dutch language on that ipad, I am from the Netherlands, I like it
#25
Had a surprising and rough breakup and decided to treat myself to a vacation somewhere I'd always wanted to go. Well, I loved it there more than I expected, and six months later, I emigrated there.
Bernadette Circle 4 years ago
Well, I don’t know where their here is, but my here is my living room
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Ashley Lipa 3 years ago
I got a divorce in 2016 and ended up going on a cruise where I drove a random group of national guardsmen back to their home state 14 hours away for a state of emergency which *then* lead me to move across country (and 5 states) go homeless then finally end up where I am and got a job, all in 2016. I now have a house, my beautiful family, and the love of my life.
Redwood Rebelgirl 3 years ago
Congratulations! ❤️ (Sorry about the breakup though. Even when they are the right thing, they are painful as all hell. 💔)
#26
The wife and I were having dinner in Hawaii one night on vacation. As we were getting up to leave, I noticed she hadn’t finished her beer. I told her she should finish the beer since we paid some ridiculous price for it. Fast forward 30 seconds and we leave the restaurant and are walking the 3 blocks back to the hotel. About 50 feet in front of us as we’re walking (were walking down the sidewalk on the left side of the road), a car comes flying out of a side street from the right and crosses through the street, hops the sidewalk in front of us, and smashes into a wall. If she didn’t finish her beer, we would have been smoked by the car and most likely squished between the car and the wall. We always finish our beer now.
VanGrusz 3 years ago
I usually have another two or three, just to be sure.
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Brandy Grote 4 years ago
I was walking my doggo, and decided to reinforce some basic training - to sit when I come to a stop. So I stop instead of walking past an alley that exits onto 1 busy street, dog sits. Good dog. A car comes FLYING - actually airborn - out of the alley and into traffic! We would have been flattened!
Rhonda Jones 3 years ago
When I was around 15 my best friend was teaching her mother how to drive a stick shift, well the mother drove into a cove filled with very high water, my friend ended up drowning to death, her mother got out I was suppose to be with them that day but when they came to get me I was sleeping so they didn't wake me up, makes me wonder sometimes what would have happened to me.
Keisha 3 years ago
I have had experiences like this but I was driving. One night I was working for Waitr and the next order was supposed to be ready when I got there. It was a fairly busy night. When I left a motorcycle going the opposite way was cut off by a truck and the bike went one way and the rider went the other. Had I been any earlier I may have run over him and I can't imagine living with myself even though it would have been an accident. Unfortunately he died regardless.
#27
I was going to carpool with my aunt to go to a family gathering. At the last minute, I decided to go by myself instead so that I could leave early if I wanted.
On the way there, my aunt drove off the road into a ditch. She was okay, but the passenger side of her car — where I likely would've been sitting — was totally smashed in
Skulduggery Pheasant 4 years ago
My Dad knew someone who never, ever missed school. One day, the boy was ill, and couldn’t come in. On that same day, the school bus hit something ( Idk what), and his seat’s window shattered, covering his seat with glass. If he had been there, he would’ve been cut pretty badly. No one else was hurt.
WildHoneyPie 4 years ago
Hmm, this reminded me of the time my co-worker took the day off suddenly. We were all pretty mad at her 'cause her workload fell on us. Halfway through the day, the glass panel covering a florescent light above her workstation came crashing down on her chair! She definitely would have been seriously injured if not killed..
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Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
You could look at it on the flip side and say that if you'd been there, she may not have crashed
deanna woods 4 years ago
Something like this happened to my sister and I. One day, she and I got in a argument before school. She realized that she had forgotten something at home and had to go back. I didn't want to go back so I got out of the car. She left and was gone for a long time. When she showed up, she told me that she got in a wreck that totaled her car. She got hit on the passenger side. Had I not gotten out, who knows what would have happened. The wreck happened on September 11th, 2001, by the way.
devilicious 3 years ago (edited)
Hmm similar thing happened to my fiancee, his friend offered him a ride home when they were at another friend's place. My fiancee declined and said he wants to go home later. Few hours later we found out the friend had a car accident and died. Whoever would have been sitting next to him would be dead too.
Anita Dijakovic 3 years ago
My band and I had a very early sound check for an annual music festival on a farm just outside of the city where I'm from. My husband was in flight on a business trip overseas and I was going to take my 3 young daughters with me to spend the day. At the last minute a voice inside told me not to take the kids. On the way there as I was turning right on an otherwise empty road a motorbike behind a truck tried to overtake both of us but couldn't see me because of the truck. He sideswiped me, his head smashing into my back left passenger window causing his helmet to fly like a bullet onto my front passenger seat. If my kids would have been in the car my youngest daughter would have have had serious facial lacerations, leg injuries and my eldest daughter who always sat infront with me would have had her neck broken by the helmet. I was not injured except for whiplash and unbelievably the motorcyclist had only scratches and a slight concussion. I still performed as it was our last gig.
Grant Hazzard 3 years ago (edited)
A friend of mine got rear ended at a light while we were going to a marching band competition, there had initially been a classmate with us laying in the backseat, but upon seeing her dad driving alone, decided to change cars. She could have been seriously injured if she'd still be back there.
Noel Benavente 4 years ago
I believe that, in cases like this, if that person would have joined, the accident might have never happened since the car would be carrying more weight and therefore be slower...
#28
Back in the 80s, my mom studied abroad in England. A couple days before her flight back home to the US, she got too homesick to wait any longer and spontaneously bought a ticket home early. The flight she was originally supposed to take was Pan Am flight 103, where all 243 passengers and 16 crew died. If not for her homesickness, her and my dad would not have met and my brother and I would not have been in existence.
Jo Johannsen 4 years ago
I worked with a sweet woman whose daughter was a flight attendant on that flight.
Auntriarch 4 years ago
I had a ticket from Abu Dhabi to London via Beirut. I read the time wrong and got to the airport as my plane was leaving. Next morning on the news we saw that Beirut airport had been bombed.
Raven DeathShade 4 years ago
So that was the "Beirut explosion" in the 2020 summary by that Twisted Translations lady.
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Br. Mark Parker 4 years ago
A very good friend had a reservation on American flight 191 which crashed on takeoff from O'Hare in May of 1979. He was going to Harvard at the time and traveling from Boston to Los Angeles with the change in Chicago. He whiled away the time having a beer and lost track of time, missing the flight. He stood at the gate's window and watched the explosion.
Diane Andy 3 years ago
+++ for all of those on that flight and peace and hope for all of those who suffered those losses. I am not criticizing sympathy for the flight attendant but you have to remember the other 258 souls too
#29
The other day, I was driving home from work. Traffic was light and I was behind a car with a license plate that started 'KFD.' It made me hungry, so I decided to duck through the KFC drive-thru for chippies with extra salt as a little treat to myself! They took forever to bring them out and by the time they finally did (all told, about 10 minutes later), traffic had slowed to a complete halt. I needed to get over a bridge that's normally six lanes, which had now been reduced to one. Turns out, it was due to a massive collision involving several cars. When I finally got to the point where I was driving past the accident, I noticed the license on one of the cars...it's the KFD plate. If I hadn't stopped to get hot chips, I'm fairly sure I'd have been in a major collision. KFC chippies with extra salt saved my life.
Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
It's not every day that you hear about fast food saving someone's life.
CD Mills 3 years ago
Are we sure this isn't the first time that's happened?
Load More Replies... Brandy Grote 4 years ago (edited)
Sooo many times I listen to that little voice urging one route over another - and later hear of the terrible accident I missed being in!
Kelley Smith-Simmons 4 years ago
My mom and I were heading to Walmart to grab some water before going to the gym and to renew her insurance afterwards (which expired that day) I wanted to tell her turn off on a different road but I didn’t and because I didn’t alter her route we got into a really bad car accident bc a Yukon from the oncoming traffic was going downhill on fresh wet snow doing the full speed limit and fish tailed into our lane and totaled my mom’s Pontiac Bonneville. Luckily my mom and I walked away with minor aches and pains.
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DarkAngelNic 4 years ago
Well since they referred to fries or potato wedges as chippies I am going to assume this is the UK where they limit how much salt is normally on/in food so ordering extra salt would probably be like how they normally are in the US.
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#30
I'm alive because my aunt was born.
My grandfather was conscripted into the Romanian army as a medic, and his unit was one of the many acting as a defensive barrier, covering the Nazi supply lines to Stalingrad. She was born, and he was called back to Bucharest from the front. While he was on leave, the Russians launched Operation Uranus, which decimated the axis forces. He recieved word that his unit had been completely destroyed. He was never reassigned, and in 1948, my mother was born.
I'm also alive because a bunch of Romanian cows got sick. My other grandfather was a pharmacist, back when that meant actually making medicines, he was also a Jew. The town he lived in was largely agrarian, and their cow herds came down with some illness that was killing them. He whipped something up that cured them. The townspeople were very grateful to him. So grateful that when the chief of police heard that the Nazis were coming to town to take inventory of who lived there, he came to my grandfather's house with some train tickets for him and his wife. They escaped the Nazis, and never got caught. My father was born at the end of 1945.
I guess this is the opposite of the butterfly effect, really. Rather than one small action blowing up into a much more important chain of events, two hugely improbable events are eventually lead to my birth(and obviously my extended family as well)... and now, I run ads on the internet.
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
Yeah, that was a worse ending than Infinity War
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Jackie Porter 4 years ago
I'm alive because my great great grandad fell asleep on duty. He was my maternal grandmother's father. He was stationed in Africa during some conflict (My Nan said it was WW1 but we're not sure). He was supposed to be on sentry duty but fell asleep on duty. His superior found him and he was sentenced to be executed for this, He was waiting for his execution when their position was attacked and the commanding officer brought GG Grandad outside, told him to get on a horse and just ride away. He didn't need telling twice. This allowed my Nan to be born, then mum and then me and my sister.
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Bit random, but I thought the picture looked like an Aussie soldier from the Great War. I got confused when OP mentioned Russia and Romania, so checked the photo and it's from the Museum of Victoria. Ha! I was right, after all. (BP, get your act together when sourcing photos for your captions).
3li3liSNAKE 3 years ago
Wow...."I have an amazing family history! I can move on with motivation in my life! So what will I do for a living? I'll run ads on the internet!!!"
#31
My wife got an email from her old colleagues the day we returned home from our honeymoon, asking if she wanted to star in a short film they were doing for fun. She said 'sure,' and asked if I wanted to come along, as she knew I had an interest in movies. At the time, I worked in life insurance and was miserable, and filmmaking was more than an interest — I had always wanted to make films, but never made the right connections with people and didn’t know where to start. I made friends with the producer of that short film my wife was in and, 11 years later, filmmaking and video production is my career. I’ve shot feature films, short films, video for TV and web all over the world because of that one email to my wife. Changed our lives!
Amy Taylor 3 years ago
My mother had a girl in her office going to school for theatrical makeup artistry. She needed a model for her class and had $50 to pay me for my time. This was 1988, and I was 19 so it sounded fun. I loved the experience so much that I decided to enroll the next semester. I've had over 30 years of a career doing makeup for film, television and commercials, have joined the union, and still love what I do. I was at the "what am I going to do with my life" stage at the time, and that small moment changed my life forever.
Unified Mosquito 3 years ago (edited)
idk sounds a lil sketchy bro. Although if you could give me your wifes name it would be appreciated.
Fiona Aitch 3 years ago
What about all the people who work in low-paying miserable jobs? God on holiday that day?
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#32
I chose to rearrange my sequence of classes slightly before starting my education. By doing this, I had to commute to a different branch of the school in a different town than the one I was originally signed up for.
On my first day there, I helped a girl who had, somehow, managed to break both of her arms in a drunken shopping cart accident. This girl, whom I would absolutely never have met had I not changed my classes around, is my wife of 14 years
Mary Rose Kent 4 years ago
Breaking both arms is crazy bad—I worked with someone who broke both of hers because she was trying to improve her balance on a balance board and fell off.
Bored Birgit 4 years ago
I worked with someone who broke both her arms by getting out of her car. Thankfully her husband cared for her during recovery.
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Jane Moore 4 years ago
The back tire on my motor scooter blew - I felt one arm break and then the other - I decided that it was time to jump off - no I did not fall off I jumped off.
Sally-Ann 3 weeks ago
I worked with a lass once who told us (co-workers and me) about how she broke both arms as a child by running on the wet concrete at the side of a pool. She ended up in casts from fingers to shoulder. I asked her "how did you sleep?" She stuck her arms out like a zombie and leant back with them raised in the air "like that". We laughed so long and loud that our supervisor came running to see what the problem. All anyone could do was imitate the arms and start giggling again.
Rachel Sitton 3 years ago
My brother broke all 4 limbs at once. Arms in 90 degree casts. Not a great summer.
#33
I was Very little and singing a song completely with made up words. My mom asked what it was, and I said Evelynese (my name is Evelyn). Then a year later I made up a fake country for that fake language (Evelyninis). Then I started making up some stories. Now it’s a little over a decade later, I’m in high school, and I have a whole fictional world with three political superpowers (that I won’t name for personal reasons, but just know Evelyninis has a better name now). This world has a very intricate map of ecosystems (and soon, political borders of various eras), five distinct cultural and ethnic groups so far, and some unique flora and fauna. Former Evelyninis specifically has twenty families of nobility, two hundred thirty seven common families, a religion, a specific type of domesticated big cat, the bones of a conlang, two epics in the works (the first being adapted from older stories I made up), and much more. I’m probably going to work on this until the day I die. All because toddler me wanted to throw some snark at my mom.
SoozeeQ 4 years ago
Sounds like a best-selling series and a movie blockbuster. (*Game of Thrones*, I'm looking at you!)
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Charl Marx 4 years ago
Hahaha sounds amazing. My 4 year old has had her own language for about a year or so, she calls it "Geggy". She often tells me phrases in Geggy, apparently"Poo glum nee fluff" means "can I have a snack" 🤣
Stuart Irvin 4 years ago
that reminds me of my self... a planet, with 8 countries, each with their own costums, holidays, important people, historic events, 3 main religions, a few cults, intricate geography and topography, laws, and 4 languages, spoken and written.
Candia Lee 4 years ago
Write a Gameworld for an RPG like Generic Universal Role Playing System (GURPS) or D&D.
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Sally Brown 3 years ago
Nope, it was always going to happen. It was inside you before you were born. Weave that into your stories.
Sally Barry 3 years ago
Wonderful! back in the 60's, I was in middle school and my friends and I were Star Trek fans like you can't believe. (into sci-fi, and back in those days our library had half a dozen old sci-fi books which I practically memorized...). So we wrote our own science fiction stories complete with illustrations....God I wish I had my epic....it was a wonderful whole other world.
#34
Got arrested for growing weed, moved back home. Got first job I could at Ikea. After working there for over a year, randomly decided to check Craigslist for jobs and saw an opening at a cafe and they were hiring right then, so instinctively went for it.
The cafe was connected and owned by one of the most popular brewpubs/beer gardens in the area. They hired me to host there, quickly worked my way up the ranks to eventually bar manager. Met girl of my dreams, we are now married with 2 amazing kids. Opened two more restaurants with them and currently assistant director of operations, overseeing three restaurants @ 3, 5, and 8 million a year in sales!
Love my job, love my family, love my life. No idea what I'd be doing if I never got arrested, or never applied for the cafe job.
M. 3 years ago
I don't see why it's illegal most places in the U.S. It's not addictive, and if it were legal, then it'd be more regulated and less likely to be spiked with a more deadly drug, so then it wouldn't be risky. And it also helps with pain and anxiety.
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Teacher's Resources 4 years ago
The guy in the picture is reading a Greek magazine... where exactly do you get your stock photos from?
TiaCalenture 4 years ago
Starting smoking cigarettes has led me to the worst relationships, living conditions, and health. My life would have been so much better without it.
Candia Lee 4 years ago
Moved cause new hubby got a new job. After a few weeks he says his salary isn't enuf and I should find a job. Hmph. The local paper has an ad for page make up. I'd taken one semester of journalism classes recently, new what a pica was (1/6") and a point (1/72"), so got the job. A coworker hosted roleplaying games; when he got a job with a gaming company, I joked "if they have an opening for me, call me." He did. Best job of my life.
#35
Someone I know once had a flight planned to Spain. He ended up missing it because he was like one minute late. The plane ended up crashing... one minute literally saved his life
~hUmMuS vIbEs~ 4 years ago
Here's a morbid thought: you never save a person's life, you only delay their death.
lara 4 years ago
Honey, by that token, women give birth to dying children.
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Bored Birgit 4 years ago
There are always people who miss or reschedule a crashed flight - and people who were not supposed to get on that flight but sadly did.
#36
I sent a friend from secondary school (who I had a huge crush on) a message just saying, 'Happy Birthday!' a couple years after we all left school. I did the whole 'We'll have to catch up soon!' thing, not expecting much. He replied, 'How about Monday?' So I saw him that Monday for a coffee. Next month is our six year anniversary. It's truly the best thing that ever happened to me, and my friends joke that I'm the queen of escaping the friendzone.
Vanta Black 4 years ago
Dude probably had feelings himself, but needed some extra courage. Which hopefully wasn't Dutch.
Dónal Ó Murchadha 3 years ago
I was in the friend zone with a girl from school for 10 years, then we got really drunk and kissed. 20 years on and still married.
TiaCalenture 4 years ago
A distant relative I saw occasionally was best friends with a boy that liked me in high school. I would tell my relative to tell him I said 'Hi' and then that boy would call me and we would get together. He became my sons father. He cheated on me and I gave him his engagement ring back, but I love my son and grandsons. And he has saved many people from committing suicide. Everyone loves my son.
Amber Miller 3 years ago
Hey girl, you knew what you wanted and you went after what you wanted. End result you got what you wanted. I'd say thats an overall win
#37
Getting my ears pierced the day after I graduated high school got me where I am today.
I worked at McDonald’s at the time and was scheduled to work that night. Before my shift, my girlfriend at the time convinced me to get my ears pierced. Well, when I showed up to my shift with these clear ear studs in, my manager gave me an option. Either take them out, or go home. Being only 17 and not taking anything seriously, I went home.
On my way home, I called that girlfriend’s dad, and asked if I could work with him laying tile. He gave me a chance, and I quit McDonald’s that day. Worked with him for about a year until the 08’/09’ recession caused us to run out of work. I got laid off.
4 months later, I land a job in a new hospital doing admitting in the emergency room. Did that for 2 years before I got my phlebotomy certification. Been doing that for a few years and now I’m in my final semester of nursing school.
I attribute everything I’ve done to that day my ex girlfriend pressured me into getting my ears pierced. Who knows how long I would have stayed at McDonald’s.
IlovemydogShilo 3 years ago (edited)
Not long really. The Mc Donalds where I live has an amazingly high turn over of staff and when I worked there they had this thing where they hired you for the probationary period of 3 months on half wage and then let you go for no real reason about a week before your probation finished. They never gave a proper reason for firing you either. They didn't have to as you were only on probation. They did it to everybody I worked with. I was paid €3 an hour and then let go. I would have got more on the dole.
Kids Krueger 3 years ago
That McDonalds boss was really rude. People can wear what they want! Good for you, but just sayin'.
Angie Bracken 3 years ago
I can't find anything to say on this cause i cant stand fast food or hospitals
#38
I decided to try weed in high school. I met a dude through my weed connections, and we became roommates. My roommate talked me into trying World of Warcraft. I met a girl through WoW. Years later, I dated her. A year after that, I moved states and married her. We have kids now. So, basically, my children are a direct result of weed.
DarkAngelNic 4 years ago
I don't like chick flicks but I would watch that one.
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Riley Quinn 4 years ago
I truly believe that most children are born due to weed, drugs, and alcohol.
Tarryn Louise 4 years ago
I met my partner on WoW too :) Been together 9 years and have a 5 yr old daughter and just bought our first home together <3
Shabbir Yamani 3 years ago
Dang. I've been dying to get a girl to marry in the USA... But I'm 40 now not sure if there any takers... I'm 5'4" & from India...
Indosidius 3 years ago
So.... do you still play with your wife? And your kids? Do they play? Are you like an online WoW family? Details, please?
#39
If my former roommate wasn't an alcoholic going thru withdrawal and had to be hospitalized, we'd have had enough money for rent. Then, I wouldn't have moved home. If I hadn't decided, while looking for a new job in my hometown, that it would be nice to have insurance, I'd have got another restaurant job instead of a manufacturing job. If I hadn't started that manufacturing job, I'd have never met a co-worker who was quitting for a much better job. Then, I wouldn't have also applied for a job with that company that was still hiring. I still work here 8 years later and hope to retire from here. It has its sh*tty days (or weeks), but the benefits are amazing and I'm making more than most college graduates.
LivingTheDream 4 years ago
uh.... this is not the butterfly effect. this is just how normal life works.
Tee Witt 4 years ago
It is in a way, if his room mate had not been in hospital..........
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LJ Robinson 4 years ago
I understood it perfectly. My sentences are hardly ever in order, and I type train-of-thought, so there's that.
Load More Replies... Dawn Marie 3 years ago
LivingTheDream, most of these are not "butterfly effect", they are just life happening how it naturally does. But eh, they are interesting reads.
TiaCalenture 3 years ago
"My former roommate was an alcoholic going through withdrawal and had to be hospitalized, so we didn't have enough money for rent. I had to move home, and looked for a job in my hometown. I needed medical insurance so instead of getting another restaurant job i started working in manufacturing. I met a co-worker that was quitting for a better job so I applied there too. I have worked there 8 yrs and love it. Its not always great but has good benefits and pays well. I hope to retire from there." Fixed it.
#40
In grad school I said f it and submitted a conference proposal the night before the deadline. Long story short, I basically have my job, my city, and my wife as a direct result of that decision.
Evangeline Dell 3 years ago
Umm ok that was the worst butterfly effect story since A Bugs Life….
Monica Isnota Robot 3 years ago
How did this make it to the final cut of stories? There Is.No.Story. It's not even a long story short. It's TWO EFFING SENTENCES.
Evander Coley 3 years ago
I was at home alone gaming and then I looked at the time and realized that my Mumbai going to be home soon and that I hadn't done anything she had told me so I put some wood on the fire and went and closed the curtains as I was closing the laundry room curtains I saw smoke billowing out of the side of the house, turns out that morning mum had put hot ashes on the garden clippings because our ash bucket was full. My fear of my mum saved the house I grew up in!
Glittery Panda 3 years ago
Holy c**p guys if anyone wants some drama grab some popcorn and read Wandaluzt’s comments. They seriously are ridiculous and rude but the people standing up to them is kind of nice. Jsut saying I like drama so if anyone else wants to see that. 🤷♀️
Charlie Simpson 3 years ago
Here's a better story for you. Years ago I was younger, long story short it's been 15 years and here I am.
Shabbir Yamani 3 years ago
Heck, we idlers are here for that long story. How dare you keep it from us. You saved my 9minutes...
#41
In high school I read House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski and, one day, was trying to explain the concept of the book to a friend. My drama teacher overheard and said it sounded a bit like Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. On his recommendation, I read that book, which sparked an interest in Russian literature. I branched out from there, always seeking out new reading opportunities. My quest to find more reading led me to major in English and my becoming a teacher myself. Being a teacher at a Title I school has had a huge impact on my political philosophy as well. So, basically, I am who I am today because my drama teacher suggested a book to me
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
"I am who I am today because an author plagiarised a Russian guy and thought he'd get away with it" fixed it
Catharina Geerts 3 weeks ago (edited)
In High School my English teacher noticed I had trouble choosing books for my literature list. One day he gave me a small book to read with the title "There And Back Again". A.k.a. The Hobbit. It was an eye-opener, I had never known the existence of this genre, which then became my favourite. Of course, years later I bought the whole series of LoTR books, reading them many times over, and I've seen the movies.
Sathe Wesker 4 years ago
"House of leaves" is a right messed up book. Apparently it messes with people heads, but, I was alright. Still, it is a strange read.
#42
Almost everything that has happened in my life for the past eight years is a direct result of me literally flipping a coin to decide between two colleges. I play the sport I do, have the friends I do, am dating the person I am, and very nearly every other aspect of my life, is because a nickel landed on heads.
Gay_Forg 3 years ago
That could be the plot of a movie. You could even name it 'flipping a coin' or sum like that
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Cecilia Herrera 4 years ago
There's a movie out right now called, "Tributaries" that has a coin flip play a big roll in the characters' lives.
Mary Rose Kent 4 years ago
Thanks for the tip...I hope it comes to my small town, however unlikely that seems
Load More Replies... #43
My grandpa's first wife cheated on him with his best friend, so he was pissed and wanted to get away. His aunt had recently moved to Australia, so he figured he would start his new life there. But since he already had two kids with his ex-wife, she was worried he wouldn't pay child support if he left the country, and she got his passport taken away under the premise that he was trying to flee his responsibilities. The day after he was supposed to have left, he went to get drunk at an old colleague's housewarming party, and that's where he met my grandma, who was there on a date with another man. They took one look at each other, and never looked back!
#44
One day in junior high I tried out for a play, but I didn’t get a part. But I saw on the bottom of the cast list that they were looking for a student director to help out with it. I wasn't particularly interested, but another girl saw it at the exact same time and she wanted it. Well, my dad raised me to be highly competitive, so I just wanted to beat her. So we both applied, and I got it. I ended up being a theater director for 15 years, and now I direct films.
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago
Wow, I wonder how the life of the girl you screwed over went... It's not "being competitive" to go after something you don't want just because someone else does want it...
Steve Wilson 4 years ago (edited)
I don’t think I could trust you. Your initial motivation was simply to screw somebody else.
Klas Klättermus 4 years ago
I don't think that screwing with her was the plan as much as he started to want it because someone else wanted it. A behaviour probably most prominent in children
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What do you think ?
tuzdayschild 4 years ago
When my friends daughters were very young (2 and 3 yo) they caught colds. They were in their room crying and whining because they didn't feel good and would not go to sleep. My friend put them both in her bed so they would sleep. A storm came in overnight and blew a massive tree down which came through the roof and smashed into the girl's bedroom absolutely destroying their beds. Any other night, they would have been in those beds.
ric carter 4 years ago
We lived on a hillside of coastal redwood trees. A neighbor came home one night, too drunk to crawl into bed, so she flopped on her living-room couch. Strong winds that night blew a redwood down on her bedroom. If she'd been sober, she'd have died.
Load More Replies... Big Blue Cat 4 years ago
My grandfather was shot by Russian soldier during the war. He was wounded and things were grim, they were surrounded. No way they could have carried him to safety. Until one of the soldiers tripped to a wooden sledge , under the snow in the middle of a forest. They were able to sneak out of there, pulling gramps in the sledge. I wouldn’t have born, neither my brother or our dad and his siblings, if not that old sledge.
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago (edited)
These are mostly examples of serendipity, an under-used word as it is, without calling it "butterfly effect". Or maybe an ancestor watching over people in some stories
Rench 4 years ago
Serendipity is actually making a fortunate discovery by accident. Like finding money on the sidewalk while in your way to work. I don't think these stories qualify.
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Sky Render 4 years ago
Responding to a random e-mail from someone I didn't know because they wrote it in a very amusing tone led me down a path that resulted in the completion of a fan translation of a video game, my writing 3 novels, my fiance and I hooking up, and my recovering my true self from 30 years of repression. And yes, the author of that e-mail was in fact my fiance. She really has helped me make all of my dreams come true!
Jace 4 years ago
I got through ¼ to ⅓ of this list and gave up because all it’s doing for me is making me think of how my own examples of butterfly effect only lead on a path from “life was pretty okay” to “my life is absolutely miserable”. I already do that on my own without people’s happy tales of chance leading to happy outcomes (and probably survivorship bias) being presented as entertainment for me to distract myself when I’m too depressed to do anything productive (because what’s the goddamned point). I’m glad for these people having happy stories and neat little “imagine if” hypotheticals, but I got to age 45 with nothing but repeat lessons that no matter what I tried to do to live well, THIS is where I ended up. Yeah I’m ranting. “Learned helplessness” sucks. It’s not bad character; it’s repeated bad outcomes. My intellectual self knows better, but today my emotional self is driving.
Bernadette Circle 4 years ago
I feel that way these days too. I could count my blessings, but I just focus on the crap that sucks in my life (and there is so much!) Just remember these stories are all told to share happy outcomes. You are not gonna get the stories about ‘How my life turned into hell with just one decision’ on Bored Panda
Load More Replies... Paige Hyney 4 years ago
Between my junior & senior year of college I was offered a job in NYC for the summer. I had decided to take a trip into the city prior to my first day to get aquatinted with the subway system. I ended up getting lost in a very bad part of the city and called my mom crying. She told me to quit my new job & move up to Cape Cod for the summer with my best friend from high school. 2 days after being there with her we went out to a local bar and she introduced me to a guy she met at her new job. Two weeks after meeting him, I told my best friend that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. Fast forward, 8 years later. I remind him every day that I'm always right. We got married a month ago, own our home here on the Cape, and have a house full of fur babies we love so very much. Never thought getting lost on a subway would land me in my very own fairytale.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
Because my boss stole money from my purse, I missed getting hit by a car that flew through a red light and crashed. Instead of walking across the street at that point, I was in a payphone talking to police about the theft.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Whatever you call it, just glad people didn't end up in worse places...
cheers, cassidy 4 years ago
i had plans to go to france with my family one winter. we would go to london, and then take a train to france. unfortunately, two nights before we left, my sister got incredibly sick, so we missed the trip. we later found out that the train we were supposed to go on caught fire.
tuzdayschild 4 years ago
When my friends daughters were very young (2 and 3 yo) they caught colds. They were in their room crying and whining because they didn't feel good and would not go to sleep. My friend put them both in her bed so they would sleep. A storm came in overnight and blew a massive tree down which came through the roof and smashed into the girl's bedroom absolutely destroying their beds. Any other night, they would have been in those beds.
ric carter 4 years ago
We lived on a hillside of coastal redwood trees. A neighbor came home one night, too drunk to crawl into bed, so she flopped on her living-room couch. Strong winds that night blew a redwood down on her bedroom. If she'd been sober, she'd have died.
Load More Replies... Big Blue Cat 4 years ago
My grandfather was shot by Russian soldier during the war. He was wounded and things were grim, they were surrounded. No way they could have carried him to safety. Until one of the soldiers tripped to a wooden sledge , under the snow in the middle of a forest. They were able to sneak out of there, pulling gramps in the sledge. I wouldn’t have born, neither my brother or our dad and his siblings, if not that old sledge.
Devil's Advocate 4 years ago (edited)
These are mostly examples of serendipity, an under-used word as it is, without calling it "butterfly effect". Or maybe an ancestor watching over people in some stories
Rench 4 years ago
Serendipity is actually making a fortunate discovery by accident. Like finding money on the sidewalk while in your way to work. I don't think these stories qualify.
Load More Replies... Sky Render 4 years ago
Responding to a random e-mail from someone I didn't know because they wrote it in a very amusing tone led me down a path that resulted in the completion of a fan translation of a video game, my writing 3 novels, my fiance and I hooking up, and my recovering my true self from 30 years of repression. And yes, the author of that e-mail was in fact my fiance. She really has helped me make all of my dreams come true!
Jace 4 years ago
I got through ¼ to ⅓ of this list and gave up because all it’s doing for me is making me think of how my own examples of butterfly effect only lead on a path from “life was pretty okay” to “my life is absolutely miserable”. I already do that on my own without people’s happy tales of chance leading to happy outcomes (and probably survivorship bias) being presented as entertainment for me to distract myself when I’m too depressed to do anything productive (because what’s the goddamned point). I’m glad for these people having happy stories and neat little “imagine if” hypotheticals, but I got to age 45 with nothing but repeat lessons that no matter what I tried to do to live well, THIS is where I ended up. Yeah I’m ranting. “Learned helplessness” sucks. It’s not bad character; it’s repeated bad outcomes. My intellectual self knows better, but today my emotional self is driving.
Bernadette Circle 4 years ago
I feel that way these days too. I could count my blessings, but I just focus on the crap that sucks in my life (and there is so much!) Just remember these stories are all told to share happy outcomes. You are not gonna get the stories about ‘How my life turned into hell with just one decision’ on Bored Panda
Load More Replies... Paige Hyney 4 years ago
Between my junior & senior year of college I was offered a job in NYC for the summer. I had decided to take a trip into the city prior to my first day to get aquatinted with the subway system. I ended up getting lost in a very bad part of the city and called my mom crying. She told me to quit my new job & move up to Cape Cod for the summer with my best friend from high school. 2 days after being there with her we went out to a local bar and she introduced me to a guy she met at her new job. Two weeks after meeting him, I told my best friend that I was going to spend the rest of my life with him. Fast forward, 8 years later. I remind him every day that I'm always right. We got married a month ago, own our home here on the Cape, and have a house full of fur babies we love so very much. Never thought getting lost on a subway would land me in my very own fairytale.
Seedy Vine 4 years ago (edited)
Because my boss stole money from my purse, I missed getting hit by a car that flew through a red light and crashed. Instead of walking across the street at that point, I was in a payphone talking to police about the theft.
Leo Domitrix 4 years ago
Whatever you call it, just glad people didn't end up in worse places...
cheers, cassidy 4 years ago
i had plans to go to france with my family one winter. we would go to london, and then take a train to france. unfortunately, two nights before we left, my sister got incredibly sick, so we missed the trip. we later found out that the train we were supposed to go on caught fire.
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