People Online Shared 37 Stories Of When Their Decisions Or Mistakes Changed The Course Of Their Lives

Holy....

A friend of mine knew a gentleman who was at a business meeting with colleagues in Boston. One of his coworkers exchanged flights with him so he could get home for his son's birthday. His friend was on one of the planes that flew into the towers. The gentleman was in shock for weeks.

I'd always be willing to spend an extra $50 on a flight that doesn't crash.

I was on a flight back home to the UK when that Malaysian Airlines flight was shot down over Ukraine, only heard about it when we landed. it was such a bittersweet feeling- I was so glad to be home yet all those poor people lost their lives. I was already scared for my own flight as it was- was flying from Tel Aviv just as the 2014 war in Israel was in progress. Was terrified a Hamas missile was gonna shoot us down.

I remember seeing that plane on the news. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17... it was just.. obliterated. It was just a pile of twisted metal and ash. It was horrific.

This is the thing though--you often have to know someone on the inside to get hired, as most people look similar in a resume--but if you have a recommendation from someone already working there, you become a known quantity.

I interviewed at a place, thought it went well, never heard back. I’m out walking my dogs in a park almost a month later, and one of my would-be co-workers drove past on his way from getting his kid from daycare on the premises. Recognizes me, we chat, he asked why they had not seen me since. Never called me, I said, thought I was rejected. He replies, no! We all thought you were great! Next day his boss calls and offers me the job. Who knows what the original glitch was, but I’m convinced my resume would have remained lost in some shuffle, had I not been in that precise place at that precise time.

Because of how this was written I thought it was his dad who was depressed and without a job and I was expecting the story to be how the shop had a job for him but he never replied or something like that. It's important to write clearly otherwise your story gets lost and misconstrued.

These days a lot of places will take you as long as you are breathing.

Good advice: do not be ashamed to be unemployed and looking for work. Tell people. People know people that may need employees.

Whew for you!

Reminds of my first day of high school, I waved at a girl that I thought at first was a friend of my brother's. Actually, she was her younger sister, in my grade, and we sat down together when we saw each other in French class, laughing at my earlier mistake. 20 years later we are still great friends, her husband and mine get along wonderfully, we are honourary auntie and uncle to her kids, we see them (before Covid and hopefully again soon) nearly every Friday for a meal, talk, and later some TV. I can't say my life would be dramatically changed without her, but it would be a damn shame if we hadn't ever met, or had met later when we had more established friend groups & not enough spare time for more friends.

That is wrong to keep that kind of information from vets. Yes. Thank God you sat there. It changed your life. It changed your sister's life. Amazing!

It’s sad, my brother served during operation desert storm, his squad got hit with some nerve chemicals I was told, he was fine for awhile , served 2 more tours, then the reserves, he has 2 children, when he settled down, 2 years later, an ex military personnel that comes around to help these veterans with their paperwork and such, realized all the benefits he wasn’t receiving that he was entitled to, it blew my brother’s mind no one told him about them, it’s sad that vets have to go through when they get back home.

Gotta step in here. EVERY vet before leaving the military is required to attend a benefits seminar. Just because a vet doesn't catch everything doesn't mean they aren't told. Not to mention, you can Google this information. It's not a secret. The VA does A LOT to make the information available to it's vets. I know that as a vet and VA employee spouse.

Wow! He saved your life!

Raise your hand if you checked your fingernails after reading this.

When I lived in Colorado, I would be on line in the supermarket, looking at the back of someone's neck at a suspicious looking lesion. Begging their pardon for being so forward, I would gently recommend that they get it checked. Having had 5 skin surgeries myself, I'm just hyperaware of what the 'bad' ones look like. Especially if you're single, how do you know what's on the back of your neck? Or your back, for that matter? Skin checks are very important, especially for us boomers who didn't grow up using sunscreen...

*checks under my fingernails

There are a lot of ways your fingernails can tell disease. Just to be careful, inform yourself: https://www.aurorahealthcare.org/patients-visitors/blog/12-disease-signs-found-on-our-fingernails

It always amazes me that dogs, cats and other pets give so much in their short lives and expect very little in return!

When I was about 13, I struggled really bad with self harm, and night time is when it was the worst. My parents got me a cat, thinking I could play with him at night to distract myself. To this day, if he ever here's me crying, he jumps onto my chest and lays with me until I stop. Sometimes he stays longer to cuddle, other times he knows his job is done and leaves lol. I still wonder how he knows that that's the reason I got him.

my brandy my best friend and loving dog wasnt around for my wedding but he got cancer right before i met my now husband who just so happened to get a dog a few months before we met and her name was also brandy. if me and my dog never took that different route on my daily walk and my dog didnt bark at him i wouldve never apologized and never talked to him. i believe my dog didnt bark at him bc he didnt like him i think its bc he wanted me to meet him. my dog never barked at my now husband after that day. i gained a loving husband and had 1 brandy leave but gained a new brandy. wat r the chances and to make things crazier my husband has the same bday as my dog did and our parents have the same anniversary

I asked my parents for a cat when I was about 10 years old. She's the greatest kitty in the world and I'm so grateful to have her in my life. She was there throughout my school years, high school graduation, college graduation, many moves, and my wedding. She just turned 18 on May 22nd. ❤️ Pets are the best

RIP SNOOP

Strongly agree with this

Damn right. I had zero interest in college after being tossed from THREE high schools and getting my GED. Joined the Navy, saw the world, went to work, THEN I earned my degrees; both Suma Cum Laude. Had to get the crazy and wanderlust out of my system first, I guess....

I think a 'gap year' should required in the US before college..

I think it should be MANDATORY to take at least a year off, but then that would allow/encourage kids to make a rational choice about their future. That would bankrupt the college/university cash cow & paper mill.

College isn't always the answer

Awww. Scary to think you almost missed each other!

I took a random class I found in the newspaper in the 90s.it was a 2 week training course to work for a new start up airline.it was all free and you got paid.I figured what the heck.it was in Connecticut I had never been to that state.my future husband had made that same decision on a whim.the job only lasted a year and we've been married for 20 yrs.wasn't even thinking about meeting anyone.

I met my husband of 56 years on a blind date. I only went because I had nothing else to do.