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50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People

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Part of the magic of growing up is being able to look back and trace the impact of the decisions you made. In hindsight, tiny, seemingly unimportant choices often do have a cascading effect on our health, wealth, and happiness, even if we can hardly see it in the moment.

So one person wanted others to share the little, seemingly insignificant decisions that turned out to have a far-reaching impact on their lives. From meeting the right person during a chance stop at a restaurant to quitting smoking, netizens share their stories. So get comfortable as you scroll through and upvote your favorite tales. And if you’re feeling introspective, feel free to share your own experiences below.

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#1

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I went to prison for a robbery. I did it. I was a drug addict. After almost 5 years in, at a work center, I got a write-up which would make me stay in for a few months longer. The warden offered a deal if I would paint a mural at a local high school of their mascot, they'd forgive the writeup. I had always been good at drawing (they knew that which is why they asked) but had never done a mural. I figured out how to scale it up in my head and did it. I got out about 6 months later and made it my career. I'm now married, happy, and fully booked until summer of next year for work, owning my own business. In September, I will have been out for 10 years. I also hid my initials in the high school mascot mural.

therealbiggravy , Greenville Daily Photo Report

Final score:

314points

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#2

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I chose to be nice to everyone in high-school, even the kids people thought were weird. F****d my life up pretty bad 10 years ago and recently got a call asking if I wanted to train as a software developer by one of those kids. I was frying chicken in a gas station for scraps. Dude told me he remembered me being smart and into that stuff and knew I could learn fast

Life is hard sometimes so just be excellent to each other, you never know what kind of impact you can have.

xChariotx , Kiran Sorathiya Report

Final score:

272points

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#3

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I broke my hand playing soccer in high school (fell, landed awkwardly). Consequently, all I could do for gym class was walk a loop around the track the entire class period until my cast came off. A girl had a cast on her broken finger (hers got accidentally closed in a car door), so she walked with me every day, and we talked and hit it off.

20+ years later we’re married with a couple of kids.

redpurplegreen22 , Kurt Magoon Report

Final score:

249points

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When the average person thinks about a small change, it tends to be a new restaurant to check out or perhaps slightly changing up their morning routine. Mathematicians and meteorologists break it down even further. It’s very possible that you have already heard about the “butterfly effect,” the idea that if a butterfly flapped its wings in, for example, Brazil, a tornado would form in Texas.

An older variant instead mentioned a housefly, while a more “tested” alternative included a gull. Mathematician Edward Norton Lorenz wrote “One meteorologist remarked that if the theory were correct, one flap of a seagull's wings would be enough to alter the course of the weather forever. The controversy has not yet been settled, but the most recent evidence seems to favor the seagulls.”

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#4

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Playing wow, I picked druid.

Ended up loving playing a healer.

Decided to become a nurse IRL.

Still like being on the healing team.

human_male_123 , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

194points

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#5

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Getting a cat. I feel like she has done a lot of positive things to my psyche, against my loneliness, and also helped my mother. Cat sure turned the home into a comfy place.

Glum_Landscape_9760 , Hale Tat Report

Final score:

194points

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#6

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Saw an absolutely gorgeous guy on a “dating” app. He was absolutely stunning, and so far out of my league . Normally I would never have messaged someone so obviously attractive but I felt I needed to tell him that I thought he was the most attractive person I’d seen online.
We’ve been together 11 years, married for 7, and I’ve never been happier.
Oh and he thinks I am the hottest thing on legs, so that’s a huge bonus.

BeardadTampa , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

193points

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While the butterfly effect generally is used to exemplify how time and chaos take the smallest action and blow it up over time, it can be easier to picture it in one’s own life. Take a savings account with compounding interest and do some back-of-the-napkin math to see how much you could have made if you left an extra hundred in it each month last year. If you feel a pang of unhappiness, you aren’t alone, regret is a painful emotion.

#7

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People My new desk job’s internet filter stopped me from going to my favorite websites. It didn’t block Boardgamegeek.com, however, so I ended up spending my downtime at work researching board games, game designers, and publishers. I read about a game I couldn’t find a copy of and put together a version of how I thought it might play. Later I found out I was totally wrong about how that game worked, but I preferred my version of the game. Yada yada yada, I’m an award-winning board game designer now.

DrFridayTK , Brett Stone Report

Final score:

182points

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#8

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Took the wrong train in a new city to a job a minimum wage job that I didn't want but needed at the time. Asked a random guy for directions when phone GPS still kind of sucked.

He happened to be going in the same general direction. We rode a train together and nerded out on films we were into. He was an aspiring filmaker (very beginnings of aspirations), and I was just a film nerd without any post high school education or thought of "breaking into the industry." We ended up becoming roommates and collaborators eventually. Sold our first film to IFC like 2 years ago.

SrgtSquarePants , Clem Onojeghuo Report

Final score:

179points

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#9

First month of uni, can’t wait to take faster bus home to take a dump and continue playing whatever. Cute girl I’ve helped with some computer tech class asks which bus I take as she thinks we live nearby, decide to “ugh, fine I’ll take the longer one”.

It’s eleven years later, quit drinking and smoking, have depression under control, finished two masters (was about to quit bachelors in the upcoming week), I’m petting our poodle, playing with our nine month old son while my super hot redhead, freckled, funnier than me, smarter than me, salt of the earth wife takes shower, and I’m asking myself how the duck I’ve got so used to this that I needed this post to get reminded how bloody unfairly lucky I’ve been, all thanks to deciding to hold that dump half an hour longer.

Final score:

174points

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Thinking back to those pivotal moments can make us scream in frustration like Joseph Cooper trying to get his daughter's attention in “Interstellar.” As painful as it might be, we need to go through these emotions to accept and move on. “Being stuck in the past” is a film-psychology cliche, but it does reflect the real danger of not dealing with trauma or other negative emotions.

#10

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Nearly didn’t go to a blind date but he was my soulmate. I knew in a blink when I met him. Lasted 33 years and I still miss him…

Civil-Mouse1891 , Katerina Holmes Report

Final score:

165points

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#11

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I volunteered feeding the homeless at a local church years ago, now I’m in a senior position addressing homelessness for the city of Los Angeles.

TwoBlueSandals , RDNE Stock project Report

Final score:

162points

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#12

Deciding to talk to someone who was angry at his results during a test in class (we were both 15M)

We became best friends incredibly quickly, having incredible fun together, wanted to start our rock band, hell he fell in love with a girl and I was heads over heels for her own best friend... what a crazy time!

But when died just two months after that, of course everything just crashed down. At the funeral, I was the only representative from high school with our French teacher, with whom he practiced theater. When she mentioned it to me, I proposed to take his place in the play that was being prepared for the end of the year...

What followed was an amazing adventure of two years of building back my self confidence, meeting incredible people, having an incredible time, which allowed me to end my highschool after my last play with the troupe, and receiving a thunderous round of applause after the eulogy I did at the end of said play - he was the most comedic person I've ever met, of course I asked for a celebration instead of a minute of silence!

Aimery, it's been 11 years already but I wouldn't be half the man I am without the few months we had together. Just like you I don't believe in life after death, but if there's one person I'd be dying to meet again, of course that'd be you, bloody moron! 😁

elpokitolama Report

Final score:

146points

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Of course, many of these stories are positive, like the various “meet cutes” of people being in the right place at the right time. While it might be just as cliche as being “haunted” by the past, a lot of relationships, both romantic and platonic, often happen because you simply bumped into a compatible person. From kindergarten to college dorms, life-long friendships can arise just by spending some time together.

#13

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Entered the green card lottery. Friend was trying to figure out how to do it, so I downloaded the instructions and completed an application to show them how. Since it was easier than asking them for all their info, I made a dummy application using my own info. When I was done I thought “meh, might as well” and dropped my application into the outgoing mail. Then forgot all about it. I was highly confused when, nearly a year later, I got a letter from the state dept.

I’ve been in the US for 20 years now, married, kids, the whole thing. Biggest change I ever made, and it was just a random 15-minute thing I did to help a buddy

dbpnz , Brett Sayles Report

Final score:

137points

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#14

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I took a job in an Emergency Room doing insurance paperwork. I thought "Okay but what happens before they get to the hospital?" That exposure lead to a career as a 1st Responder. I never would have imagined I would be helping people in Emergencies been doing it every day for decades.

YerekYeeter , Presidencia de la República Report

Final score:

133points

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#15

I didn't want to see my ex on my Instagram feed so I deleted the app thinking I'll install it after two days. A week went by and I forgot that I had to download Instagram again. Now it's been 2 years without IG and my mental state is in a much better place.

_Yash26_ Report

Final score:

119points

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Interestingly, the term “meet cute” was actually coined by Hollywood screenwriters, although it no doubt reflects the reality of chance meetings leading up to romance. Part of the magic of such scenes is that we can very easily place ourselves in them, as a meet cute is just a chance meeting, not requiring foresight or ability. If you are interested in more small choices with lasting effects, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our article on real-life “butterfly effect” stories.

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#16

Accompanied a friend to a wedding because she didn't want to show up without a "date." It was boring and tacky, and I was impatient to head to a bar afterward. But on the way back downtown from the wedding reception, my friend needed to stop by this block party and deliver a birthday present to her neighbor. I grudgingly agreed to go for a little while before continuing to the bar. On the way from the car to the party my friend casually mentions that'd she'd been meaning to introduce me to her neighbor, actually. I smelled a setup, but went along anyway. Two hours later, I'd completely forgotten about the bar and pretty much anything else as the neighbor and I had been excitedly talking to each other at the party, to the point of ignoring everyone around us. Our kid just started kindergarten earlier this month.

MrBarraclough Report

Final score:

119points

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#17

Me and 2 other coworkers decided to grab some dinner after our shift. One ended up cancelling, so I thought my other coworker would cancel too. We were both hungry, so we decided to still grab dinner together. We'd been coworkers for over a year and have always gotten along, but this dinner truly felt like a first date. It was so enjoyable and we talked so much that we didn't realize the restaurant had been closed and that the workers had been cleaning up around us (servers were too nice to interrupt our conversation). Him and I ended up falling in love soon after that. Been together for over 6 happy years and wouldn't change a thing.

stereotypedhonesty Report

Final score:

116points

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#18

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Took an art appreciation course in college. Had a career that had nothing to do with art, but I've spent at least part of every holiday since then touring museums in different world cities, and various states and provinces in the US and Canada. It's given me so much enjoyment in life.

tonyhott , Rodolfo Quirós Report

Final score:

112points

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#19

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I was walking out the door of work one day. Phone rang and I decided to go back and answer it instead of leaving. Quick 30 sec call and I was out the door. Couple miles down the road was a bad multi car accident on a bridge. Could have been me.

DanishWonder , chepté cormani Report

Final score:

112points

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#20

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I was doing online dating with no success and I was ready to give up. I almost canceled my date just out of pessimism but figured it was already it’s already scheduled I’ll just go and if it doesn’t work out I’ll just take a break from dating.

The date lasted about 8 hours and 15 years later we’re still together.

Rolling_Beardo , cottonbro studio Report

Final score:

109points

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#21

Watching YouTube Minecraft videos. It taught me English and I ended up educating myself and escaping a toxic and abusive situation in my parents' home

Cognitive_mistakes Report

Final score:

107points

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#22

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Grabbed a beer instead of going home early. I got offered a job when I was struggling to find a first job

mobius285 , Pavel Danilyuk Report

Final score:

98points

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#23

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People A kid's birthday party I wasn't planning to go to, I changed my mind at the last second, met my husband there.

Jelnaana , Vlada Karpovich Report

Final score:

97points

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#24

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I had a blog where I couldn’t figure out some HTML code, so I emailed the blog of another person who had figured it and they sent me the code. They lived about 1,000 miles from me and had never spoken before. Four years later we’re married, bought a house, and have a child together.

Manejar , Danny Meneses Report

Final score:

95points

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#25

On a night out I went to burger king and at the last second decided to get chicken nuggets with my burger instead of chips. I ate the burger but didn't feel like the nuggets by this point (and wished I'd gotten chips instead) so I asked the person opposite me on the bus if he wanted them (my exact words were 'ay lad do you want my chicken nuggets') he said yes and we got talking. That was 16 years ago and now we are married with a beautiful daughter.

gembob891 Report

Final score:

93points

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#26

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Went to a bonfire, met a random person who diagnosed me with a serious illness that I immediately got treated for and now I’m living life healthier, happier and more fulfilled than ever before.

AMimiMC , Maël BALLAND Report

Final score:

93points

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#27

On Friday 1st August 1997, I was going to go straight home from work, but a colleague talked me into going to the pub for "a quick pint"

Two hours, a couple of shared joints & 4 pints later, I got on my pushbike & made it about a quarter of the way home before coming off at the bottom of a steep hill & nearly getting killed.

I was supposed to be going on a residential course the following Monday, but I was in hospital. I had to re-book onto another sitting, five weeks later, and 300 miles away.

And that's where I met my wife - who was living overseas at the time, but by coincidence was planning to move back to where she grew up - literally walking distance from where I was living at the time.

Not only did the accident cause me to meet the woman currently sitting next to me on the sofa, but forced me to completely reassess my life. I got my drinking & drug abuse under control (and have since gone sober sober), and got me off the self-destructive path I was on.

Major_Twang Report

Final score:

91points

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#28

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People It took a random part time job out of desperation making wooden snowboard/skateboard racks. 12 years later I’m deeply imbedded in the woodworking industry and found a career. Didn’t see that coming.

123Fake_St , Clem Onojeghuo Report

Final score:

89points

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#29

Worked in a kindergarten during my gap years between high school and university (I didn't even plan to go at the time). A kid with speech and social issues happened to take a special liking to me, resulting in me ageeing to work closely with his speech therapist, despite only being the teachers assistant. This reignited my interest in language and made me apply to be a linguistics major. My high school grades made it a long shot, but it turns out that very year they tested out a new system of accepting 50% of students based on motivational essays, to try to combat a high drop out rate in linguistics. I made it in on that, they ditched it the next year cause it didn't work. I now have masters in Language Psychology and start teaching at the same university this semester. If I had applied literally any other year, my chances would have been like lottery odds.

MonsieurRud Report

Final score:

88points

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#30

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Was at a conference and stepped outside for a smoke. Bumped into a friend of mine who introduced me to the man he was walking with. That man encouraged me to apply for an opening in his office and, six months later, he hired me.

It was the job that jumpstarted my career, changing my trajectory. And all because of a bad habit.

The_Dude311 , Quinn Dombrowski Report

Final score:

86points

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#31

I ran to catch a train home for christmas and just caught it. Thought I saw a friend of my sister two waggons in front so I made my way through that full train and found him. He invited me to go for a beer with his friends in the new year. Out of curiosity I went and met a really cute guy in that group. I typed my number into his phone because I wanted to be obvious. That was almost ten years ago, we‘ve been married for four. It blows my mind that if I didn’t run for that train our wonderful daughter wouldn’t even exist.

laserwoman Report

Final score:

82points

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#32

Was heavily depressed for years, couldn't work, didn't dare to apply for jobs.
I wanted to make crispy pork skin roast for dinner.
Walked past a building with a little poster "We offer apprenticeships, become a geomatician!"
Googled the job, applied, got the apprenticeship.
Work offered psychological help, found a therapist, got a medication that worked.
I found a job I love and help I needed for my mental health, all because I wanted to buy some pork roast.

Ascar_Angainor Report

Final score:

80points

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#33

I stopped at a grocery store, and I saw a man standing next to his truck with a bunch of puppies. I approached him and ended up taking him my little angel of a dog. 🥹

He gave me her for free. ♡

gogo_powers Report

Final score:

75points

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#34

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Accepted an invite to some dudes team on Overwatch (videogame). Now I live on the opposite side of the country with him and we have two dogs and a Costco membership.

puppyfawn , Instacodez Report

Final score:

73points

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#35

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Started working at age 16. My supervisor suggested I sign up for “Profit Sharing”, a 401k precursor. Stayed with that company for 25 years, made a nice contribution to my retirement later in life.

ReticentGuru , Pixabay Report

Final score:

73points

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#36

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People I was flying to Costa Rica to go backpacking south from there, my sister told me to fly into Guatemala, I had to see it. So I did, and here I am still 10 years later, with a son and a life I never imagined.

Old_Insect , Jason Peper Report

Final score:

71points

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#37

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People 2015, in Ukraine. Vinnytsia to be exact.

Went to shop to buy a bottle of water. No gas, no flavor..just a simple water bottle.

Ended up getting married with cashier who saw me a few times and was always curious to know what the f**k I'm doing in that part of the country.

StuntCockofGilead , Steve Johnson Report

Final score:

66points

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#38

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Going to the gym. Now a year later my life has entirely changed. I think different, I live different, I eat different.

Finsk_26 , Victor Freitas Report

Final score:

64points

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#39

Scratched myself up in the field in ROTC training due to my own stupidity. **Debated whether to go to the medical tent, since it was super minor. I ultimately did**, and the cot next to me was a cadet from another school that was in a unit more in line with my career goals. The cadet got me an interview with the commander, and when I graduated and commissioned, I was assigned there. In the first few months, I met my now-wife, who was also new to the unit. Nearly two decades of marriage later, we’re both retiring and traveling the world together.

TopSecretSpy Report

Final score:

61points

#40

The decision to stop drinking. I wasn't addicted or anything and only drank occasionally. However, I got into a depression and a burn-out. When you are stripped of many joys in life, you automatically start seeking refuge and escape. You see how thin the line is between having a glass of wine to drinking yourself to unconciousness because the darkness is overwhelming. It would seem like the easy way out. While it didn't help me to get out of my depression in itself, I got out of it better because I stayed away from things that feed escapism.

It's better to be a recovering *depresso* without an addiction problem.

QueenSh*tOnly95 Report

Final score:

61points

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#41

I had just moved to Florida from PA with my brother, and we decided to grab lunch at a restaurant we’d never been to before. Got to chatting with the waitress, explained we were new, etc. She brought over her manager & he offered me a job on the spot. Met a cute bartender and 10 years later, we’re married with a 5 year old. Live in a new big city together. Just jumped on the gravy train of life head first by picking that place to eat at.

keanusmommy Report

Final score:

57points

#42

21st December 2014. A girl I was crushing over at the time and had some casual flirting with, was going to a party, but having asked her out the day before and been turned down, I decided to sack the party, go see my family early. I headed home a day earlier than planned for Xmas. Was living in Glasgow, took the train from Queen Street Station. Got the 14:39 train back home with no issues.

Very next day on the news. Bin lorry had crashed into Queen Street station around half past 2 in the afternoon, driver had a heart attack and lost control of the vehicle and killed 6 people. The place where it crashed, I was walking by, with earphones on 24 hrs before.

So yeah I didn't die because a girl turned me down and I decided not to head to the same party. Life's relentless.

KangaLlama Report

Final score:

57points

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#43

About 22 years ago I was fresh outta highschool and had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I went out rollerblading one evening and I decided to go down this road that looked familiar. I noticed a house and thought "hey, that kinda looks like my buddy from HS's house," so I decided to knock.

Sure enough, it was his house. He was having a LAN party that weekend and invited me to come over, so I did. Ended up meeting this obnoxious kid who wouldn't leave me alone. Kid ends up becoming my best friend and shaping the direction of my life. He eventually convinces me to play World of WarCraft when it came out. Roughly 3 years later I met my now wife in WoW.

All because I decided to go up and knock on a door.

Not_The_Real_Odin Report

Final score:

52points

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#44

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Checking out a new tea shop that opened up in my area. I became friends with the owner and she told me about a coding bootcamp, and less than a year later I had a great new career.

xain_the_idiot , Brigitte Tohm Report

Final score:

48points

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#45

I'm terrible at Judo and dislocated someone's shoulder. Felt guilty so decided to learn First aid and found a course 40 mins from where I live. Met my wife there and I often think what if I didn't slip up whilst training...

locutus92 Report

Final score:

48points

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#46

Found a book by the name "God and the new physics" at my grandmother's place when I was 12. Now I finished a master's in physics.

Legitimate-Two4078 Report

Final score:

45points

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#47

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Took an antibiotic for a possible infection and was perfectly healthy before. Ended up with permanent nerve damage at 24 years old and it turns out I never had an infection to begin with.

Magnifnik0 , Karolina Grabowska Report

Final score:

42points

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#48

After completing 3 science degrees I wasn’t having a good time. Randomly decided to apply to get into medicine thinking that I’d never get in. Anyway, I’m a doctor now, love it and hate it but definitely changed my life for the better overall

Leebeans Report

Final score:

41points

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#49

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Went for a jog even though I didn’t want to. Ended meeting a cute woman who was a bit of a motormouth but we had a lot in common. We ended up dating for about 4 years. We wanted different things and ended it but she’s still a fantastic friend.

anon , Taryn Elliott Report

Final score:

40points

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#50

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People Decided to relax my leg while trying to kick the ball, missed the ball and f****d my knee up. 2 years later still hurts

jonsrb , dtmarch Report

Final score:

27points

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#51

Adopted a dog. I didn't even adopt her, my wife asked if she could adopt a dog and I merely agreed to it. My mental health improved approximately 1000% after getting the dog. The routine of feeding, walking, and playing with the pup just keeps me going and I never get that "empty" feeling of being by myself.

throwawaymarineslolo Report

Final score:

23points

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"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

"I Didn't Start The Dryer": Karen Gets Taught A Lesson After Throwing Out Neighbor's Wet Clothes

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

Guy Divorced 3 Years Ago Drops Off 3 Y.O. With His Ex-Wife Completely Out Of The Blue

#52

I had no direction in college, so after year 3 I decided to take a break and just work. I already had a part time job on the books and a friend encouraged me to look into a position he knew about in pharmacy. It was off the books, I had free time, so I decided to give it a shot. My boss taught me everything and had patience with me. I took to it like a fish in water and worked 2 part-time jobs while I decided what to do about college. 30 something years later, I'm licensed and proud to say I've learned ALOT. That part-time, off the books gig, developed into a recession proof job in healthcare that made it possible to provide for myself and family. Never thought I'd be in healthcare, and steadily climbed that occupational ladder. Don't be afraid to jump into new areas, ESPECIALLY if the support/training is there.

Piotr-Rasputin Report

Final score:

19points

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#53

Broke up with my high school sweetheart before college because I didn't want a long distance relationship. I would come to regret it and miss her miserably over the next five years, even while dating other people. I would stalk her myspace pics (yes I'm that old) and she just got more and more beautiful every day.

One day, my friends were grabbing a bite to eat then heading to the local mall. They invited me but I wasn't feeling it and absolutely refused to go. They managed to talk me into it. Long story short, I bumped in to that old flame at the sunglass hut and the rest is history. Happily married for 12 years with a great life and two amazing kids.

I always think about what would have happened (or not happened) if I had the will to say no to my friends just one more time. It just seems so improbable to me how my life turned on that one decision.

heartEffincereal Report

Final score:

19points

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“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

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“All Three Shot Out Pink”: Triplets' Baby Shower Turns Sour, Pregnant Wife Wants A Divorce

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

College Student Does Exactly As Told After Roommates Demand They Keep Their Stuff In Their Room

#54

When I was younger I bought a pair of pinstriped slacks and a chain pocket watch because I thought it'd look rad.

I signed up for a sears credit card to save 50% or whatever and then paid it off right away.

That early credit card gave me a head start on a long credit history which in turn has contributed to a great score (800+). Helped with vehicles, a house, etc.

HazrakTZ Report

Final score:

17points

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#55

A little over a year ago, I read a fanfic and something in my brain was telling me that I should comment (something I rarely do). Did this for another month or two until I decided to leave my discord on one my comments.

We now message each other every day, and we even met in person back in June to attend a convention together. She's my best friend, and it all came from one silly little comment I left on her story.

Least_Bread_1817 Report

Final score:

16points

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#56

Had dropped out of college and then decided to return. Applied for housing and the housing office gave me the choice between two rooms. I chose one and ended up dating the Resident Assistant on my hall. We married three years later and just celebrated our 26th anniversary.

pretzel90210 Report

Final score:

15points

#57

Got tired of dating apps and not finding anything long term. At the beginning of the COVID shutdown I decided to look into dating websites even tho they were old and clunky and not very user friendly.

Ended up finding my wife there. 😊

TheFinalVin Report

Final score:

15points

#58

Grabbing lunch instead of skipping it in middle school, I was really depressed back then and I met my current friends there, my life has just bee way better, and I probably wouldn’t be here without them.

Ok-Acanthocephala530 Report

Final score:

13points

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#59

Started usind electric toothbrush about 7-8 years ago. Also, started brushing my teeth before goong to bed every day. My oral health has improved a lot ever since.

Final score:

13points

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#60

My wife and I met online in Texas in 2015. My roommate got wifi and I ended up making a dating profile on POF and from the first I messaged her we hit it off, we have 3 kiddos now and are very happy together!

In early 2016 we went on a one week vacation to California and on the drive back to Texas we decided to move to Cali (we moved back to TX in 2019) just to try it out. We got married in Cali and had our first 2 children there. Before the road trip to Cali, moving there had never even been a thought to us!!!

So many variables left out but those some of the most smallest choices that ended up having huge impacts in our lives

Pale_Adeptness Report

Final score:

11points

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#61

At 5 years old i decided to pick sides between my emotionally scared mother and my alcoholic stepfather.
I picked the side of my step father....

At 21 years i figured out that that decision caused me to develop social adjustment disorder which i got diagnosed a year later.

After 5 years of therapy and self reflection i got ready to move to a big city and go to university.

I am still a little socially crippled but far far better than 5 years ago.

It took me quite some time but now i am able to talk to people.

Final score:

10points

#62

Decided to pursue medical school again after failing the first year due to kidney disease. Met my fiancé ❤️

AphroditeFlower Report

Final score:

10points

#63

Watched a beginner blender tutorial series. Pretty sure that played a large part of why I got hired at my current company, and I just received a promotion after less than a year with a $10k/year raise that involves me using blender to make beauty renders for marketing material.

TheMisterTango Report

Final score:

9points

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#64

Bought a blender. Quick oats, natural peanut butter, frozen banana, protein powder, seeds or hemp hearts

Every morning. Super healthy breakfast. Energy for hours and hours

HugeAnalBeads Report

Final score:

8points

#65

I've been replacing my "who cares anyways" with "I can always logout" and gravitate more towards absurdism to make living worth while.

I'm very nihilistic. I value life in general, just not mine.

2106isthetime Report

Final score:

8points

#66

Decided to work out again. I'm loving it and I'm so much happier.

Candlesandstars Report

Final score:

7points

#67

I accepted a friend request on Facebook from someone I’d never met or spoken to. She became one of the most important people in my life. Traveled internationally for the first time in my life to meet her family. I only wish things had worked out in the end, I would have happily married her.

KHaskins77 Report

Final score:

7points

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#68

50 Of The Most Insignificant Things That Shifted Realities For These People As a teen I got curious about psychedelics and got an ounce of blue ape mushrooms. Didn’t know what I was doing and I ate the whole ounce. Never been the same

dr0ne1nap00l , Patrick Byrne Report

Final score:

5points

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Justin Sandberg

I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

Ilona Baliūnaitė

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

What do you think ?

Stardust she/her 1 year ago

When I was 6 years old, my dad used to travel a lot for work and occasionally he would bring back something for us. One day I woke up very early and I saw that my dad got an encyclopaedia which he left on the couch. I decided to try to read it and I found the first chapter to be very interesting. It was about astronomy and I’ve been obsessed with it since then

10points

Cosmologist wannabe (he/him) 1 year ago

Best astronomer origin story I ever heard. Mine was way simpler. During the summer of 2020, I picked up a few books from a library and brought them to a vacation home near one of the most known observatories in AZ. (Sadly it was closed) I opened up the book. The book was a bit to math-y for me, as I was an 11yo then. It was 400 something pages long. The book was called “Welcome to the Universe” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Gobbled up all the non-mathematical info in 5 hours, or so. I always had a small passion for all things space, but that book practically rocketed me up to a total astronomy geek (pun intended). And damn, best guy I have ever read from. I am also going to be going to try to get into one of the best astronomy camps in the US. And this year I get to choose a [REDACTED] at the end of my school year. And I am also planning to become a CIT at a “camp” for children at the one and only Lowell Observatory.

1point

Load More Replies...

Tomato Froggo 1 year ago

I was thinking about ending myself once, but I reached out to a friend first. They convinced me not to, and they’re probably the only reason I’m still here. I’m way better now, and I’m really grateful

6points

StitchIsCuteAndFluffy 1 year ago

So proud of you. Stay strong!

2points

Load More Replies...

MrsFettesVette 1 year ago

I'd had one too many bad dates and was pretty fed up with relationships, decided I was pretty happy with my life as it was. Joined a social website at the urging of an older, wiser friend for the interaction and community, with no expectations of any relationship. I saw a post from a guy who lived two states away who was too young for me saying he was just looking to make friends and that he was loyal and a good listener. I thought, "this guy sounds nice, I'm down to make friends" with zero concept that he would be romantically interested in a woman 13 years older than him. How could we possibly relate to one another on a romantic level? And I could see lots of women his age on the site flirting with him. But I was always down to meet new friends so I sent him a note anyway. Fast forward 11 years later and we've been married for years, have cheered each other on and held each other up, own a home and are parents to a crazy little house werewolf, and are each others favorite person.

5points

Headless Horseman 1 year ago

This is how my husband and I met!!! Although he and I are 11 years apart! We are each others cheerleaders and best friends and we have our own little one to be born very soon! 👶 ❤️. Our house wolf is a crazy girl but we love her to death and wouldn't trade her for the world! 🐕

0points

Load More Replies...

censorshipsucks 1 year ago

Dad got me a vic-20 in 1980. I am still in IT.

5points

Manusha Kanis 1 year ago

Me and my best friend had both picked the wrong future job, we were talking about new career paths and she mentioned florist, I added it to my list. She decided to stay in the same school and I ended up switching to florist school. Turned out I'm really good at being a florist if I might say so myself. Loved all my regulars and being able to help with big moments like weddings and funerals.

5points

H Nunya 1 year ago

Florism is cool! 🌸

1point

Load More Replies...

Amelia Jade 1 year ago

The start of 10th grade in high school. I did not like the elective I chose. I can't remeber what it even was. But I was allowed to change it. They moved me to an art appreciation (humanities) class. I sat next to this girl I only kind of knew. We hit it off and became best friends. That was when we were 14. We turn 49 this year and still talk every day. Also, that humanities teacher was amazing and inspired a real love of art that has never gone away. I've been to museums in Paris, Amsterdam, etc. And a few years ago made it to my favorite, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. All because I hated some elective and decided to see if I could switch classes.

4points

James016 1 year ago

Many years ago I was on a dating site. About to log out when I just noticed a small icon in the corner of the screen. Clicked on it and someone had messaged me. We met up and 3 years later we got married. We had our son almost 9 years ago. Another one: I used to work in Kensington, London and my commute would take me through Edgware Road station. After getting fed up of the delays and what not, I change my route and started using the Central Line. About 2 weeks later the 7/7 tube bombing happened. I would have been at Edgware Road station at the time the bombs went off had I not change my route.

4points

Superb Owl 1 year ago

Was 12, went to a camp, was bored, there was a guitar, had never even touched one, picked it up, instantly hooked. I could just feel all the music inside that thing, waiting to be let out.

3points

Scarlett 1 year ago

I was extremely depressed at the end of my junior year (had tried to off myself that February). My mom forced me to work at a summer camp that I’d been to as a camper and an LIT. Ended up making some good friends and improving my mental health by a ton. I made more friends my senior year and even got a boyfriend plus I pulled my GPA up from a 1.8 to a 2.9 which let me graduate and get into a community college. I went back to that camp this summer and had the best summer of my life and made friends that I think will last a lifetime.

2points

Adam Zad 1 year ago

Changed my career plans from Biomedical Engineering (wanted to make cybernetic prosthetics) to Speech because I took an Essentials of Public Speaking class to check off a General Education box on the degree requirements. Discovered I loved public speaking and was really good at it. Now a corporate trainer with a Master's degree in Instructional Design and Technology.

2points

The CareTaker 1 year ago

I was 20 years old, I was very depressed and... if you look at my profile you can see I been through a lot by that age, But I tried to "off" myself, Took a whole bottle of pills, and then got on to my fav game {secondlife} to just say goodbye to friend and smile a lil before I went, but abut 20 mins after I got on, some lil guy dressed as a devil {i was dressed as an angel} he comes up to me and tells me I'm cute and he would like to go out with me, and I need up flirting and telling him I'm a devil and he said "yeah we will see whos the real devil and angel" and laughed and told me he would see me for a DATE the next day, I realized a few mins after he left that I wouldn't get to that date, I enedup running to the bathroom and forcing myself to puke the pills up, and..... he only learned later that he saved my life... we got married, and sadly about 8 years later we broke up due to reasons, but are still best friends and I no longer want to hurt myself cause he actually saved me~

1point

KMB 1 year ago

The first date I had with my husband was typical dinner & movie. We went for coffee after the movie and talked til 4am. I fell in love with him that night. We married and spent 41 happy years together. He passed 5 years ago and I miss him every second of the day. I hope everyone is as lucky as I was.

0points

Stardust she/her 1 year ago

When I was 6 years old, my dad used to travel a lot for work and occasionally he would bring back something for us. One day I woke up very early and I saw that my dad got an encyclopaedia which he left on the couch. I decided to try to read it and I found the first chapter to be very interesting. It was about astronomy and I’ve been obsessed with it since then

10points

Cosmologist wannabe (he/him) 1 year ago

Best astronomer origin story I ever heard. Mine was way simpler. During the summer of 2020, I picked up a few books from a library and brought them to a vacation home near one of the most known observatories in AZ. (Sadly it was closed) I opened up the book. The book was a bit to math-y for me, as I was an 11yo then. It was 400 something pages long. The book was called “Welcome to the Universe” by Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Gobbled up all the non-mathematical info in 5 hours, or so. I always had a small passion for all things space, but that book practically rocketed me up to a total astronomy geek (pun intended). And damn, best guy I have ever read from. I am also going to be going to try to get into one of the best astronomy camps in the US. And this year I get to choose a [REDACTED] at the end of my school year. And I am also planning to become a CIT at a “camp” for children at the one and only Lowell Observatory.

1point

Load More Replies...

Tomato Froggo 1 year ago

I was thinking about ending myself once, but I reached out to a friend first. They convinced me not to, and they’re probably the only reason I’m still here. I’m way better now, and I’m really grateful

6points

StitchIsCuteAndFluffy 1 year ago

So proud of you. Stay strong!

2points

Load More Replies...

MrsFettesVette 1 year ago

I'd had one too many bad dates and was pretty fed up with relationships, decided I was pretty happy with my life as it was. Joined a social website at the urging of an older, wiser friend for the interaction and community, with no expectations of any relationship. I saw a post from a guy who lived two states away who was too young for me saying he was just looking to make friends and that he was loyal and a good listener. I thought, "this guy sounds nice, I'm down to make friends" with zero concept that he would be romantically interested in a woman 13 years older than him. How could we possibly relate to one another on a romantic level? And I could see lots of women his age on the site flirting with him. But I was always down to meet new friends so I sent him a note anyway. Fast forward 11 years later and we've been married for years, have cheered each other on and held each other up, own a home and are parents to a crazy little house werewolf, and are each others favorite person.

5points

Headless Horseman 1 year ago

This is how my husband and I met!!! Although he and I are 11 years apart! We are each others cheerleaders and best friends and we have our own little one to be born very soon! 👶 ❤️. Our house wolf is a crazy girl but we love her to death and wouldn't trade her for the world! 🐕

0points

Load More Replies...

censorshipsucks 1 year ago

Dad got me a vic-20 in 1980. I am still in IT.

5points

Manusha Kanis 1 year ago

Me and my best friend had both picked the wrong future job, we were talking about new career paths and she mentioned florist, I added it to my list. She decided to stay in the same school and I ended up switching to florist school. Turned out I'm really good at being a florist if I might say so myself. Loved all my regulars and being able to help with big moments like weddings and funerals.

5points

H Nunya 1 year ago

Florism is cool! 🌸

1point

Load More Replies...

Amelia Jade 1 year ago

The start of 10th grade in high school. I did not like the elective I chose. I can't remeber what it even was. But I was allowed to change it. They moved me to an art appreciation (humanities) class. I sat next to this girl I only kind of knew. We hit it off and became best friends. That was when we were 14. We turn 49 this year and still talk every day. Also, that humanities teacher was amazing and inspired a real love of art that has never gone away. I've been to museums in Paris, Amsterdam, etc. And a few years ago made it to my favorite, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. All because I hated some elective and decided to see if I could switch classes.

4points

James016 1 year ago

Many years ago I was on a dating site. About to log out when I just noticed a small icon in the corner of the screen. Clicked on it and someone had messaged me. We met up and 3 years later we got married. We had our son almost 9 years ago. Another one: I used to work in Kensington, London and my commute would take me through Edgware Road station. After getting fed up of the delays and what not, I change my route and started using the Central Line. About 2 weeks later the 7/7 tube bombing happened. I would have been at Edgware Road station at the time the bombs went off had I not change my route.

4points

Superb Owl 1 year ago

Was 12, went to a camp, was bored, there was a guitar, had never even touched one, picked it up, instantly hooked. I could just feel all the music inside that thing, waiting to be let out.

3points

Scarlett 1 year ago

I was extremely depressed at the end of my junior year (had tried to off myself that February). My mom forced me to work at a summer camp that I’d been to as a camper and an LIT. Ended up making some good friends and improving my mental health by a ton. I made more friends my senior year and even got a boyfriend plus I pulled my GPA up from a 1.8 to a 2.9 which let me graduate and get into a community college. I went back to that camp this summer and had the best summer of my life and made friends that I think will last a lifetime.

2points

Adam Zad 1 year ago

Changed my career plans from Biomedical Engineering (wanted to make cybernetic prosthetics) to Speech because I took an Essentials of Public Speaking class to check off a General Education box on the degree requirements. Discovered I loved public speaking and was really good at it. Now a corporate trainer with a Master's degree in Instructional Design and Technology.

2points

The CareTaker 1 year ago

I was 20 years old, I was very depressed and... if you look at my profile you can see I been through a lot by that age, But I tried to "off" myself, Took a whole bottle of pills, and then got on to my fav game {secondlife} to just say goodbye to friend and smile a lil before I went, but abut 20 mins after I got on, some lil guy dressed as a devil {i was dressed as an angel} he comes up to me and tells me I'm cute and he would like to go out with me, and I need up flirting and telling him I'm a devil and he said "yeah we will see whos the real devil and angel" and laughed and told me he would see me for a DATE the next day, I realized a few mins after he left that I wouldn't get to that date, I enedup running to the bathroom and forcing myself to puke the pills up, and..... he only learned later that he saved my life... we got married, and sadly about 8 years later we broke up due to reasons, but are still best friends and I no longer want to hurt myself cause he actually saved me~

1point

KMB 1 year ago

The first date I had with my husband was typical dinner & movie. We went for coffee after the movie and talked til 4am. I fell in love with him that night. We married and spent 41 happy years together. He passed 5 years ago and I miss him every second of the day. I hope everyone is as lucky as I was.

0points

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