175Kviews

38 Things Nobody Is Ever Prepared For

Most of us would agree that the beauty of life lies in the unknown. Every day is full of uncertainty and even though sometimes it surprises you with the best things, life can also hit you with something you would never have thought could happen to you.

Recently, one Reddit user asked people to name something 'Nobody is ever prepared for' and the answers are well... something you are definitely not prepared for. From childbirth to sharts, these answers prove that life is full of experiences nobody can prepare you for.

Scroll down to read some unexpected responses! (Facebook cover image: Officer Bimblebury)

This post may include affiliate links.

The death of a parent. No matter how young/old.

BrenTheRipper Report

Final score:

220points

POST

Turd Ferguson 6 years ago

Agreed, miss my dad every day.

46points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Being raped.

Sure, you know it as a concept, a horrible concept that happens to other people. And then it happens to you, and there is no way to be ready for how it will make you feel like you are nothing more than an orifice. Like you are worthless and disgusting. How you will be terrified of men for years and not let anyone touch you. How you will try to date and eventually give up because you can't feel anything.

How your heart will start to race anytime you see a car that looks like his, or walk past someone on the street who vaguely looks like him. You could be thousands of miles away, but that fear is still there.

MissScarlett88 Report

Final score:

197points

POST

Windkissed 6 years ago

I understand.

53points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Living with chronic pain. It's not something you can understand unless you deal with it yourself. And it's not just the pain that wears you down. It's the isolation, losing the ability to do things you love, and watching your life slip through your fingers like sand.

F*ckYouCarl_LoveLizz Report

Final score:

177points

POST

Zori the degu 6 years ago (edited)

It was around the time I became good enough to crawl on the ceiling at the climbing hall that I started feeling pain in my back. Now, it's common in this sport to overwork yourself, but this pain didn't go away as all the others preceding it. Days turned into weeks, weeks into months and I grew very worried indeed. After long hours at different medical buildings, I got a permission for NMR and was diagnosed with a slipped disk. I can still climb, fortunately, but I'd likely never be as good as I would've been if I didn't have slipped disk and climbing upside down like I used to is out of the question. And it's not just climbing, while the doctor was very happy with my level of activity and encouraged it, he reminded me that every sport now carried a risk. It doesn't seem like a big deal compared to all the sufferings other people with chronic pain have to tolerate daily, but it really hurt me that just when I found my sport, this sh*t happened. Destiny seems to love pranking me. :(

28points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Tyranny of the majority.

In school, if you got a question right that most of the other people got wrong, you were praised for being smart.

In real life, if everyone else around you believes something wrong, it simply becomes right.

billyjacob Report

Final score:

171points

POST

BusLady 6 years ago

And in school, those other kids probably hated you.

4points

View more comments

When you don't see your parents often anymore and they get noticeably older each visit

gipemogad Report

Final score:

167points

POST

K. LNU 6 years ago

This is one of the reasons I gave up my contracting job overseas. Spending only 2 weeks out of a year to see them, just wasn't enough. And yes, I did notice the changes.

30points

View more comments

Realizing that making and keeping friends is extremely hard. People drift apart pretty easy.

zimupruo Report

Final score:

164points

POST

Natasha Forchione 6 years ago

This is so true :(

29points

View more comments

Burying their child. I have a few stories, but any way you cut it, some of the most rational people I know have buried their own kids and I don't think anything before or after, no level of therapy can make you the same again. A family friend's son was basically executed because his roommate was selling weed and some assholes decided to kill them for all of a couple ounces of fucking marijuana. A decade later, they put on a face, but you can tell they're still just going through the motions. It's heartbreaking, there's nothing you can say that I'm sure they haven't already heard a thousand times from well wishing friends/family, it'll just never be the same.

hey_there_kitty_cat Report

Final score:

151points

POST

Candy Sheppard 6 years ago

buried 2 babies- never get over that

51points

View More Replies...

View more comments

The first time you go to jail. Aside from the 'oh shit' feeling you have about whatever landed you there, there's the realization that you can't leave. It sounds really obvious, but think about it: in the vast majority of places and situations you find yourself in, you can leave. It might not be wise, it might not be right, and it might have consequences, but you have that option. You're used to having so many possibilities in your day to day that you don't really think about it. Until it gets taken away. You mostly get used to it with time, but nobody is prepared the first time.

nishagunazad Report

Final score:

119points

POST

sosunlight 6 years ago

Also, having someone you know go to jail for the first time - nothing prepares you for the feeling of loss, having to meet with a wall of glass between you, the reality life will never be the same again. And it's not your fault, but somehow you've been swept into the uncontrollable, unfathomable machine of the justice system. Thinking of anyone who is facing that today <3

33points

View More Replies...

View more comments

Watching a parent slowly slip away. I'm currently holding the hand of my dying mother. Two weeks ago she had a massive stroke. She is currently in a coma like state in a hospice facility. She will never recover, just slowly slip away a little more every day. It pains me to see her in this current state. I talk to her as if she was normal, as they say hearing is the last sense you loose. I reassure her everything is ok and there is nothing to worry about, but I leave the room sometimes just to cry.

Tigerlilly31698 Report

Final score:

114points

POST

Jaguarundi 6 years ago

I'm so sorry for your loss.

43points

View more comments

#10

Alzheimer’s and Demetria. Now imagine that you didn’t know anything that you knew before. It all suddenly is just so far away for you to remember. What if your mother, someone who gave birth to and raised you suddenly forgot who you are or confused you for someone else. That honestly scares me more than death. The sum of everything that people did with their lives is really on held in your memory, material is temporary and can easily be destroyed or taken. But imagine your on your death bed and you die only knowing a few of any details of your life. Imagine if your child came up to say hi and you couldn’t recognize who they were and you thought they were a stranger. Imagine the hurt they would feel. Alzheimer’s is one of those things that really hurts everyone around you. It’s like your body is their but a whole bother person is occupying it and your not their anymore. You're not you anymore.

montero19 Report

Final score:

105points

POST

Zori the degu 6 years ago

The worst part is that people with Alzheimer's often fully realise what's happening to them. Imagine starting to forget everything, first your freshest memories disappear, then you are slowly robbed off your fondest, most special memories and finally even the oldest ones are gone. As a person, who deeply values the power of the mind and is disappointed by it's lack of importance to today's society ideals, one of my greatest fears is precisely this: diseases that affect your mental abilities. If this ever happens to me, I would likely jump off somewhere at it's very beginning, because the misery would likely kill me before the disease does. I'm a loser, much like any average person alone and without my imagination, memories, crazy ideas and following of the road less travelled, I would be no one.

48points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#11

Googling an old ex to see how she's doing these days since you haven't spoken to her in over 7 years, and finding her obituary online.

It took my brain a good 5 minutes to actually process and acknowledge that the picture of her that came up was from a funeral home website.

HomerFong Report

Final score:

79points

POST

diane a 6 years ago

I google my evil, violent ex occasionally - more in hope than expectation

40points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#12

Finding out your SO is cheating on you.

That sort of betrayal of trust is brutal and even if you suspect something, you still want to believe it's not true.

-eDgAR- Report

Final score:

76points

POST

Rebekah 6 years ago

Fact.

10points

BusLady 6 years ago

I know. You try to ignore the red flags.

2points

Nini Meow 6 years ago

Never got over this

1point

Sydney Eastern 6 years ago

This comment has been deleted.

1point

SupernaturalPanda 2 years ago

Hard core truth here

0points

Amethyst Rose 4 years ago

That’s too true..it’s happened to me a couple of times, and was forced to be okay with it and stay with her. A little over a year later I’m finally free of her, we’re great friends..sisters almost oddly enough. I’ve now been with an amazing guy for four months and can’t wait to see what the future brings us.

0points

Max L. 6 years ago

Not big deal, just forget to advice you're going down to buy a pack of cigarettes to never come back, works even better if you're not even smoking at all.

0points

Sue Stephens 6 years ago

Ditto!

0points

Carol Emory 6 years ago

And I never understand the people that take their SO's back after they've cheated. You can't tell me that you completely trust them anymore. So how is that a healthy relationship?

0points

Mals Winter 6 years ago

I am very scared to start a real relationship for fear of knowing this is a reality.

0points

View more comments

#13

Unexpected layoffs. You'll never feel safe at work ever again! :)

i7xx Report

Final score:

73points

POST

Jaguarundi 6 years ago

Right that!

14points

View more comments

#14

"We need to talk"

Ephemeris Report

Final score:

72points

POST

Jaguarundi 6 years ago

Almost the four most frightening words in the language, any language.

28points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#15

The loss of a sibling.

I lost my brother a couple months ago and while he was sick we never saw his passing as a reality. It hit the whole family like a truck. None of us are the same and likely will never be the same.

The family dynamic has completely changed, the roles we had filled for the past 30 years all shifted. We're all adrift. We're all flailing. We're all seeking to fill the void of his presence.

No amount of accepting it will change these things. There is a void in our family that only he could fill. We were not, are not, and will not be prepared for dealing with it without him.

eosh Report

Final score:

71points

POST

Natasha Forchione 6 years ago

This hit me really hard... same thing happened in our family and we have never been the same. It sucks and there is not one day that I don't think of him, the moments that will never be.

16points

View more comments

#16

Come home, Wife is gone. Kids gone. She took them and left the state.

liberaltearhoarder Report

Final score:

66points

POST

Jaguarundi 6 years ago

I've known folks that had come home from deployment and were completely wiped out, bank account, possessions, kids, even their off-base apartment was gone. These had been women as well as men. The SO had power of attorney and ran with it.

24points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#17

Sudden disability. Its been almost a decade and I still don’t feel like I fully grasp it and how it changes everything lol...

ooluula Report

Final score:

64points

POST

Carol Emory 6 years ago

I just talked to a classmate that's in a wheelchair. He told me stories about when he worked with the police. I asked him how he ended up in the wheelchair. It was a swimming accident where his head hit the bottom of the pool. He likes the fact that I treat him like any other person. I don't automatically do everything for him..I wait until he asks..that way he holds onto some independence. He's a cool guy. He would've made a great police officer.

2points

View more comments

#18

Childbirth. I just had my daughter five days ago. I thought I was prepared for labor, but holy s*it, back labor is the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my entire life. No amount of mental preparation would have made me ready for that. On the plus, my husband finally won the argument of two kids (our daughter is his second) vs. three kids. Because I’m never doing that shit again.

Also, the never ending anxiety of “can I keep a completely vulnerable and fragile human alive today”?

BruisesAndWine Report

Final score:

64points

POST

Windkissed 6 years ago

Funny thing, childbirth amnesia is REAL!

40points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#19

Coming to grips with your own mortality. It just hits you some day that you're going to die, and eventually will be forgotten.

Aint nobody ready for that.

rabidbasher Report

Final score:

55points

POST

MetalHeadWhoLovesAnimals 6 years ago

For a lot of people, me included, death isn't a scary thing, its one of the only guarantees in life, doesn't scare me or freak me out whatsoever. Bring it on.

25points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#20

The feelings of your first true heartbreak. That felt like nothing I've ever felt before. Couldn't eat or sleep for a week and the effects have lasted months after. I've had love before but it took me til 28 to truly feel heartbreak like this.

Viper-X Report

Final score:

52points

POST

MetalHeadWhoLovesAnimals 6 years ago

Yep agree, i was 20 when it happened, didn't think it would hurt so much.

11points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#21

Catching your headphones or clothes on a door handle.

SeldomSober Report

Final score:

46points

POST

Not_Alec 6 years ago

Ack! This happens to me all the time!

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#22

A shart.

hiddenuse Report

Final score:

46points

POST

Sean Forrester 6 years ago

Thankyou for some excellent comedic relief in an otherwise morbid column. I laughed so hard.

31points

View more comments

#23

Breezing through high school with high grades without even trying then getting to university and realizing you can't do that anymore but you literally have no idea how not to. You don't have the discipline to study properly let alone know how to study properly.

sarah_gitanjali Report

Final score:

46points

POST

Rafaella Bueno 6 years ago

I'm like this with jobs to an extent... I have no idea how to look for a job. Most jobs I had people came for me. I don't know how do you even figure out whether they need anyone in my profession since ads aren't too common.

4points

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Dutch Swimmer Goes Viral For Super Revealing Trunks During 2024 Olympics: “Is This Legal?”

Thrill-Seeking Diver Jumps Down Extreme Waterslide, Ignoring The Strict Ban For Women

#24

Somebody oversharing their life details in the first 5 minutes of meeting you

MG_72 Report

Final score:

37points

POST

Ivana 6 years ago

I am the queen of oversharing. Not sure why I do it. I guess I just like to get everything out there from the start so we can all quickly determine if we want to continue being around each other. Or I just don't care what people know about me because I don't care what the reaction will be. If you don't like what I say in the first five minutes then there isn't much chance of us seeing each other again.

2points

View more comments

#25

Toast popping up from a toaster when it's done. S*it gets me every time.

lavford Report

Final score:

34points

POST

Cristian's GeneralBuilding 6 years ago

Or when you open the camera on your phone and it's set on the front camera and you see your face.

20points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#26

Their first kid

Khufuu Report

Final score:

33points

POST

Bumble 6 years ago

Or being told you will never have one. You always assume it won't be an issue and then BAM!

14points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#27

Honestly probably another large recession. Most people don't have very much money saved...so I can't even imagine how badly that would devastate the country.

mercfh65 Report

Final score:

29points

POST

Candy Sheppard 6 years ago

or worse, cause it looks like it's coming

10points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#28

The lifestyle change from becoming a full time student to full time worker. It's been a year, i feel as if i'm still adjusting.

luisl1994 Report

Final score:

29points

POST

HoffLensMetalHeadLovesAnimals 6 years ago

It will take longer than that my friend, work life sucks, its the least fun part of life.

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Put A Water Fountain With A Camera In Her Yard, Here Are 24 Photos Of Regular Visitors (New Pics)

“Ma’am I Live Here”: Woman Refuses To Back Out Of Driveway, Learns A Lesson The Hard Way

#29

The first time your toddler drops an F*bomb. You don't know whether to laugh, scold them or pretend it didn't happen and hope it never does again.

PunchBeard Report

Final score:

25points

POST

BusLady 6 years ago

Well, they hear it everywhere.

6points

View more comments

#30

Winning the mega-millions/billions lottery. I've read many stories about how it ruined people's lives.

WhoByWater Report

Final score:

25points

POST

HoffLensMetalHeadLovesAnimals 6 years ago

I would still take a chance.

41points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#31

First apartment. Not that it's a bad thing, but all the reading in the world, and you'll still forget to buy one random item that'll f**k your night up.

For me, a can opener. Didn't have a goddamn can opener!

brandnamenerd Report

Final score:

25points

POST

anarkzie 6 years ago

Yep, and the realisation that stuff like tooth paste, toilet paper and soap don't magically just appear, even though you know your parents buy this stuff it still feels weird having to buy and manage the buying of it yourself.

14points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#32

Paper cuts.

The Gilberator Report

Final score:

24points

POST

Kim Briek 6 years ago

THOSE ARE BLOODY AWFUL!!!!!

16points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#33

Winter. It happens every year and people always forget how to deal with it. I live in Alaska and people have been here for years and don't even have winter costs or boots. Don't even get me started on driving when it snows that's a whole different can of worms.

dickforbrainz420 Report

Final score:

22points

POST

Parmeisan 6 years ago

What? I live in Saskatchewan and people here do forget how to drive every year - it takes about a week to re-familiarize yourself with braking and the shifted lanes - but we don't have any other issues with winter. I mean, people wear their fall coats a little longer than they probably should because we're hoping it'll warm up again (the weather often shifts around a lot in September to mid November) but that's about it.

7points

View More Replies...

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

50 Of The Most Incredible Shots That Were Submitted To The Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards

French Diver’s “Jewels” In Tight Swimming Trunks Become Talk Of The Town At Olympics

#34

Turning the lights on after waking up in the middle of the night.

MePirate Report

Final score:

19points

POST

Kiahna 6 years ago

That's why I don't. Just go to the toilet in the dark and run back to bed.

14points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#35

A clever comeback

Jumpinalake Report

Final score:

18points

POST

ShiftyLookinNinjaPandaGirl 6 years ago

Yes, i need this.

8points

View More Replies...

View more comments

#36

Getting caught lying. Most people only lie cause they think they are good at it and that the truth won’t come out.

godzillanightmare Report

Final score:

17points

POST

Iapetos 6 years ago

I always anticipate getting caught.

4points

View more comments

#37

When you cheat in your girlfriends dreams.

senozaki Report

Final score:

14points

POST

Hard 2 Guess 6 years ago

RUN! BUY FLOWERS! BUY CHOCOLATES! BUY GIFTS! Apologize profusely for something you did in her dreams. You MAY ... I emphasize MAY get some mercy.

21points

View more comments

#38

Snapping a guitar string

reyhan_zip Report

Final score:

11points

POST

Chris Pitch 6 years ago

I feel your pain. then snapping one while restringing

1point

View more comments

See Also on Bored Panda

Woman Moves Out Of Parents' Home After They Asked Her To Give Her Space To Brother, They Freak Out

Mom Leaves $250k Inheritance To Son, Throws A Fit When Daughter Stops Looking After Her

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

Read less »

This lazy panda forgot to write something about itself.

Read less »

What do you think ?

POST

diane a 6 years ago

I'd like to add one - The first physical assault by a partner or spouse. You know something was taken from you and that moment stays in your head for the rest of your life.

19points

HoffLensMetalHeadLovesAnimals 6 years ago

The death of the first dog you own as an adult, it was the most profound sadness i ever felt and it was a bummer, i had him for 15 years and loved him more than anything, when he died of cancer it surprised me how immensely heartbroken i was, i was even signed off of work for 2 weeks, it was so horrible.

16points

Emory Griffis 6 years ago

You have just posted my number one fear; I cannot even momentarily consider losing my American Bulldog, a rescue that I didn't even want and now love more than anything in the world.

5points

38 Things Nobody Is Ever Prepared For

Games

Rugile

Rugile

Word Search

WordroW

Jigsaw

Crossword

Sudoku

Picdoku

Killer Sudoku

Kriss Kross

Word Flower