Random Life Stories and Unpredictable Moments

Or maybe I should rephrase it being ‘alone’ yk I might just be saying this bc of my situation like I sit alone at school no friends but yk I have kinda learnt to deal with it and I’m still bothered but it doesn’t make me that sad anymore. Ok so the main thing in jan I posted a video saying ‘I want a movie where they idolised being alone instead of always makimg it seem like a bad thing’ with the caption- where the characters ACTUALLY have no friends and are still happy and surprising it did get a lot of views and comments 😭 but it was controversial in the comments apparently? Like some people were saying ‘cause it is depressing ? 💀’ others were saying like ‘no it’s not. We don’t always need to be with people’ OK LIKE I GET WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE ‘humans need connection’ but just hear me out. Like believe me I HAVE tried making friends like I’ve gone up to a girl abd was like hey and whe low-key looked uncomfortable 😭 still regret doing it and just yesterday I tried again she was AWKWARD like hopefully u get what I’m saying like yes I’m sure that whole human connection thing makes sense but yk some people just don’t have good people in their lives. And BRO FONT GETME STARTED ON MY MOTHER. Like when I told her I have no one in school that I just sat alone she was like why don’t u try? like that’s not normal! We need people u need to change your mindset! But u see the thing is like bro I have kinda changed my mindset to not needing people bro if I badly wanted people till now my mental health will have become so bad🙏 like I kinda hope u understand my perseptive of wanting a movie like this? Like a character who has no friends and still is happy yk their entire life is based around others. I don’t wnat advice on making friends IVE TRIED I want to be truly happy alone

Before the pandemic, me and a few of my friends, including Zach and Mia, pooled our savings to launch a food truck business. We were all pretty excited, dropping around $5,000 each to get started. However, just as we were picking up steam, COVID-19 reared its ugly head, and our sales flatlined. Our locality was not into delivery services back then, and we struggled to keep the lights on, metaphorisch speaking.

With heavy hearts, our group—which was quite close-knit back then—convened to weigh our options. In the end, we agreed that selling the food truck, which by then was already decked out with our branding but looking a bit worn, wouldn't fetch us much. We were getting some pretty dismal offers for it, mere pennies on the dollar.

Despite having other jobs, we decided to hold onto the truck. Even though the potential $1,000 to $1,500 each from selling the truck might seem substantial, it wasn't a break-the-bank kind of loss for us given our other income sources. Eventually, a few of our group opted out, disheartened by the flop of what was once a shared dream. Their departure was so poignant; they cut off contact, leaving behind not just the business but our shared pastimes and jokes in our group chat, which went silent.

Fast forward to mid-2022, a subset of the original investors, myself included, decided to reignite the food truck venture. This time around, the dynamics in our area had shifted—people embraced delivery services, and the occasional event boosted our visibility. We approached Zach, Mia, and the other person who'd left, offering them a chance to rejoin. They all passed, having moved on to different things.

Our rebooted venture required minimal additional investment and actually began turning a noticeable profit. We even hired some staff to manage the daily operations as most of us were tied up with our day jobs; one even committed full time to managing our burgeoning business.

Surprisingly, last month, Zach and Mia reached out after years of silence. They demanded a cut of the company's ownership and profits—around 12.5% each—citing their initial investments. This felt unreasonable to us who had persisted through the tough times without their involvement or support. We thought reimbursing their initial $5,000 investment was fair, especially considering they would have pocketed much less had we offloaded the truck when the pandemic struck.

I know some might urge us to check the legalities, but honestly, when we restarted, we only formalized things among those of us actively involved. Neither Zach nor Mia were part of this new legal entity.

Picture if this were a reality show, the tension and drama around this financial dispute could be show-stopping! Conversations could become heated, accusations might fly, and viewers would be at the edge of their seats, wondering if friendships can withstand the strains of money issues. It'd be an emotional rollercoer, playing out in front of a live audience craving real-world conflicts and resolutions.

Given these circumstances, am I being unreasonable here?

IT'S THIS DAMN GUY AGAIN

And if you think talking about him this much is bad, just imagine what my friends have been going through for MONTHS

I keep on taking nonstop wrong decisions even though at the time of taking them I don't realise the potential cons everytime. Some decisions I surely know that were wrong and some I am confuse that whether it was right or wrong. But I am never make decisions which are absolutely right for me ( or so I think).

I get anxiety attacks due to this.

At this point I think I should take any decision that I think are right, and out of say 3 decisions, if atleast 1 is right then I would be satisfied.

hello, I could use some advice on a situation, and I need someone to tell me if i am in the wrong here.

I have always had a tough time making friends and getting close to people. it generally takes me about two years of being friends with someone before the conversation starts flowing comfortably and naturally. because of this, I hold my friendships very close. I try my best to be a good friend and I would never do anything to purposely hurt a friend. that being said, over these past year or two I have been friends with a girl named Jude. this school year Jude and I have been getting fairly close. we have finally hit the point where conversation is just natural and I am not always worried that I am being annoying or that she is just hanging out with me because she feels like she has to. well our friendship got a little complicated a few months ago when Jude started dating my cousin Troy. Troy and his family have had a difficult last year. I don't need to get into it too much, but his parents are in the middle of getting a divorce and money has been a little tight. over this last week or so Jude has been telling me she has been buying pizza for Troy and his brother because they have nothing to eat at home. she told me not to tell anyone about it because she didn't want Troy getting mad at her for telling me. normally I wouldn't get involved with the situation. If I wasn't related to the guy I would have just let her talk, and not share the information. however, with Troy being family I was concerned and wanted to try and help. it shouldn't be Jude's job to make sure that her boyfriend's family is eating. so after thinking it over for a bit, I asked my mom if we could send his family some extra beef and or sausage because we raise farm animals and just sent some off to butcher. I also told her that Jude had been buying them pizza. I figured it wouldn't be too big of a deal since we usually send some of our extra meat to Troy's family. Well, the other day Troy's mom (my aunt) came over and was talking to my mom. something must have gotten broughten up about Jude buying Troy pizza. anyway, Jude texted me today and asked if I had been telling people that Troy's family had no food. I immediately freaked out because the only person I talked to was my mom, and I only did that because I was genuinely concerned and wanted to make sure the kids had food. I made sure to ask my mom not to mention Jude because I didn't want her to get in trouble with Troy, and I didn't want Jude to be mad at me. well it turns out that Troy and his brother have been fed at home, they just want junk food and I think that Troy is lying to Jude. Jude is the type of person to have a tough time breaking things off with a boy, and I know that if I try to bring this up she will take his side over mine and I will have lost a friend. which is really tough because I have such a tough time making friends. but i am pretty sure that Troy has been manipulating the situation because he tells Jude he isn't getting fed, he tells his mom that he is fine with Jude buying him stuff because she is making good money, and he told my mom that he hates it when Jude buys him stuff. I don't know what to do, and I feel terrible. I shouldn't have said anything to my mom, but I just wanted to help. I think Jude is mad and me, and I don't know what to say to make things better. what do I do? and am I in the wrong here? all I know is that I feel horrible

Last weekend, my 15-year-old daughter hosted a sleepover with four of her close friends. They seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company, and all behaved respectfully towards my husband and me. While the response from most parents post-event was appreciative and positive, one of the mothers had several criticisms concerning how the sleepover was managed.

To begin, the issue arose because the girls had decided to take a dip in our pool. When sending out the invitation, I had explicitly asked each parent if their child had permission to swim. Responses were affirmative, with exception of this particular mother who didn’t reply directly but ‘liked’ the message. I took this as a passive approval, especially knowing that these girls recently passed a compulsory swimming test in their physical education class. Moreover, my husband is a certified lifeguard, having trained and qualified under a Red Cross program, which reassured us of their safety.

The mother’s second complaint revolved around the snacks and dinner served, stating it was unhealthy. At a sleepover, some leniency with food is generally accepted and I see no harm in allowing some treats. The criticism extended to the movie selection that evening; the girls picked “The Fault In Our Stars”. Due to the mix of ages between 14 and 15, the only restriction I had set was against R-rated films. Lastly, the mother disapproved of the girls staying up until midnight. Yet, they did manage around 8.5 hours of sleep, getting up at 8:30 the next morning, which I believe is reasonable for a sleepover.

The dissatisfaction was communicated through a text from the mother the following day, thanking me for hosting but labeling my decisions as ‘questionable’ and ‘inappropriate.’ I responded politely, expressing that without clear communication of her preferences beforehand, I couldn’t have known her expectations. Her next reply chose to blame me entirely, and despite my apology to mitigate the situation, she chose not to respond.

Thinking about how these interactions would fare if it were part of a reality TV show adds an intriguing layer. There's often drama in such shows, and criticism, even trivial, can be sensationalized for entertainment. Viewers might align with either party, sparking wider debate and speculation on social media, possibly empowering or chastising one's parenting decisions publicly. Would the critique have been as severe, or would the reality TV context have amplified the drama for better storytelling?

Now, I'm left wondering, was I wrong not include stricter rules for the sleepover or to insist on clearer communication from all parents?

We'll refer to my parents as parent 1 and parent 2

I was raised Half Poor and half upper middle class. My parent divorced before I could remember so that never bothered me.

I was Raised with the first half of my adolescence with parent 1, Parent 1 was poor and had other kids, though I was spoiled and became rotten; often lashing out at people close to me, even traumatizing animals, and using suicide threats to get what I wanted. I got so bad to the point where Parent 1 threw me away at a police station for Parent 2 to take me instead.

Parent 2 was cold, insensitive, and upper middle class.

When I moved in with parent 2 I was filled with dread(maybe foreshadowing i suppose). for awhile things were bad with parent 2 as they where with most visits with parent 2, but then things got a little better, parent 2 started seeing parent 3 and seemed to be a little happier. At some point parent 2 promised they'd be a better parent, those words engrained into my memory. . .

Lies.

From then on things got worse and worse. Parent 2 with parent 3 had new offspring, and with each new offspring I was seen less and less. I became super neglected, with only punishments as reinforcement and the occasional gift, though the gifts for the new offspring where often more extravagant and meaningful, though even they where neglected; so you can probably imagine how little attention I got. At some point I actually became suicidal, often when in company of parent 2. Every time I raised a concern or tried talking to parent 2 I got shut down or yelled at. One time I was punched in the face for teasing. Parent 2 snapped my phone when calling the police. I felt trapped. For awhile I carved cuts into my skin to work up the courage to end it all. it goes on.

But now, I face an issue. I have not love in my heart for the Parents, infact love is alien to me. whether i forgot what it feels like or never felt it, I'm not sure. So how do I tell my parents I don't love them.

Human moment.

It's a real story from a few years ago. About my dog Dakota.

I went to the animal shelter with my mom. We were going there cause I asked to see the cats. I had a cat at the time name Crystal. I think I was around 10 during this time.

As I was looking at all the fresh faces of the cute kitties.

There was this crate in the lobby.

Poor little guy was brought back by their owner due to the owners mom having cancer or something. Which I could totally relate to in the future.

But back to the story.

My mom was near the crate. She peered inside. Then boop! A small nose popped outta the tiny mountain of blankets. Then the rest of the snout, then Dakota's large, brown, cute eyes found my mom's. He then popped his whole head outta the blankets. He has one ear up and one ear flopped down. He had a white diamond shaped fur patch on his forehead. Sorta like the pretty jewel things that Indian cultured people wear. But this fur patch was just part of his pattern.

He was so cute and tiny. A Chihuahua mix. I think he was round 6 months old. But tiny.

My mom instantly bonded with the little guy!

All this happened while I was looking at the cats.

When it was time to leave... As I was skipping down the steps. My mom stopped. She looked at me. I stopped. I looked at her. And she said, "do you wanna get a dog?" I thought she was joking. So I sorta laughed it off. Cause my mom wasn't known to be spontaneous. At least not that I knew of.

When I realized that she was serious... I jumped for joy, bounded up the stairs. We got the little tot. And the rest was history.

Until 5 years later...

Dakota was know to use his nose a lot. Smelled anything, anyone, and any-any, until he smelled the wrong thing.

A pile of fungus.

It went to his brain. He couldn't walk. Couldn't eat. Wouldn't hold his fluids.

So, we had to put him down. Actually... My mom had to at the Vets. I couldn't be in the room due to the stress.

Over the years, my mom and I always said, "it was his nose that brought him to us, and it was his nose that took him away".

So, be careful with your pets out there. And watch out for fungus. They're not good for the brain!!

Have you ever felt like your mother is the source of your problems? Yeah? Me too. Like she is the fuel in the fire that I am drowning in. She is providing me all this warm and then burning me, leaving scars on the skin. My mother talks about toxicity, bad friends, bad life choices. She tells me how *I* feel. She doesn't know me, does she? No. She thinks she does, the cause of all my problems. The hopelessness, the pain, the anger that follows it all. I hate it.

I hate my mother.

Hey... this is gonna be tough to say.

TW // talk about rape

so... my partner, K, has been raped a few times in her life. I understand it to a degree, having been sa'd multiple times and raped once myself, but I can't seem to silence my thoughts. Whenever I am alone thinking, I for some reason start to think about the fact that she was raped, and I get urges to ask for descriptive details about them, things like who it was, what their relation was to her, where it happened, how it happened, what they did, basically things that should never be asked. I am not necessarily afraid that I am going to slip up and end up asking them, but I'm worried where they come from, because it feels almost like i want to know the details so i can imagine myself in that situation. Almost like I want to have lived her life and experienced all the good and bad she's been through and its kind of eating me up. I can't seem to understand why i want to be her so badly.

A few weeks after an intense Father's Day, my mother, her new husband, and I found ourselves in group therapy. This decision was fueled by their frustrations with my refusal to embrace the family dynamic they envisioned. We initiated our sessions towards the end of July, and by the end of August, tensions had escalated: during one session, my mom, teary-eyed and distressed, labeled me a liar, deeply wounded by what she perceived as my efforts to undermine her marriage.

The accusation infuriated me—I had been truthful throughout our discussions. I detailed my perspective in the subsequent session, highlighting my feelings about being wrongfully called dishonest. My mom interrupted repeatedly, dismissing the therapist's attempts to mediate and doubling down on her accusations against me.

To understand the core of our issue, it's important to consider the backdrop. Three years prior, shortly after my mother’s husband entered our lives and a mere two months before they married, they proposed we become a 'family' again. The notion included him stepping into a fatherly role—filling the void left by my father's passing. During a discussion in February, they outlined a hopeful picture of our future as a unified family, including celebrating Father’s Day altogether. I was clear from the start: I did not want a replacement for my dad, nor did I intend to celebrate Father's Day with him. Despite this, they laughed it off, but when the day came each year, the issue reared its head again. This past year, he lost patience, complaining about my absence on Father's Day and his unfulfilled role.

My mom's claim of deceit stemmed from her belief that I had agreed to forge a closer bond with her husband and to partake in family traditions like Father's Day—promises she insisted I made. Her allegations were baseless; I had been explicit about my feelings and intentions from the beginning.

Throughout therapy, the therapist struggled to maintain a balanced dialogue, often unable to rein in my mom and her husband's dominant presence. Frustrated and feeling unheard, I eventually withdrew, engaging minimally. It was only recently that they noticed my disengagement, which I confirmed, demanding an apology for the false accusations before I would reconsider my participation. This sparked further frustration from them, accusing me of stalling the therapeutic process.

In an environment like a reality show, my stand could potentially evoke mixed reactions from the audience. There could be a strong empathetic response from viewers who appreciate my steadfastness in preserving my father's memory and recognizing the complexities of blended families. On the other hand, some might view my actions as stubborn, perhaps misunderstanding the depth of my emotions connected to my father's absence and the significance of Father's Day.

Would I be justified in demanding an apology?

Mother-in-law story here but I am the MIL!

At 63, managing life as a bustling single mother and grandmother isn't simple. I live with three of my children, who are 22, 26, and 30 years old, along with my beloved grandson. Life is full but fulfilling in its own unique way. My eldest son and his wife, who live several hours away, visited us last weekend. During their stay, my daughter-in-law took a moment to express her concerns about my household's current situation. She tactfully mentioned her worry about her siblings-in-law not pursuing further education or long-term careers. Her remarks hinted that she found the lack of progress and independence in my adult children disconcerting.

Since their move, the frequency of their visits has lessened, which had puzzled me until now. When asked, my daughter-in-law pointed out the practical issues such as the lack of sleeping space, hinting that the living arrangements were hardly ideal for guests. It's been eight years since she joined our family and our relationship had always been pleasant. However, her recent observations, layered with a certain air of judgment, did catch me off guard. She's a professional nurse and played a significant role in encouraging my son to specialize in IT. Meanwhile, the rest of us have continued with our regular jobs, managing to keep ourselves economically stable.

Her insight into our living dynamics seemed to stir a notion that we were somehow lagging behind ideal societal milestones. This perspective, particularly as they consider starting their own family, seemed to magnify her apprehensions. Challenged by her viewpoint, my response, perhaps sharper than intended, suggested she might have married into the wrong family. This remark apparently wounded her, as my son later pointed out, indicating I had hurt her feelings. While she possibly meant well, her comments pierced me too, suggesting a dissatisfaction with our family dynamics.

On a different note, imagine if this scenario played out on a reality show. The sparks would fly! Reality TV thrives on the tensions that arise from such family dynamics and heartfelt exchanges. Cameras rolling as the confrontation unfolded would likely amplify our reactions for dramatic effect, perhaps encouraging viewers to take sides. The episode would probably conclude with cliff-hanger music, leaving the audience eager to tune in next week and see if family bridges are burned or built stronger.

I have a day at work and not gonna go in much detail, but let’s just say I made a mistake and yet everyone makes it feel like the stupidest idea I ever had. We are meeting. We cleared everything out, but I’m now feeling like I’m the bad guy all over again. Even my parents think that I did something stupid even though I can’t help it at times it’s just that I think what bugs me the most lately is the crying of others that makes me feel like I can’t stop it. They’re going to make it worse for me and I hate seeing crying. Everybody’s gonna blame me for one little thing. But I know a mistake. But it gets hard going to get this pressure specially from the people you’re working with cause they’re saying on their butts and not doing anything and you’re trying to do your best. I guess sometimes your best is not the greatest. Hopefully next week will be better.

Living together with my fiancée and her young daughter has its sweet moments, but mealtime has started to become a bit of a battleground recently. As the primary cook in our household, I've always taken the lead on planning and preparing our meals. While I make sure to accommodate their taste preferences, my suggestions have been increasingly met with complaints like, “no, I don’t like that,” or “can we have something else instead?”

Just this evening, pleading for the chance to whip up a simple dish of pasta with homemade tomato sauce felt more challenging than it should.

Earlier today, while we were grocery shopping, I stumbled upon an item I hadn’t enjoyed for over a year. Excited, I pointed it out, only to be met with disdain from my fiancée and a rather unpleasant comment from my stepdaughter, likening the appearance of the food to diarrhea. This remark not only dampened my spirits but also left me feeling rather hurt.

Frustrated, I declared over dinner that they would need to take on the meal planning themselves moving forward. I mentioned that from now on, I could just prepare meals for myself if that would simplify things.

Suppose my ordeal was featured on a reality show. In that scenario, I can only imagine the varied reactions of the audience. Some might empathize with my frustration over the lack of appreciation for my cooking efforts, while others could argue that I overreacted by deciding to step back from cooking for the family. It would certainly spark a lively debate among viewers, each siding differently based on their personal views on family dynamics and responsibilities.

How do you see my reaction in the situation? Was I right?

My partner Isabella suffers from severe food allergies, including life-threatening allergies to shellfish and peanuts. She's also allergic to less common items like celery and soy. Often, people either don't take these allergies seriously or assume they can safely omit the allergens without considering cross-contamination, so Isabella usually brings her own food as a precaution. During our initial visit to a family dinner hosted by my mom, Isabella packed her own meal because mom implied preparing allergy-safe food might be challenging. This upset my mom initially, who felt slighted that Isabella didn't trust the meal she prepared.

Before moving closer to family, my wife and they had a great relationship. However, we re-located to be near both our families 18 months ago to maintain stronger family ties.

Following that first encounter, Isabella decided not to bring her backup meal to the next gathering, trusting my mom’s assurances. For a time, everything went well. But then one evening, my mom prepared a special dish for Isabella while the rest of us had meals containing shellfish and soy. Unfortunately, due to lapses in food preparation safety, cross-contamination occurred, and Isabella suffered an allergic reaction. Although mom apologized and acknowledged her oversight, she later voiced how burdensome it was to prepare a separate meal for Isabella, subsequently reverting to making a single, unsafe meal for everyone.

Faced with no other safe options, Isabella resumed bringing her own food, which reignited tension. After numerous discussions with the entire family, who expressed that it was unreasonable to expect my mom to accommodate one person's needs so extensively, I made the hard choice for Isabella and me to stop attending these family dinners.

This decision stirred controversy within the family, with the criticism largely directed towards me. I've made it clear that Isabella’s health is my top priority, and I can’t justify putting her at risk for an allergic reaction or make her feel excluded by having her just watch everyone else eat. Thus, avoiding these dinners seemed the only viable solution.

Imagine if this scenario unfolded on a reality show. Viewers might rally behind Isabella, incensed by the apparent disregard for her health, or they might sympathize with my mom, viewing her efforts as being unappreciated. The tension and division could peak, sparking debates and social media buzz about family obligations and the realities of dietary restrictions.

If this were a poll in a reality TV show, how might people vote on our decision to stop attending family dinners?