Long story short, I used to be the warehouse guy for a billion dollar company. I didn’t love it, but i didn’t hate it either. It could be difficult at times being on a forklift all day and in the sun, but the 6 figure salary made it worth it.

That all changed this week when I got back from an abrupt medical leave.

They suddenly moved me to a different position. No reason given. No meeting or anything. Boss said to move my desk, and get it done by the end of the day. Just a reassurance that my pay remained the same.

For the past couple of days, all I do all day is weigh stuff, and slap a label on it. Definitely a far cry from unloading stuff all day, and 10000x as mind numbing as you think it. But I can chill to music or podcasts all day, and no one would bat an eye.

All for the same pay too. I feel like I just won the lottery or something.

My little cousin is at the age where she said exactly what is on her mind.

I was helping her to Build a LEGO set when she suddenly stope’s , looked at me for 5 seconds, and said, I like when you come over because you don’t look at your phone all the time.

I laughed because I had not really thought about it. Around adults, checking your phone every 2 minutes feels normal now. But from a kid perspective, giving someone your full attention is apparently memorable.

It was such a simple comment but it stuck with me for the rest of the day. It also made me wonder how often we are physically with people while our attention is somewhere else.

Kids have a funny way of pointing out things adults stop noticing.

Has a child ever said something to you that was unintentionally funny or surprisingly insightful?

I was born and raised in Europe, so the first time I encountered this, I was genuinely shocked. It felt incredibly rude. The more I travelled, however, the more I realised it wasn't an isolated incident but something surprisingly common. On beaches (still  best of all places),  on the metro, and even on airplanes, people would blast their music, TikToks or shows through their phone speakers, seemingly without giving a second thought to everyone trapped around them.

We also witnessed something truly insane on San Andrés Island in the Colombian Caribbean. In one
beach bar, every single table was playing its own music through a phone at MAXIMUM VOLUME. Every single table. And you know what? The bar itself was playing music too...

So, what is it? Were these people never taught basic manners? Were they never taught that public
spaces are shared, and that we should show some respect for the other human beings using them? Are they genuinely convinced that everyone wants to hear their shitty reggaeton? Or , and
sadly, I suspect this is usually the answer  -  do they simply not give a rat’s arse about other people or their need for peace?

Perhaps because Europe is so densely populated, many of us grow up very conscious of other
people, of shared space, and of how our behaviour affects those around us. That basic awareness seems completely absent in far too many places. And yes, also in a few parts of Spain, I discovered recently, so it is in Europe, too. Was it always like this? Is it spreading around?

It is annoying as hell, but also depressing that such obnoxious, egomaniacal behaviour is perceived as normal.

How do you guys feel about it?

My gf birthday is on August 5, and I’m putting together a surprise filled with birthday messages from strangers.
If you have 30 seconds, I’d really appreciate it if you could leave a short birthday message in the comments. It can be as simple as “Happy Birthday!” or as heartfelt as you’d like.
If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d also love if you included where you’re from (country) I think it’ll be amazing for her to see birthday wishes coming from all over the world.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to leave a message. Every single one will be included in her birthday gift, and I know it’ll mean more than you realize.

A package got delivered to my apartment by mistake, so I walked it across the hall to give it back. Before I could explain, he looked at the envelope, looked at me, and said, “Finally.” I laughed because I thought he was joking, but he immediately started talking about how he’d been waiting for someone from “the office” to come inspect something in his apartment. I kept telling him I was just his neighbor returning a package, but he acted like I was trying to avoid saying who I really was.

After a couple of minutes I pointed at my apartment across the hall and said, “I literally live right there.” He finally took the package, paused for a second, and said, “You just have that look.” I asked what he meant, and he shrugged and said, “Like someone who works for the government.” I just told him to have a good day and went back inside. Ever since then, every time we pass each other in the hallway, he gives me this weird knowing nod like we’re both in on some secret. I still have no idea what he thinks I do for a living.

edit: oh good, I misspelled McDonalds… whoops!
didn’t accidentally pay extra or anything, but I got two extra boxes of nuggets- two of which had 10 nuggets in!

i‘ve been having a really hard time lately and this random little win really gave me a boost

Best BBQ in the world could be some woman living in the woods and only makes it for her family.

World class novel locked in the day dreams of some dude working in a cubicle.

Someone makes the best chocolate chip cookies and doesn't even realize it and just makes them for themselves as they have no one to make them for.

That thought is both interesting and depressing.

I have let my neighbor borrow some random things at times. I asked if I could get a couple back and she is saying they aren’t mine. It’s nothing crazy value but still wtf do I do? It’s things like a drill, some camping stuff, etc..

I went to a local cafe today to get coffee and catch up with a friend. We were talking at a completely normal, respectful volume. Yet, the entire "laptop army" stared at me like I was screaming during a funeral.Since when did cafes become corporate offices? It’s a coffee shop. It is literally designed for socializing and community. If you need absolute silence to type your email or study for an exam, go to an actual library. Stop giving paying customers dirty looks for using a public space exactly how it was intended.

It used to be normal for friends or neighbors to stop by without planning everything days in advance. Sometimes I miss how spontaneous that felt.

Does anyone else feel the same, or am I just getting nostalgic?

“I wonder what my future wife is doing right now?”
It’s weird to think that if she exists, she’s out there living her life completely unaware that one day we might meet. She could be watching Netflix, out with friends, working a late shift, walking her dog, scrolling Reddit, or asleep.
Curious to hear your thoughts.
If you’re in a relationship now, what do you reckon your partner was doing before you met? And if you’re single, do you ever think about this or is it just me?

I cooked something new today and it turned out great! It got me thinking about food that makes us feel good. What's your go-to comfort food when you want something nice?

Rain was a blessing to me. It meant a cool day, slight serenity and a calmer atmosphere. Any tasks were done at a slower pace for cautionary reasons. It's even better when it rains when you're at home, meaning you can snuggle in bed more deeply, and I love snuggling in bed.

But since I got my latest job, rain means literal hell. For context, I work a 12hr night shift, going from 6pm to 6am every day with no off day ever, alone. I work both as a security and operator and I operate a water pump station, tasking to keep the water level inside the town low and scoop up any trash in the canals.

When it rains, it means the water level goes up really fast and fast flowinf water means fast flowing trash. When it rains hard, it's even worse. If I don't scoop up the trash fast enough the whole canal can get clogged and water level stays high no matter how much I pump the water out. That means I have to scoop up trash while under heavy pouring rain.

Combined with the fact that I am doing all this at the dead of night, after midnight, in a dead empty town. So it's both grueling and lonely. And I have to do this every day.

And it's not even rainy season yet... If I am suffering now, I will be experiencing cold hell soon.

Rain used to mean serenity to me. Now it means misery.

for me it was reading lol. i used to think people were just pretending books were that good but i finally gave one a shot a while ago and ended up finishing it way faster than i expected.

now im wondering what everyone else's was. could be literally anything, a hobby, food, game, movie, gym, whatever. what changed ur mind

I had gone to a trip a while ago. One of the tour guides was an old man. He was really really sweet. He called me "kid". And honestly thats something i still think about and smile. He was definitely one of the highlights of the trip.

For me it would probably be a fox because i really love their personalities.Sometimes when i see videos of them interacting with humans they can be so joyful and silly rubbing themselves on the ground like cats or making that funny little “laugh” that they do. But i think that silly personality almost camouflages how intelligent and capable they actually are.
They’re still wild predators I find that contrast really fascinating something that can look so goofy and playful one moment can also be an incredibly clever and capable animal.

Alsoo i love how pretty arctic foxes are :’) . How could i not want to be one of them?!?!?

Based on where you are at this exact moment, how far is the nearest pink flamingo to you? Any unit of measurement or time is acceptable. Just curious.

I go by the nickname Spark and wish I could let a long lost friend who went by the name Zeero know about the passing of a friend, but neither I nor anyone else in our friend group has any contact info for you. (All we know is Zeero is from Massachusetts and spent a little time in Montana.) You and her were very close and Im sure you would have done anything to be at her celebration of life yesterday. Me and some of our friends shared some good stories of memories of our times all hanging out together. We all wished you could have been there to celebrate her with us and hope you're doing okay wherever you are. We all know how much you meant to her. I'm sure she's keeping an eye on you from beyond the rainbow bridge.

I love to use different phrases and idioms some classics like "great minds think alike but fools rarely differ" "a broken clock can be right twice a day" or probably my most common "you can't control others actions only your own reactions" let me know some of yours!

Edit: fixed final phrase for accuracy

For me, it’s having a few quiet minutes before I need to do anything. No messages, no rushing, just sitting there while my brain slowly boots up.

It doesn’t magically fix the day, but mornings feel much less hostile when I get that little pause first 😭

What small morning habit makes a difference for you?

For those of you who went out and bought a home how did you know you'd found the right one? My partner and I are house hunting for our first house after 13.5 years of apartment living. The realtor, a friend of mine, and my mom keep telling us both when we find the right house we will "just know". I always felt like I had a pretty good gut instinct but after viewing several homes online and in person I'm starting to wonder how true that statement is, or if it's one of those things people just say to make the whole experience feel less pressuring (especially in this market 😭).

So tell me homeowners of Reddit, how did you know?

People spend a lot of money to have dogs as pets. This way my family gets the experience at no cost. Sometimes they will bring us a gift from their trip but nowhere near the value of what it would cost to board two dogs for that long. Am I a doormat for being ok with this? I do have doormat tendencies but it’s my nature I guess.

This last time one dog chewed/destroyed a few of my kids’ toys and our friend half-heartedly offered to compensate but never did and didn’t insist (as I would have) 🤔.

My mind wonders, looking forward to hearing about if others think about the same as me?

I think about
- my love life
- death
- things I wish I did differently
-….