Have you ever thought about certain events of your life in hindsight and thought, “Whoa, the outcome was nearly very different”? Whether for the worse or for the better, a slight change in your choices could’ve altered your life in a big way.
As you could’ve guessed already, that’s what we’re focusing on today – stories about so-called “close calls.” To be more specific, about those who could’ve turned things for the worse. So, without further ado, let’s jump in!
More info: Reddit
#1
Almost accepted a job in January 2020 as a researcher “collecting samples from ICU patients with unknown upper respiratory illnesses”.
Image source: the_ruckus415, standret
#2
That one guy who wanted to take me to get coffee who, thank god, I didn’t go out with. He ended up dating someone I knew and living off her couch for months. He turned out to be such a nightmare, like a really gross roommate she couldn’t get rid of. I think she had to have him physically removed from her couch and it was this huge drama. I think her two older brothers, who were these huge bouncer guys, ended up going over there to do the “removing.”.
Image source: MsVixenFab, EyeEm
#3
For a while I dated the most attractive, wildest, most fun girl I had ever met. Too much drinking and partying got overwhelming for me and we broke up. I thought I made a big mistake at the time, but I ran into her a year later and she was an alcoholic selling substances. Still looked great though.
Image source: sudomatrix, pikisuperstar
Do you know the saying “things happen for a reason”? It basically entails that everything that occurs, even the negative stuff, isn’t random, but has an underlying meaning or even purpose. It’s usually used to find comfort when facing hardship, to rationalize seemingly arbitrary happenings, or to simply believe in fate, which suggests a larger story where challenges end up leading to better outcomes.
While some people full-heartedly believe this saying, others also take into account that there are some more underlying reasons behind what happens to us besides the “it was supposed to be like this” idea. Believing in it basically goes along the lines of the idea that we don’t really have that much free will.
#4
Vietnam. I enlisted in the army right out of high school in 1964. At the time, if you qualified, you could pick your MOS and your duty station. So I chose to be a medic and picked Germany.
Vietnam was just rumors at the time, though there was more going on there than they were telling…
But had I not enlisted, I would have been highly likely to be drafted. As it was, I did my 3 years in Germany and flew home, free and clear.
I watched Ken Burns’ series on the war, and the interview with one of the grunts who was at My Lai. The guy even LOOKED like me….
Image source: Bikewer, freepik
#5
Not being able to get pregnant by my ex husband. HUGE bullet dodged. Thankfully.
Image source: Adventurous_Spell222, freepik
#6
I got laid off after 17 years with the company.I got a decent severance package, and had a new job within a few months. About a year later the company went under and all the people who were still there, some for 20-30 years got no severance. Some who had taken stock options instead of a 401K lost it all.
Image source: Imaginary_Ad_6352, Drazen Zigic
That’s something we already talked about more in this piece, so we won’t go into it that much today. Just as we said, some philosophers and people believe that all we do and all that happens to us is predestined and we essentially have no say in it, while others oppose such a thought, saying that we have a lot to do with the choices we make.
For instance, we have several parts of the brain that are involved in making decisions. These brain regions work together to evaluate potential choices, assess rewards and risks, and consider all kinds of implications of each decision. The list includes parts like the prefrontal, insular, and cingulate cortices; the amygdala; and the striatum.
#7
Getting let go from my last job. The company lost funding shortly after. I found a better job before all hell in our sector broke loose. Kind of like I got a head start in musical chairs.
Image source: speakb4thinking, pressmaster
#8
The FWB I got hung up on who didn’t want a relationship.
15-ish years later, he called me up to say he had regrets, admitted that he had a friend neg me to damage my confidence so I would sleep with him, and gently suggested I should start something up with him even though he knew I was happily married.
Image source: Brrp_brp_AnotherAcct, Stockbusters
#9
When I was 4 years old, I chased a golf ball I had been playing with out into the street and almost got hit by a car. Luckily, the driver was paying attention and had swerved to avoid me.
I wasn’t the smartest 4 year-old.
Image source: Sociolinguisticians, wayhomestudio
All the information regarding decisions that these regions have to process is collected from and driven by the mix of our emotions, past experiences, core values, and the environment.
And still, all of this considered, it doesn’t mean that every single choice we make is conscious. Some things we decide come from the brain’s automatic processes, so basically, things like habits, subconscious feelings, and instincts.
#10
I was at a small music festival and they were selling helicopter rides. I stood in line with a buddy. It could take 4 people and there were 3 people in front of us. Because I wanted to ride with my friend I told the guy behind us he could go. It crashed and everyone was gone but him. However, he was gone later in the hospital. Coulda been me…
Image source: scalable_thought, breizhatao
#11
This happened decades ago, but the roof over the ice rink at Kolonnade mall collapsed and injured a bunch of people.
I only avoided this by a minute. After parking my car and starting to walk to the ice rink, I realised I had forgotten to move my bag to the boot. I walked back to do that and then headed to the rink again.
As soon as I reached the entrance of the mall, the roof came down. I would have been injured by the roof collapse if I had not walked back to my car. .
Image source: ZyronZA, freepik
#12
Got into a fight with a guy on the other team after a soccer match and decided to walk away. Dude went out and shot someone dead right after.
Image source: NachoWindows, freepik
At the same time, even if we make conscious decisions, we might not be aware of their consequences. Like the people from today’s list. At some point in their lives, they were faced with a choice that could have turned things for the worse.
Yet, they managed to pick the right option and dodge a bullet. The thing is that they didn’t realize the magnitude of the decision when they were making it; the realization came only later.
#13
I don’t know about the “biggest”, but a bullet I remember dodging was when a bunch of my friends in college joined one of those “sales” companies that are just multi-level marketing schemes trying to disguise themselves as something else. It was a soft drink company called something like Vemma. I remember my friends were super excited to join to start making side money as broke college students, and they got me to come to one of their presentations as I was definitely curious (since I was also broke haha). The presentation was so weird, the entire time they were trying to convince us they are not a pyramid scheme, but instead they work as a “reverse funnel” system (lmao). I found it very strange that pretty much the entire presentation was essentially spent reminding the attendees that they are NOT a pyramid scheme. I noped out after that, despite several of my friends trying to convince me to join, which I eventually came to realize that they were just trying to make money off of me joining. They all ended up losing thousands of dollars as that’s how much the original investment cost.
Image source: ohpsies, frimufilms
#14
Both of us in the military, I wouldn’t entertain a marriage proposal from him for a year (he was a bit eager). Two weeks after I said “yes” and told my family I’d be getting married, I found out he was cheating on me. But at least it wasn’t after we were already married, right?
Image source: purefoysgirl, Drazen Zigic
#15
Almost became a franchise restaurant owner in Fall 2019 but had to back out unexpectedly one week before signing due to an unexpected family situation.
Image source: TheDadThatGrills, freepik
Do you have any similar stories from your life or someone else’s you know of? Please, don’t shy away from sharing it all with us in the comments!
#16
Law school. I lived in a college town with a great law school. I took the LSAT, and did really well. I put together all of my application documents, official copy of my test scores, etc.
I went to the law school admissions office to drop them off, but the person there told me I had to upload them to a third party website and they would get them from there—for a fee of $250 dollars.
I was dumbfounded. A public university was telling me—as I stood with all my materials in hand—that I had to pay a huge amount to have a private company send these same documents to _this very same office_, with a huge time delay on top of the fee.
I told them I wouldn’t take up any more of their time, turned around and left. I’d never intended to apply to any other schools, so that ship sailed for good.
But I would have been miserable as a lawyer. It took me a little while, but I found an _amazing_ career and did things I could never have dreamed of before. I’m in a rough patch now, but I’m hoping that turns around soon. But whatever comes next, I’m lucky that I’m not a lawyer.
Image source: KayBeeToys, The Yuri Arcurs Collection
#17
Dragged my feet on buying a house for a while, then finally got my finances in order, credit pristine, a hefty chunk saved for a down payment, and actually found the perfect house for me. Closed on it in November, 2019. I’d be renting now if I didn’t somehow get my life together- and I only paid $167k.
Image source: DrDorg, Drazen Zigic
#18
It’s a very sad story, but I got a dog from a rescue. I’ve had dogs all my life and plenty of rescues before this one.
After a month foster trial he went back. I was heartbroken, but there was something not right. I still can’t really put my finger on it, but he went back and we got a new foster trial with another dog we did decide to keep.
We eventually learned that the dog we didn’t keep at his next foster attacked the woman fostering him, out of the blue, from behind, and bit her multiple times without any warning or provocation. She ended up in the hospital for several days. This was someone with years of rescue experience with difficult dogs and the dog needed to be euthanized.
I definitely dodged a very dangerous bullet.
Image source: builtbysavages, freepik
#19
Turning down a marriage proposal from someone I loved.
Years later the relationship ended *horribly*, so thank goodness I had gone with my gut and not said yes to getting married.
Image source: BatScribeofDoom, freepik
#20
I was moving to the other side of the country and was driving. The whole drive took over a week.
I had lived in an apartment in a dodgy area and the apartment had a Facebook page for residents just to post about anything important, basically just an online message board.
Like if there’s a homeless guy sleeping in the elevator again, or if one of the cars in the parking area was getting broken into. That stuff.
Anyway day 2 of the drive I see a notification from that page. It’s pictures of the entire apartment building engulfed in flames.
Great timing on the move out.
Appearently the residents weren’t allowed back until months later after a remediation company went though, and people found their valuables had gone missing once they were allowed to get their stuff.
Image source: 13thmurder, azerbaijan_stockers
#21
Had an ex-boyfriend who turned out to be monster. He would later ruin several people’s lives. I am thankful I got out when I did.
Image source: WalkTheClank, freepik
#22
I was supposed to be on the Air India 814 flight from Kathmandu to New Delhi that was hijacked by the Taliban.
Image source: Inner-Boysenberry228, onlyyouqj
#23
Found out I was preggers in HS. I hadn’t gained any weight at all, still had a period, and only some weird breast tenderness made me take a test.
Made an appt with a clinic 3 hours away, turns out I was months into it, and only a few days away from the cutoff, as in ‘no, you can’t get an abortion’. They did mine the next day. Thankfully I was 18 at the time, so I could do it on my own, parents never found out until decades later.
I couldn’t believe how close I cut it, and every now and then I think what a completely different (and truly awful) path my life would have taken if I had been a few days later.
Image source: genx_meshugana, freepik
#24
Dated a toxic women that I believe was trying to baby trap me. When I got a vasectomy she ghosted me.
Image source: AtomicBlastCandy, ansiia
#25
9mm. I was in front of my folks’ laundromat sweeping the sidewalk like always, when some folks started shooting at each other across the street. They missed each other, and barely missed my head too. I was facing the wrong way, and just thought it was fireworks.
Image source: uwillnotgotospace, serhii_bobyk
#26
I guy I was dating for almost five years went momentarily psycho on me. Just for an instant. I said no, flew back home mid-vacation. Changed my locks. Turned out he was living a double life and that was his MO. When he got serious with someone new, he’d go violent on the person he was dating so they’d run away quickly. No messy breakups or attempts of reconciliation. And the ex’s would go out of their way to avoid him out of fear he’d go nuts on them.
Because the world is weird, I’m now friends with two other ex’s and we’ve compared notes. The dude lives a completely scripted life. Same love letters. Same birthday gifts. The three of us each have the exact same custom made t-shirt.
Image source: WritingParking, prostooleh
#27
Standing on a granite cliff ledge about 30ft above ground when the “tested by me” grip I was holding on to broke off. I went over headfirst backwards. Flailing I got my fingers around a pine branch just long enough to swing my feet underneath me. All I got was a nasty Charlie horse and sore knees but it sure was a close call.
Image source: Mysterious-Alps-4845, bublikhaus
#28
When I was 18 my gf cheated on me and got pregnant. At the time My dad told me to send the guy a gift basket bc I owe him one. That girl is now divorced twice and has kids with 3 guys.
Image source: Jc110105, freepic.diller
#29
I interviewed for and was offered a management position at a living history museum a few years ago. I ended up turning the job down. A few months later the guy who took the job got stabbed by one of the actors.
Image source: NewspaperBlanket, teksomolika
#30
Got under a heavy table in the garage to block a possible mouse hole with a brick, and then later realized 20 years of humidity had warped these tables enough to where you could collapse them with 1 moderate push from the side.
The screws attaching the legs to the table top just ripped right out.
Image source: Aloha1959, freepik
#31
I couldn’t put in my leave requests for a trip to Paris because my manager was on leave. I had to reschedule the dates which, at the time, I was super frustrated about.
The Bataclan attacks happened when I was originally meant to be there. I even went to the cafe that was shot up.
Image source: Viennah_
#32
I had a huge crush on this one guy. He was a total player. I am glad I found out before I got too invested. | could have gotten my heart broke for nothing.
Image source: Evaxephon_64
#33
I’m an introvert. My first semester away from home was awkward to say the least. One day I was in the library study hall when a couple came up behind me and nearly made me jump out of my skin 😆
Nice looking couple: nerdy guy, pretty brunette. Asked to sit at my table and started a breezy chat (ugh). Finally told them I needed to get back to my studies.
They asked what dorm I lived in (I lied). They asked for my phone number (lied again and said I was waiting for a new phone).
They left me a pamphlet then she asked for a hug.
The pamphlet was an introduction to Dianetics 🙄.
Image source: Bunny_Bixler99
#34
I had to withdraw from a masters program before starting due to life getting in the way. The day of the program’s orientation for new students was the date that Lehman Brothers collapsed and started the Great Recession.
Image source: Aberrantkitten
#35
The time in highschool where I was going to rob houses with a kid I met a yeat pior only for us to not be able to get into any of the houses and then he said lets try tomorrow and I said okay then the day came and he said sorry bro I got a car of people to come you can go next time let’s just say there was no next time they got caught 2 days later and then all four of them told on each other I could have a record at 16 years old I was like that’s crazy so yeah don’t do what I did please 😉.
Image source: billydooner
Follow Us
