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Joy

21 people share the ‘deepest’ things they've ever been told

"The grass is greener where you water it."

deep thoughts, wisdom, askreddit
via KoolShooters/Pexels

A woman talking on the phone with a shocked expression.

There are few things more refreshing than hearing a profound truth. These bits of wisdom can clear our internal confusion and shine a big spotlight on what really matters in the world.

Profound truths can also help us reframe a situation, see things from another perspective and realize that we have much less power over other people and events than we think. They can also be reminders to live life to its fullest because you never know how much time you have left.

A Reddit user named Some_Being_Online asked the AskReddit forum, “What is the deepest thing someone has said to you?” and a lot of the quotes were profound in a way that you don't hear every day. A lot of them were about dealing with difficult people and situations.

All in all, the thread was life-affirming because people shared honest takes on what it's like to be human—no easy task.

Here are 21 of the “deepest” things that people have heard.

1. "The grass is greener where you water it." — Acceptable_Cup30152.

2. "Worry is not preparation.” — Big-Routine222

3. "I stopped giving a sh*t about my birthday when I was 27. I used to request off or at least the day after off to recover from the previous night but I just stopped caring. Last year, an old lady at my job found out it was my birthday and surprised me with a card with money in it, the kind of way a grandma would. I tried to tell her it wasn't a big deal and give the money back, but she insisted saying "You should always celebrate your birthday. You don't know how many you have left." — Sol-Blackguy

4. "Prepare your child for the road, not the road for your child." — dvmdv8

5. "A person's actions are a reflection of their character, not yours." — YaaMindIfIJoin

6. "Everyone is someone else and they’re all just trying to find themselves. Let them.” — builtproofwest

7. "When you're about to become a parent the amount of shit you get told is unreal. Parents can't wait to tell you 'you'll get no sleep, you'll have no life, it's all changing nappies etc.' However, I was in a meeting with a guy at work, we were making small talk before the meeting and I told him I was about to become a dad expecting the usual. Instead, he just went really deep but really chilled and just went 'You're about to have the most amazing thing happen to you ever but never forget, they're not yours. You're just borrowing them while they need you but you need to get them ready to not need you anymore.' The older my kids get the more I appreciate it." — Educational-Act-6602

8. "When my baby died and was a mess someone told me, 'I can’t imagine the pain you’re going through. I know your heart, expectations, assumed roles and future memories have been broken. But to your child, they had a perfect life. All they ever knew was your love.' I still cry thinking about it but it really did help. I know some may take this differently, but it was what I needed at the time." — BallerinaBuscuits

9. "Sometimes, the best way to help someone is to let them help you. You may not need their help, but it will make them feel useful." — Amor_Armadillo

10. "Grief is love with nowhere to go." — LB-Dash


11. "Sometimes a hypocrite is just a man in the process of changing." — little-bird89

12. "I'm a rep at a cellphone store and an old Austrian woman, a reg customer of mine said randomly, 'Chelsea, all we have in this very second is each other. Right now all we have is each other. There is nothing but this one second right now. You see, people drag the past with them and that's why there is so little forgiveness in the world.' Afterward we both cried together a little and that has positively affected every day of my life since." — Chemto90

13. "A 5-year-old told me 'Loneliness is when you have lost yourself.'" — Pass_The_Lasagana

14. "The opposite of love isn't hate; it's complete and utter indifference." — Dragonfeet1

15. "All that you’ve gone through: the good, the bad, the in-between has led you to exactly where you are now. You had to go through it all in order to be here, with me now." — tvaldez19

16. "'It's better to appear rude and live than to be nice and get killed.' This was from a self-defense instructor, and it just blew my mind. They were talking about listening to your instincts, and not worrying about appearing rude when your gut is telling you something is off." — Unhygienictree

17. "My Mom said to me once 'Sweetheart don't go through life reading a road map, make your own path.'" — Content_Pool_1391

18. "Even when you are right you don't always win." — Curlytomato

19. "Yes, of course, heaven and hell are great and terrifying and all. But what if you did good just for the sake of it? No eternal reward or punishment afterward. Would you still do good if you knew at the end, there is no reward?" — Roguereider1

20. "Don't be afraid of fear. Fear is natural and encourages thought and action. Do not, however, give in to panic. It is irrational and can lead you to harm." — Slight_Bodybuilder25

21. "There is a different version of you, in the head of literally everybody that knows that you exist. Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks. You know the truth about you." — WhatInTheActualfeth

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Prudential
Sponsored

Meet the 18-year-old advocating for teen mental health, one inspiring podcast at a time

All images provided by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

Collins after being selected by Prudential Emerging Visionaries

True

A changemaker is anyone who takes creative action to solve an ongoing problem—be it in one’s own community or throughout the world.

And when it comes to creating positive change, enthusiasm and a fresh perspective can hold just as much power as years of experience. That’s why, every year, Prudential Emerging Visionaries celebrates young people for their innovative solutions to financial and societal challenges in their communities.

This national program awards 25 young leaders (ages 14-18) up to $15,000 to devote to their passion projects. Additionally, winners receive a trip to Prudential’s headquarters in Newark, New Jersey, where they receive coaching, skills development, and networking opportunities with mentors to help take their innovative solutions to the next level.

For 18-year-old Sydnie Collins, one of the 2023 winners, this meant being able to take her podcast, “Perfect Timing,” to the next level.

Since 2020, the Maryland-based teen has provided a safe platform that promotes youth positivity by giving young people the space to celebrate their achievements and combat mental health stigmas. The idea came during the height of Covid-19, when Collins recalled social media “becoming a dark space flooded with news,” which greatly affected her own anxiety and depression.

Knowing that she couldn’t be the only one feeling this way, “Perfect Timing” seemed like a valuable way to give back to her community. Over the course of 109 episodes, Collins has interviewed a wide range of guests—from other young influencers to celebrities, from innovators to nonprofit leaders—all to remind Gen Z that “their dreams are tangible.”

That mission statement has since evolved beyond creating inspiring content and has expanded to hosting events and speaking publicly at summits and workshops. One of Collins’ favorite moments so far has been raising $7,000 to take 200 underserved girls to see “The Little Mermaid” on its opening weekend, to “let them know they are enough” and that there’s an “older sister” in their corner.

Of course, as with most new projects, funding for “Perfect Timing” has come entirely out of Collins’ pocket. Thankfully, the funding she earned from being selected as a Prudential Emerging Visionary is going toward upgraded recording equipment, the support of expert producers, and skill-building classes to help her become a better host and public speaker. She’ll even be able to lease an office space that allows for a live audience.

Plus, after meeting with the 24 other Prudential Emerging Visionaries and her Prudential employee coach, who is helping her develop specific action steps to connect with her target audience, Collins has more confidence in a “grander path” for her work.

“I learned that my network could extend to multiple spaces beyond my realm of podcasting and journalism when industry leaders are willing to share their expertise, time, and financial support,” she told Upworthy. “It only takes one person to change, and two people to expand that change.”

Prudential Emerging Visionaries is currently seeking applicants for 2024. Winners may receive up to $15,000 in awards and an all-expenses-paid trip to Prudential’s headquarters with a parent or guardian, as well as ongoing coaching and skills development to grow their projects.

If you or someone you know between the ages of 14 -18 not only displays a bold vision for the future but is taking action to bring that vision to life, click here to learn more. Applications are due by Nov. 2, 2023.
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via Pixabay/Pexels and JessFamOfficial/TikTok

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“My ‘darling’ wife passed away 10 months ago,” the man wrote on Reddit’s Off My Chest forum. “She wrote a letter for me before she died, but I couldn’t bring myself to read it until now. She told me how sorry she was that she didn’t have the guts to tell me this to my face when she was alive.”

In the letter, the wife revealed that there was a “good chance” that the son he thought was his wasn’t his biological child. A few weeks before their wedding day, the wife got drunk at her bachelorette party and had a one-night stand with another man. Soon after that night, she became pregnant but was unsure who the father was.

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Jrdan Klen counts the number of requests her 3 kids make in a day.

There never seems to be any downtime when you’re the default parent. You know, the parent that the kids go to first when they want anything, especially food. They're also the go-to person for school forms and bedtime stories, and the parents that the school reaches out to when a student is sick has to go home.

Some parents are the default because there’s an imbalance in the home, which forces them to assume most of the day-to-day child-rearing responsibilities. In other families, one parent is the default because the other is busy with work or other obligations.

Popular TikTokker Jordan Klein wondered why she becomes overwhelmed halfway through the day while watching her children. "I have three boys, ages 5, 3, and 1, and I continuously lose my sh*t. Sometimes it comes out. Sometimes," she said in a recent post. "I lose my sh*t right around 2 or 3 p.m. every day without fail. My husband works from home. But he does not lose his sh*t consistently. So, what's going on?"

To get to the bottom of her situation, she conducted a scientific study where she counted the number of requests she gets from her children on a given day, and the results were unbelievable.

This validates my burn out, right? #momtok #momsoftiktok #sahm #boymom #toddlermom #toddlersoftiktok #3under5

@jothemama

This validates my burn out, right? #momtok #momsoftiktok #sahm #boymom #toddlermom #toddlersoftiktok #3under5

"I downloaded one of those little counter clicker apps on my phone where I could just push the screen, and it ticks up one number, and I was just gonna hit it every time one of my children ...made a request,” Jordan said in her TikTok video.

Just ten minutes after downloading the app, her kids made 86 requests of her. She even didn't count repeats, and kids love to repeat themselves. “I guarantee you that if I were to ask my husband how many requests a day he gets at work... it's in the single digits, for sure," she added.

And they say being a stay-at-home mom isn’t a full-time job! “This validates my burnout, right?” Jordan captioned her post.

"I feel this completely, and point it out often to my husband. Like yall, Dad is RIGHT THERE. Ask him," CrochetFeen wrote in the comments. "I have 3 kids too and ‘Mom’ is now a triggering word," Sandra added.

The quasi-scientific experiment gives Jordan some excellent ammunition when talking to her husband about how they divide parenting duties. Even if it doesn’t mean he takes over the default role after work, it at least makes a great case that Jordan deserves more than a few lengthy breaks throughout the day and a few days off every month.

There is only so much stress and mental anguish that parents can take before they are no longer effective and cannot provide a happy and healthy home for their children. When evaluating domestic responsibilities, we often consider having a professional job more stressful than raising children. However, Jordan’s experiment proves that parenting can mean a lot more emotional labor, and families should take a second look at how default parents are valued.

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