21.
In 2003 I was coming to the end of university and wondering what to do with my life next. One particular evening, I was feeling a deep kind of existential depression, so I went online to distract myself. – maybe I could go travelling? Maybe I could find a job to apply for? Who knew? I just needed something as an anchor, something to work towards.
I landed up on the page for the Athens 2004 Olympics and decided to give myself a post graduation goal to work towards. I planned on buying tickets to a couple of events, then I saw a Volunteer section so I clicked on that and filled in the details.
The months went by and nothing much happened. I met a guy, he was horrible, we broke up, I got d***** depressed, worked in a call centre job I despised and eventually couldn’t handle it and moved home, cutting ties with the city, the s***** ex and everything else.
By the time the Olympics rolled around, I planned on concentrating on me so I headed off for some weeks of volunteering. Well, day one of volunteering I met the man who would go on to become my husband, moved to Greece, learnt a new language, got married, and 10 years in still happily married with two awesome kids, all because I felt s***** one evening and decided to surf the internets. I could have ended up on any number of websites so I don’t know why I took a look at the Olympics committee, but such is life.
22.
Another “said yes to going to the pub” tale.
1991, I was in Edinburgh, walking home from signing on, and a mate from my previous job pulled up in his old yellow Mini and said he was off to meet another mate from the same job. It was noonish and I had nothing better to do, so f*** it, pint.
The other mate was in town with one of his pals to discuss a game (we were all RPG gamers) and I tagged along.
Long story short, we started an RPG company, got bought by Wizards of the Coast, traveled the world with them, got our game back when they canned RPGs and twenty odd years on, did a Kickstarter that raised well over $100,000 last year.
So, yeah, the moral of these tales is that if someone asks you if you want to go to the pub, the answer is yes.
23.
Quit my job without a plan.
ended up panic applying at every s****** little place in town, got a job at a coffee shop. met the love of my life, supported eachother through going back to school, got actual careers, got married, had two amazing little girls.
all because I got in a fight with my boss and walked out.
24.
Experimenting with my sexuality. Turns out i’m a flaming lesbo and i have the best girlfriend with a cute scruffy old dog living our best lives. Planning on buying our first home in the spring.
25.
Decision. It’s 1994. I work in a warehouse with my brothers best friend. He tells me about a concert that night that him and his girlfriend are going to and asks if I want to go. My brother was supposed to go but backed out the night before. They have 4 tickets, 1 each for him and his girlfriend, 1 for my brother and 1 for a girl his girlfriend works with. I went. The other girl and I have been together for 26 years now.
26.
Went to meet my bio mom. 8 years later, a crippling disorder, brain damage, and some significant trauma later… turns out there was a very good reason I was adopted.
I got to meet my sisters though, and I’m the uncle to a whole herd of nieces and nephews, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Makes the damage worth it, honestly. The way their faces light up when they see me and how loved I feel with them is something you can’t ever replace.
27.
There was an incident where a good friend of mine got kicked out of where we were living. The owner called me and told me the whole thing and said I was welcome to stay because I had not created any of the problems. My friend came to tell me about it and told me “we have to move out”. I told her I was told something different and she snapped at me that I couldn’t stay there if she wasn’t there. I was too much of a coward to stand up to her and deal with the consequences of losing that friendship. So I left that house and struggled for years. School would have been easier, I could have saved, gotten a car. That was such a defining moment and I’m so sorry I chose wrong. I was 18.
28.
Taking Videography as an elective in middle school instead of Photo like my sister. Throughout high school I won numerous student filmmaking awards, made tons of friends I never would have had I not joined those classes, developed a super useful skill, and got paying jobs throughout high school because of my skill set. I even got hired at my current job because of my video skills.
29.
When I moved and switched middle schools wayyy back I threw out all my stuff except for my math textbook. When I went to my new school the math class I was in was a little bit behind from where I was and I told them but they didn’t believe me. But then I showed my old math textbook to show that I was way ahead of that class. Two of my classes were changed, and in both of my new classes we’re a bunch of friends I made. If i threw away that math textbook I wouldn’t have any good friends right now.
30.
I moved in with my then boyfriend after only knowing him for three months. I had a bad feeling about it like we’d crash and burn.
That was in 2001. We’re still together and married now.
