Funny quotes about life

I remember about a year ago, I had quite a solid meditation practice coupled with a noticeable gratitude for my life circumstances. It was awesome - I was really happy, I wasn’t grouchy with my young boys and I felt good at work.
However, now I feel the complete opposite… and I yearn to return to the peace and ease I once sustained throughout everyday life.
Some of the main focuses I can recall having at the time were an understanding that life was going to happen regardless of my negative emotional reactions and that I only had control over how I responded to events. I was also reading a quote a day book of Stoicism, which is in line with this kind of self-determination thought.
I’m just sharing as I know all of the things I have to do and feel the urge to return, but it’s much easier thought about than done. I have joined this sub to keep reminded of my self-commitment. I sincerely hope you’re all doing well on your own meditation journeys.

Hello, I’m a 30 year old next month. I just had the second woman in 3 weeks tell me the same thing before leaving without telling me why. I haven’t had a relationship in almost 10 years, my work doesn’t care about me, I’m living week to week, and things just seem to shit the bed in my life when I think I’m getting better. I cut out all the bad habits in my life and still nothing. I can’t find a meaningful relationship. It seems “You deserve to be happy” is the common quote among these women who choose to leave me as soon as I open up to them. If I deserve to be happy then why can’t it be happy with you? I don’t see myself being happy with anyone. I’m a very lonely person. I don’t have friends, I don’t have any family besides my parents I’m close to, and I can’t seem to find anyone who finds me worth their time. I’ve been clinically depressed for almost 10 years, since they diagnosed me in the Army. I’ve been trying to love myself and I do to a point. It seems nobody can love me though. I’m a very romantic, care giving, and loving guy. Yet, it seems that’s not enough. I’m very close to the end of the line. Once my parents move on from this life. I think I may join them.
Thank you for your time. Death2Loneliness

I've dedicated myself to watchint as many Ghibli movies as possible so I can see what all the hype is all about. I'm someone who REALLY enjoys discussing / critiquing movies and whatnot so I thought I'd ramble about my impressions of each movie here...
Grave of the Fireflies - solid 20/20. I couldn't begin because I wouldn't be able to stop. I'm someone who loves more grounded, emotionally driven stories (and more melancholy ones at that), so I really feel like this movie was made for me. I've rewatched it so many times, and each time I am swayed all over again. First and foremost the animation does the characters so much justice - the perfectly realistic, age-appropriate mannerisms. There's something special in a story where kids *get to act like kids*, but aren't reduced to a "brat" or a narrative annoyance / burden. They are both just so sweet and innocent, and well mannered... Despite the struggles of the war they manage to approach the world around them with so much hope. They make the time for joy, and fun, and love. You can't help getting attached, you want to see them succeed... I truly feel like this is Ghiblis best in terms of getting the audience invested in it's characters.
Howls Moving Castle - definite 20/20!!! I have a lot less to say about this movie but it's overall just a treat to watch. I really feel like this film is Ghiblis best - gorgeous animation, wonderfully charming characters, and a plot you can't help being invested in... It has it's twists, but manages to avoid becoming confusing or convoluted. Theres the typical Ghibli vagueness, but it never leaves you feeling as though you've just ran past a giant plot hole - in other words, the world/setting actually feels alive. Theres a world beyond the lives of the main cast, and you can feel it. Not every single little thing (between characters) is explained to you, but with enough context clues things begin to make sense in it's own time. I just love rewatching this movie and letting all of the pieces fall into place. Also props for doing time travel in the least confusing way possible
Ponyo - 20/20. Subject to change because I JUST watched this movie and I still need to gather my thoughts - but as of right now I have no complaints! It's just a sweet, lighthearted movie. The perfect mix of childlike innocence, adventure, love/connection, and fantasy. I think this movie is Ghiblis peak in terms of balancing out those themes. Ponyos friendship with the little boy (sorry bad with names) is the HEART of the movie, of course, and it's a joy to see them run around and goof off! But Ponyos parents.... Oh my gosh... they were such a treat. I really really loved their dynamic, even if it wasn't the key focus. Before watching this movie I would see people frequently comment things like "how did that weird wizard bag the goddess!?!?" but like.. Guys.. It makes sense. I get it. Despite swearing off his humanity, it's pretty clear that the father still exhibits some emotionally driven... Irrational... Imperfect behaviors. He's still very much human, on the inside. I think that's why they work. You can tell she adores him for these traits. I'd bet shes quiet fond of humans, despite how gross they can be, and that's exactly why she doesn't mind Ponyo experiencing their life for herself. JUST MY THOUGHTS THOUGH...
Princess Mononoke - 19/20. This was my very first Ghibli movie (I went in COMPLETELY blind, not even a trailer)... As someone who is very passionate about nature and biology, I obviously fell in love with the environmental message within this film. I think it was done oh so perfectly well. I think what I love most of all is the nuance. There is no strict villain. The animals kill people just trying to make a living, but you can't call them evil for it, for they are just trying to defend themselves. And the exact same can be said vice versa. Two sides fighting for survival, their mere existence - at least in the beginning - is inherently harmful to the other. I think that's fascinating. To say the only reason this movie is not a 20/20 is because I had a difficult time connecting the main characters curse to the overall environmental plot, the jump from "I need to do something about this curse!" to "I need to stop these people from beefing!" kind of gave my whiplash as I genuinely did not understand the correlation ...... It's one of those things I only get in hindsight, but alas, these are my first impressions
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya - 18/20 I cannot write an essay about this movie because my hands will fall off, and honestly, what even is there to say? The animation was beyond what words could describe. I LOVED the slow, personal, down to earth story / pacing. Some people may consider it a "boring" movie but I was personally very invested. I mean, she just randomly came out of a bamboo! And now shes growing! How could I NOT want to know what happens to her?.... To say... the only reason this movie is not a 20/20 is because the ending, personally, was not up to par to me. Do I think they should have *changed* the ending? No, actually. To me, the ending just didn't feel like it should have happened when it did. I enjoy sad endings don't get me wrong - but what makes or breaks a sad ending is if they feel *deserved*. Just narratively speaking. If I end things now, in this manner, will the audience walk away feeling as though they'd completed the story.... Or as though they'd been cheated out of one?
The Boy and the Heron - 17/20. I saw this movie in theaters when it first came out, my second Ghibli movie ever! I couldn't write an essay about this movie even if I wanted to, tbh. The only reason this movie is not a 20/20 is because the plot/pacing was... Well... A little too abstract. I don't think I consider it a FLAW as much as I consider it a barrier, though - I knew I was watching something good, but I couldn't for the life of me fully access it. It's not the abstract storytelling that gets me as much as it is the failure to connect narrative plotpoints, really. It felt like I was watching eye candy, and every 10 minutes I'd have a "I get the plot!" moment of clarity, before plunging into the unknown again. LMFAO I could pick up on the main characters dynamic with his step mom, the loss of his mom, and how it effects his behavior. Boy beyond that I felt kind of lost. I couldn't understand what, exactly, the fantasy aspect was trying to teach me... I really enjoy stories that are vague/abstract but this one stumped me dawg
Castle in the Sky - 17/20. I'M TRYING MY HARDEST NOT TO WRITE GIANT ESSAYS ABOUT EACH MOVIE. I feel like this movie is a little rough around the edges, you can definitely tell this is Ghiblis earlier works. But I was invested in the story, and quickly grew very fond of the characters! I wouldn't personally consider it the best of Ghibli, but it's an incredibly charming, enjoyable watch. This is worth putting on when you just want to see something cozy, and a little funny, with just the right amount of action!
Spirited Away - 14/20. OKAY I'M SO SORRY people are so shocked when I say this but.. Spirited Away, at the current moment, is the Ghibli movie I've taken the least interest in by far. And I'm just going to break it down why because so many people I know have asked me. first and foremost, the story... I thought the story was okay, not bad, but just average. It genuinely just feels like the usual ‘kid gets lost in another world' movie, but with a fantasy twist to it. In terms of characters, none of them seriously stood out to me!! I don't know if i'm just going crazy here, but I don't feel like I had the time to get to know ANY character. Which stems into my biggest issue with the movie.... Investment. I, honestly, just wasn't invested in this movie! I tried so hard, but I seriously didn't care much for any of the characters, and a good plot can only do so much when you have 0 reason to care about the characters. Just when I was beginning to take interest in a character, the story would shift focus and move on to someone else! I literally felt like I spaced out and missed a quarter movie by the end of the movie, because the whole River Spirit thing felt like utter randomness to me. am I seriously going crazy? Like when was this ever brought up? When did Chihiro ever mention falling in a river??? This was never hinted. There was no mention, or a flashback - they just showed a frame of Chihiro underwater like 10 minutes before the reveal and expected me to register that as adequate foreshadowing or something. WHAAAT! And when Haku remembered his true identity, I couldn't tell you what I was supposed to feel in the moment, because I seriously did not care about him or his relationship with Chihiro at all. I couldn't even tell you 3 facts about him besides "almost died" and "is dragon". Overall... Good movie, but I wouldn't watch it again
Later I'm going to either watch The Wind Rides or My Neighbor Totoro. Let's see where they stand...

Scriptbin
Note: This script is fine for the recorder to monetize and edit genders or other words. I will only ask for script credit, thank you!
() is for sound effects or actions
\Italics** are for emphasis/tone when speaking
... is for a pause, usually when it's the listener's turn to "reply" to a line.
Summary: You invite your rich best friend to a picnic. She is pretty reluctant at first, but after a moment bonding together, it convinces you to go out with her in an actual relationship.
Script Below:
(Speaker knocks on door)
Open up, it’s me.
(Listener opens door)
What was so important that you couldn’t go to my place? My hou- I mean, my mansion has everything you could possibly need. And don’t give me some silly excuse like your place is “homey” so you prefer it. I’ve heard it all before, and it never makes any sense.
…
You want to bond with me? As in, you’re finally asking me out after all this time? I was worried for some time that you wouldn’t, since most boys are completely head over heels for me. I’m glad you’ve finally succumbed to your urges. So do you have a love letter for me to read or did you already mail it?
…
That look of confusion on your face is quite romantic, too. Oh wait, you’re not confessing to me at all, you’re actually just confused. Forget what I said, then. What do you have me doing here?
…
\mocking laugh** Honestly, I think you’ve finally lost your mind. Why would I go on a picnic with you? That’s so… archaic.
…
Mhm, you’re very traditional. Good for you. But that doesn’t mean you have to rope me into it.
…
Because wealth means that I don’t need to be traditional. I can do whatever I want, however I want. I can take any approach I want and succeed.
…
Well, my approach to bonding would start with it being like… fun? Cooking isn’t fun. It’s some chore that people have been doing since the Stone Age. I prefer sleeping, or reading books, or playing games, or literally anything other than cooking. I believe it’s boring since I have a chef. You’ve met him. Five star meals all the time. Basically anything you can imagine, he can make.
…
Stop talking, you sound ridiculous. It’s food… What could possibly be fun about that? There’s not much to it aside from eating. Setting up a picnic doesn’t sound entertaining at all. It’s beneath me.
…
Getting my hands ‘dirty,’ as you say, is weird to even think about. If I cut my finger in an accident, then I have to begin a lawsuit with the knife manufacturer. I’d win, of course, since my family’s lawyers are always worked to the bone on cases, but it’d be such a hassle.
…
So what if cooking is a life skill? I’m rich, remember? Fine, look. I’ll try my best to assist you with this, but then we’re going to my place. Deal?
…
Good. Now, where do we start?
…
I don’t really know how to make sandwiches… You’re going to have to teach me.
…
It’s not funny, don’t laugh at me. I never learned how to make food. I never needed to learn. If my personal chef isn’t around, those are usually the days I ask to hang out with you. You’re like a pack of rations to me.
…
Wait, I didn’t mean that in a bad way. I meant like… you’re always there when I need you. You’re basically my go-to for anything I might have trouble with. Right now, for example, I’m having trouble making a sandwich, so you’re going to show me how to make one.
…
Okay, let me check the fridge. Hm? What kind of bread is this? This isn’t like the stuff I have at my house.
…
It’s… normal bread? If you say so. What else do we need? Lettuce, tomatoes, meat, and some cheese. Oh, are you going vegan, by the way? I could remove some stuff if you don’t want it. I think I saw some tofu back here.
…
Alright then, so here’s everything we need. It’s actually simpler than I thought to put this together.
…
Wait, can I slice the sandwich? I saw this cooking show in my personal theater the other day, and they always cut their sandwiches in half. It looked more presentable, you know?
…
No, I don’t just watch cooking shows because I’m jealous of their skills. They’re only a little interesting, that’s all. Like, have you ever watched Iron Chef and thought; “hey, this would be fun to make?” That’s how I feel sometimes. I know my chef would make it, but I don’t know, it feels better when you’ve gotten inspired from a show.
…
Hm? I’m not rambling. Not every word I say is nonsense, you should know that better than anyone.
…
Let’s finish up these sandwiches and put them in the picnic basket.
(Brief pause, listener is teaching speaker how to use a knife)
And here it is. Two decent sandwiches, evenly cut. Thanks for teaching me how to use a knife, by the way. I know I don’t say that often, but I really do appreciate your kindness. Sometimes I feel like I should say nicer things to you, but my pride gets in the way.
…
Just because I’m rich doesn’t mean I understand how people feel. I thought that was obvious when you first met me. I was such a moron. I don’t know why I thought I could tease you by flaunting my net worth. But, at least it’s in the past. I’m much more comfortable to be with you now.
…
Anyway, before this gets any more embarrassing for me to talk about, I’m going to put in some snacks and drinks. What else do you think we should add to this basket?
…
I haven’t had fruit salad in a while. Don’t make the whole thing without me though, I want to help.
…
Alright, making a picnic basket is a little fun, I’ll give you that. I thought it’d be far less interesting. I’m a bit impressed with how low-budget this can be, too. I can’t believe picnics can be this cheap to set up.
…
W-well yeah, I know not everything needs to be expensive. Duh. I’m just not used to it being… not expensive at the same time. That doesn’t make me spoiled, by the way. I simply haven’t gotten the time to be as cultured or whatever as you are. I think it’s because you’re really cute, so it helps me learn faster.
…
What’s wrong? I’m just telling you how I feel. I did say that I should start trying to say nicer things to you. You’re cute, so I ended up admitting it!
…
I don’t know why your cheeks are all red, but at least we’re done with the fruit salad. Is it alright if we go to the picnic spot? For once, I don’t feel like calling up my chauffeur. If it’s close, maybe we can walk together.
…
Oh, good, it’s just down the street. You’re carrying the basket, though. I can’t be seen touching such a thing in public.
…
Wait, hold on. Don’t be upset with me. I don’t want to cancel this picnic. I’ll carry it, alright? God…
(Brief pause, listener and speaker are walking)
Out of all the picnic baskets you could buy, why’d you pick this color? It’s so embarrassing. Did you see that old lady call me “princess” on the way here? I feel really awkward for once.
…
Shush. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t “adorable” either. I feel like I lost some of my confidence.
…
That’s-that’s not a good thing! Please just help me set everything up on the picnic blanket instead of taunting me. Thank you.
…
So… are you happy now? You convinced me to actually hang out here with you. The scenery is a little romantic, and it’s at least up to my standards. \sigh** I’d love to get a boyfriend to see this kind of place with.
…
Mm, finding the right person is hard. They can’t be a complete idiot for starters. They need to be charming, and pretty, and a lot of other stuff. Rich girls like me have a lot of preferences. It'd be great if they were someone like you. It’s so annoying that you’re not into me, though. If you were, I’d be all over you, and this could be a date.
…
Of course I want you. I’d give up every bit of money I had just to be closer to you! What made you think I wasn’t in love? I know sometimes I can give off mixed signals, but I still was hoping that you’d be willing to… court me?
…
If this means you’d give me a chance, then yes. I promise to be a bit more humble from now on. That means more picnic dates like this, right? Or that one time you wanted to go to the museum with me but I declined. I’m up for things like that now. I might like them as much as I enjoyed being out here today.
…
Now, can we go to my mansion? There’s this new film we got for the theater that I’d really love for you to watch with me…

My arms were getting weak; my fingers started to tremble. It was late at night, and I was sketching my design for a client. Despite being a designer for more than five years, I felt that something was lacking. My designs weren't bad, but they didn't have the 'wow' factor I wanted. The problem was not with my skills, but my creativity.
Around this time, a friend introduced me to the concept of the growth mindset. The theory is simple: your abilities aren’t fixed, they can grow. A light bulb went off in my mind. I realized that it wasn't my creativity that was stagnant; it was my mindset.
Thinking back, I was too afraid of stepping out of my comfort zone. I stuck to designs, themes, and colors that felt familiar. I realized that in order to grow creatively, I needed to change my perspective. I needed to see failures as opportunities, not as a dead end.
So, I decided to experiment with my designs. I picked colors that were out of my comfort zone, tried different themes, and even incorporated different design principles. The first few designs were far from perfect. They were messy and irregular. But I embraced them. It was my learning process.
The result? My creativity began to flourish. Each new design was a step out of my comfort zone and an opportunity to learn and grow.
And you know what's funny? My most appreciated design so far turned out to be the one where I incorporated elements I initially thought were 'out-of-my-league.' It was a hit with the client, and now it's one of my proudest works.
The point of this long-winded tale, my friends, is that growth mindset isn't just a fancy term flung around in psychology discussions. It's a real, applicable mental model that can help improve your creativity and bring about a positive change in your life. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, take risks, and step out of your comfort zone.
P.S. Just a disclaimer, I wasn’t actually sketching until my hands trembled (I do take breaks, you know). I just amped up the drama to make you realize how implementing mental models in your life is as thrilling as this story sounds. Remember to stretch those fingers!

First of all this isn't just some fake story to get upvotes. It actually happened and I'm not proud of it. I have added fake names instead of real names and I'm not that good in making fake names. The story is a bit too long and I hope you have the patience for it.
I was in the 10th standard when this happened. The final exams were near, and I was about to head home one day when I saw two girls walking down the corridor together. I instantly fell for one of them, let's call her Abby. Mustering up my courage, I approached them. Abby was with her friend, whom we will call Lucy for this story. I introduced myself as a friend to avoid coming off as a creep, and we quickly became friends. We spent a lot of time together until the end of the 10th standard. Both Abby and Lucy were in the 10th grade as well, but in a different section. My main goal was to first become friends with Abby and, over time, hope she would develop feelings for me. When we started 11th standard, Abby and Lucy introduced me to their entire friend group. Everyone in the group had opted for the science stream; some were in medical, and some in non-medical. I chose medical, Abby went for non-medical, and Lucy also chose medical. Other members of the group aren't that significant to this story, except for one guy we'll call Jack. Jack was also in medical. He and Lucy were very close friends, often flirting and sometimes even dancing together, holding hands. They seemed more like a couple than just friends. I would often joke about being jealous of them because they looked so cute together. Their playful behavior sometimes got them in trouble with teachers who would scold them and tell them to behave outside of the classroom. However, after some time, Lucy switched her stream to commerce. This change seemed to affect her, but we continued our friendship. One day, I noticed Lucy seemed upset, so I asked if she was okay and if she needed to talk about any family problems. As a friend, I also offered a hug to make her feel better, but she declined. Respecting herspace, I backed off, thinking she just needed some time. A week later, I noticed that no one from our friend group was talking to Lucy, and she stopped visiting our class. It was as if everyone had suddenly forgotten about her. Eventually, I learned that the group had started hating her and had actually kicked her out. This news was shocking to me. It wasn't until a year later that I discovered what had happened. Lucy was in a long-distance relationship with her boyfriend whom we will call Rocky. Everyone in the group knew about Rocky, as they had been together for two years. When I offered Lucy support, she misunderstood my intentions because she was self-centered and thought everyone loved her. She assumed I wanted to take advantage of her because she had a boyfriend. She told Rocky about our conversation, and he messaged Jack, asking for my contact information to warn me to stay away from his girl. Jack, whom I had been telling for the past 3-4 months that Lucy liked him and flirted with him, refused to give my information to Rocky. When Rocky tried to argue, Jack straight up told him, "Your girlfriend flirts with me daily and you are concerned that a short average-looking guy is going to steal your girlfriend? Your girl is technically cheating but you don't know cause you live more than 200 km away. You should be more concerned about your girlfriend than a funny little guy. Tell your girl to let me know if she actually likes me or you and to stop leading me on!" I guess me again and again telling Jack that they both acted like a couple subconsciously got into his head. He started believing that Lucy was cheating on her boyfriend. The next day Lucy and Jack had a fight online in their personal chat and that led to the friend group being broken. Everyone sided with Jack as they too believed that they flirted a lot and Lucy was technically cheating. Also, she was in commerce stream and everyone else was in science stream. Her class was on the opposite side of the campus so she had lost her influence in the group. She told everyone to fuck off as she didn't care about them as long as her boyfriend was with her. Then after a month her boyfriendtold her to fuck off as Jack's messages had left him with trust issues. With no friends and her lover, she fell into depression. It took her a year to partially recover. She is still in deep depression. She is unable to make friends and has trust issues. For a long time, I blamed myself for her pathetic condition. I believed that I manipulated Jack into believing that Lucy liked him and that led to his messaging and all that. About a month ago (Class 12th ended): For 2 whole years I kept giving Abby hints but she never did anything so after 12th I messaged her and told her how much I loved her. I told her how I fell in love with her at first sight. To my surprise, she too loved me since 2 years but could not bring herself to confess. I was confused but then she told that after our very first meeting Lucy told her that I liked Lucy so according to her she was more beautiful and I was looking at her before approaching which I was not. Abby was always underconfident and she just believed her. She told me that if she knew that I approached her for her then she would have confessed to me herself and that would have led to 2 of the best years of my life. Lucy's main character syndrome was the reason why those 2 years never existed. She changed the future by telling that self-centered statement to Abby. Now that Abby and me are going to different colleges (engineering and medical respectively) and have not had any romantic relationship till now, there is no point in a long-distance relationship. If I would have had that 2-year relationship then I would have gone with a long-distance relationship. Did Lucy technically get karma? Or what happened to Lucy was way too harsh?

I've been dating my boyfriend (M31) for over 3 years, and we've lived together for 2 of those years. I'm aware that there is a significant age gap, as I'm (F21). My boyfriend is Korean, and I'm half Japanese, half Spanish. At first, he thought I was too young, but I begged him to stay with me regardless of our age difference. He works full time 6 or 5 days a week & im a student & I work full time as well but the days varies so I’m home more often.
The issue is that I've tried changing almost everything about myself to make him like me, but nothing seems to work. I've changed my personality, clothing, hair, interests, and even tried to be more sexy or cute. However, my boyfriend is not very interested in sex, as I was his first partner and I didn't have much experience either. He said he was never really interested in sex and just likes playing PC games, especially League of Legends. I've tried learning to play, but he gets upset when I'm not a pro at it when he "teaches" me, and he doesn't even last a minute teaching me before getting frustrated.
Before I say anything to him, he sighs and says he doesn't care or that it's stupid. He often assumes I'll say or do something I've never done, and this leads to arguments. He makes me cry both inside and outside the house which is always so embarrassing, but he's never apologized or tried to make me feel better. He just has a cold expression and gets even more annoyed, looking away.
There are times when he is nice and loving, but it's very rare. I get confused when he acts that way, and I forget everything he's done to hurt my feelings. I would never forgive anyone else for the things he's done, but I'm very grateful for all he's done for me, and I always let him know.
I tell him I'm grateful, I tell him he's handsome, I praise him, I love him, I always hug him & caress him. But sometimes, I’ll give him his space for like 3 weeks but it isn’t enough. After a while he’ll come home from work and he’ll go straight to his pc and if I try to cuddle him or kiss him for a few minutes , he gets super mad and annoyed, telling me he just wants to play bc he’s tired.
He never says I'm pretty, but he gets annoyed when guys message me on social media saying they think I'm pretty. I always ask him if he thinks I'm attractive because he never looks at me or says I'm pretty. I don't feel like he finds me attractive at all. When I try on sexy or pretty clothes and ask him if I look good, he'll just say "yeah" or "ugh, I'm playing," without ever looking at me and continue playing his game. He doesn’t look into my eyes!
When I try to talk to him about funny videos or things that happened to me or interest me, he always says, "Ugh, I don't want to hear about that." He says that about everything. It breaks my heart that he's so uninterested in me. I know guys don’t like clothes, makeup, and those kinds of things but fashion interests me a lot and when my partner talks about his interest I feel happy seeing how his face lights up so why does he hate when my face lights up? Why does he ALWAYS turn that smile into tears? Why is he with me if he seems to hate me so much?
I've lost a lot of weight and try to look my best for him, he says that I care about my looks way too much but I feel like he treats me according to how I look. When I ask him why he doesn't pay attention to me, he just says always says "ugh" “ugh” that Korean sound angry Koreans make. It always triggers me. I don't know why he doesn't like me, so I try to fix myself in any way I can. I'm already smart and nice, so I feel like it’s my looks and now I feel extremely insecure with my looks and personality. I starve myself to try to be as pretty/slim as I can, like the girls he had saved on his phone when I had first met him but nothing seems to be enough. He doesn’t have any photos of me either btw. He doesn’t post me though, he doesn’t post anything on social media he only scrolls on Facebook like, a lot.
I get a lot of attention from others, but not at home. He hates that I like TikToks funny cat memes, and other "dumb" stuff, but they're just innocent jokes, and I have nothing else interesting in my life. I'm very lonely because this situation makes me so depressed and it makes me feel stupid and useless. I don't feel like I'll ever be liked/loved by anyone If my own partner doesn't love me.
He yells at me and starts arguments over the simplest things, like sharing something I thought was funny or interesting. It’s never negative or insulting. Everything makes him angry and annoyed. I sometimes feel scared that he'll get too angry and break things again, as he's already broken 4 TVs. I don't even do anything to him; he just gets so angry when I ask for a bit of attention. I just don't understand why. I feel so lonely.

I will start it with some prominent character traits of mine. I would describe myself as a funny dude. Humor and i are synonymous but that doesn't mean I'm going to joke every possible second. Curiosity is in my DNA i guess. So you might often find out I'm asking many questions. Hmm..what else did i miss...well you'll find out more once you start chatting 😉
Things i like are looking at the sky, enjoying the beauty of the full moon when it comes out, spending time in nature, listening to EDM's and some pop music, watching endless hours of youtube videos, watching wrestling matches, and reading books. I read non fiction and thrillers mostly. Haven't tried any romance novels. If you want to suggest some then be my guest! Some other things I'm interested in are space,history, psychology, cars and a few other stuff. But i mostly talk about life in general, so no need to worry about the stuff i've mentioned. Btw, I'm not into video games. So can't talk about it with you sadly.
I'm looking for someone who engages in the conversation, someone who would be genuinely interested in me, and someone who wants to know me. Bonus if you're clingy! Timezone doesn't matter. So see ya in my chat/dm.

I've been in love since almost 10 years ago with a person I knew though social media, and to most people it sound pathetic, I know, but the "worse" part is that we ended our relationship about 7 years ago.
We knew each other though a WhatsApp community group, while I was 15 and she was 13(this in 2014).
Initially, we didn't even talk to each other much (and never on private message, just the group), but by joking with each other we started talking more and more.
Prior to the continuation.., I would like to add certain context of myself. Due certain circumstances in my life i had severe depression and suicidal attempts even when I was even younger, but since I was naive/stupid I could never make it, and was getting frustrated at my own situation despite my young age, so that's when I just decided to know people on the Internet as a different persona. Never a fake name or anything like that, I was too young to even considering I could do that lol (I started at 10, which was extremely young on social media at that time, seems like not so much nowadays). So even though I was super introvert, expressionless and hated and mistrusted every single person, I started joining Facebook groups and then WhatsApp groups to know people who at least weren't from my home country. I always tried to being a expressive person in all of them and tried very hard to make some friends, but after a few disappointments I started losing hope, and I could not feel neither love or hatred towards people. It was just self hatred while I was still trying to "fix me" since even people started saying I was a weird kid because of how expressionless and apathic I was. They just treated me like a weird thing.
I felt like shit everyday, every hour, spending most of the day medicated with up to 6 pills.
And even though I was still that "funny" or "extrovert" person on social media I stopped talking to people on private, because I was exhausted on trying to connect with someone since I didn't even know how to properly hold common conversations like "how was you day?",and that other persona just wasn't enough.
So... continuing with the main story; It felt completely different with her, it was fun, even though there was still no private conversations, just the group chat.
At first, I thought it was just a misunderstanding on my part(as if I was brainwashing myself to think it was fun), so I got more and more curious about the things I was feeling with her, till the point that curiosity moved to her, and I started to wanting to actually know her better, not because I was trying to fix me, but because I was genuinely interested on her.
According to that genuine Interest and then love, I slowly naturally stopped acting as another person, and even though I was cold and barely showed any "visual" interest we still keep talking normally.
She was perfect in my eyes, I loved her very much and told her about it, but she rejected me due to her family. Even so, she made it clear that she felt the same.
Still, we keep talking normally, and on mid 2016 we started a relationship.
We had a lot of fights, mostly because of me I still had a hard time expressing myself since I wasn't used to, and she was also bad at expressing herself but in a a different way I had a herd time showing my true feelings about things, and since it was by chat it was even harder to express.. And she was bad about talking about herself, even about her opinions about anything.
So there were a lot of misunderstanding between each other, with her thinking I was mad or sad about something, but since I always told her it wasn't anything (it really wasn't anything) she had a hard time believing I was telling the truth to her. And since she didn't liked to talk too much about her thoughts I sometimes felt like she wasn't interested on me or just didn't trust me enough to talk about certain things.
So even though I would tell her everyday how much I loved her and she would tell me it wasn't like that, we still keep arguing a lot. As a couple with mental health issues we had quite a ride every day lol.
At some point, the discussions started getting more regular, and I starting feeling like It would be better for her to just forget about me and that she would be happy like that. I would make me as a "sacrifice" and just cut her up so she could be happy without having to deal with my problems.
We had yet another fight, and I thought about that again, and after a lot of things we said goodbye to each other and told her I was going to block her, which I did.
It was extremely stupid, and I regretted it even a minute after doing it, but I keep thinking it was the best for her. Almost 6 months passed, with me feeling regret every single day and feeling like shit but also thinking about how things were and how I should have done a lot of things differently, till I just couldn't help it anymore and unblocked her and talked to her again. It was yet another bad decision. If already did it I should have gone on with it till the end, so why tf would I talk to her again? I just made her suffer again. I regret both things, till this day.
And even though I did that, she responded to me We had a very deep conversation, and explained to her why I did it and why I talked to her again. She obviously felt awful,and while I was explaining, I once again felt like it was such a stupid idea and that I should have tried more.
In the time we didn't talk we both thought a lot of things, and ended up deciding to just keep as friends, even though we both still loved each other. We just came to the conclusion that we hurt each other more being together as a couple. We started to talk less and less, to the point it ended up in a relationship of "happy birthday" and "happy new year", not because we didn't want to speak to each other, but because it was kinda weird. I still loved her very much, but I couldn't say so, and every thing she did or how she talked was still adorable to me, but I just couldn't say "you're cute", "I love you so much", because we weren't anything.
At some point in her birthday(2020) I told her that maybe we shouldn't talk to each other more so we could just forget about each other(I never intended to forget about her but I wanted her to be happy) but she said she was okay with our (at that time) current situation so she would still do it.
When new year came, she didn't talked to me. Neither in my birthday (January). I was both sad and relieved/happy tbh. I thought "maybe she's thinking about herself and her own happiness, which is what I wanted". Time came by, and in 2022 she talked to me, not on new year or on my birthday, but on a normal day.
I was extremely happy and worried at the same time. We talked about a lot of things, including love in general. I told her I still loved her, not wanting anything in return, and she said that maybe I only love the memories, and I would not like her current self. We keep talking about a lot of things, every day for a few months, and I just came to the conclusion that she was wrong. I still loved her, the way she expressed, the way she talked, everything. I felt like I was 15 again, discovering new things that made me love her more and more.
Everything was fine, we were not in a new relationship but still good. At some point she was very busy with a lot of things(tests and everything), so we naturally started talking less. I was completely oblivious about what she was thinking during that time, and I still don't fully understand, but she told me that we probably shouldn't talk anymore(maybe revenge? I don't think so but sometimes I do think I can be that) I was again sad but happy, thinking she knows we probably don't have a future so it was the best for her. So i agreed with her(not like I had an option), and we said goodbye.
Sometimes I think, maybe she wanted me to tell her no? Should I have said no and that we should try it? But even so, my own answer is that that was the best. I still can't forgive myself about what I did and how we broke up, so I just can't feel the right to be with her.
Even so, I still feel genuinely happy for her, and I wouldn't mind if she has another lover on her life, quite the opposite. I would love her to be happy, and it doesn't matter if it's not with me, because it's just not about me but about her.
She initially made me feel jealous for the first time in my life, she made me worried, sad, happy, stressed, loved, wanted, etc. Most feelings I didn't think I could feel for another person. Even my family didn't think I could. She made me not wanting to kill myself every day, she made me think living was worth it, she made me think I should keep on living no matter what. That's true even though I still don't have anything, not even friends. She made my life happy just by thinking about her, and I will always be thankful and sorry for everything we did together, not just because of how she made me feel, but because she was (and pretty sure still is) an amazing person who deserves the better. She even made me leave most pills.
Like I started, I still love her very much, and even though she's the only "thing"(as in both passion and people) I "have" and even though sometimes I just want to die, I will still keep trying to live, for as long as I can even though I think about dying every single day of my life.
Even though this was long af, it was still a super resumed version, and since English it's not even my first language I probably have a lot of mistakes, so sorry about that and also thanks to whoever made it this far. Although I doubt this will ever be read I feel a little relieved since I literally have no one else to talk, not even family lol.

Hello everyone! Hopefully my story reaches whoever needs it. I sadly struggled with BV for 9 months straight before it finally went away. It all started when I was sexually active with a guy that was no good for me. It was my first time ever having BV so I didn’t understanding what was going on with my body at the time. After ending the connection my vaginal health wouldn’t get better for the life of me. I was constantly going to the clinic getting tested, making multiple doctors appts but no matter how much antibiotics was given to me I would still have BV. The antibiotics I took were Flagyl (took this about 4 times) and Clindamycin cream (used this once) and both gave me the same effects. I always finished the meds and my downstairs area would smell like dirty water! I was miserable and super insecure. Before having any vaginal issues I was drinking a lots of water and taking my probiotics on a regular basis. In those nine months nothing was working! I spent around $200 in probiotics trying different brands and different strains to see what would work for me. I can’t say they didn’t work because I did feel and smell a difference but I still wasn’t back to normal. Finally after a long 9 months with lots of research and a good amount of money spent I am happy to say I am free of the shackles of BV. I been BV free for 4 months now. Here are some tips for anyone struggling.

1. Drink lots of water! I know it’s very cliché to say this but dehydration can intensify body odors. I recommend drinking about 40oz - 64oz a day. Stop drinking water when your pee is clear. You don’t wanna over hydrate your body and lose electrolytes.
   
2. Invest in a good probiotic and be patient. Sadly a lot of reviews online for probiotics are fake and some companies pay for good reviews. Avoid the brands that have reviews like "after one day of taking this probiotic all my problems went away." Learn from my mistake of being gullible enough to believe that. Look for probiotics with variety of strains, between 7 to 20 strains will do. CFU count can be a little tricky but I notice my body reacts will to 50 cfu. I don’t suggest 100 cfu because it could give you adverse effects and make your BV or yeast infection worst. If you need any recommendations feel free to message me.
   
3. TEA! There are lots of different teas that have amazing benefits for you vag. I researched the benefits of a lot of teas before i came across hibiscus tea. This tea has completely changed my life for the better. Funny enough I had a dream about hibiscus tea after i brought it and something told me to give it a try. Before i tell you this recipe I recommend you do your own research on this tea. If you have low blood pressure I do not recommend you drink this because it could lower it even more. Hibiscus is rich in antioxidants and assist the body in fighting infections. You could drink the tea alone but i personally didn’t feel the most benefits from doing that. What I do is brew a cup of tea for about 5 mins, add a SPLASH of Apple cider vinegar with the mother. ACV does have some antibacterial and anti fungal properties that could help with health of your gut and vaginal Microbiome and the "mother" is the cloudy particles you see within the vinegar, which is made of good bacteria. Not a shot but a splash of it, took much ACV can be harmless to your throat and teeth. To sweeten the tea I use 100% organic, honey. This is optional but if you have pure 100% pure cranberry juice not from concentrate in your home add a splash of that too. Literally a hour after drinking this I smelled significantly better and continued drinking this for 7 days straight, once a day. My ph balance was right back to normal on day 7. Now I make this for myself about 2-3 times a week. If you come to the conclusion that you can’t consume hibiscus tea a good alternative is green tea, ginger, turmeric, peppermint, licorice, and black tea.
   
4. Take a shot of Pure 100% cranberry juice not from concentrate twice a day. Yes cranberries are mainly used for UTIs, but with long-term consumption, it can help the overall pH balance of the vagina. I recommend the Lakewood Juice brand.
   
5. Ask for a different antibiotic. Please be vocal about a specific antibiotic not working for your body. A lot of doctors love to prescribe Flagyl because it’s considered the standard for BV but it doesn’t completely eliminate the problem. For any of my ladies who have been prescribed Flagyl over and over again please consider trying oral clindamycin! This is the only antibiotic that has completely cleared my BV. Please be cautious though, it can be really hard on the stomach so i do recommend you take a probiotic about an hour after the dose. For example, if you have to take two pills a day after your last pill take a probiotic a hour after. This is to prevent the loss of the healthy bacteria in your gut. YOU DON’T TO GET C DIFF. If you have IBS, Ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease please talk to your doctor to see if it’s a good fit for you. Tips 1-4 are for replenishing your Microbiome and maintaining your pH balance.
   

If you come to the end of this post, thank you so much for reading. I hope my story encourages you and gives you a sense of hope that you can gain control of your body again. Feel free to ask any questions or message me! F**k BV.

I have several thoughts about where they all ended up so I’m just gonna dump them all here:
Jay and Gloria: Love them, they grew closer and more in love. Jay went from being a homophobic and xenophobic AH to an amazing involved husband, father, and grandfather. Gloria didn’t have too much development but the support Jay gave her in realizing aging is okay was adorable to see, and I always loved her. Other than being an overbearing mom but she definitely starting to let go.
Manny: He was cute in the beginning but became an insufferable snob. Though i do applaud his relationship development with Jay he needs some more growing up to do but we haven’t seen that (yet🤞).
Joe: He was funny but there wasn’t much substance to his character as he was so young.
Cam: I do not like him. Throughout the show he was always “woe is me” and acted as if he knew what was best for everyone else. In the end he got everything he wanted at the sacrifice almost everything Mitch had wanted. He was not a good husband or father to Lily once she got older.
Mitchel: I like him well enough, he is a supportive husband. However he gave up wayyyy too much for Cam. In a stark contrast, he was also not very involved with Lily, why on earth they decided on adopting another baby is beyond me.
Lily: Her childhood moments were hilarious, and the moody snarky teen she became is not uncommon, particularly in her situation. Her dads did not pay her much attention as they were constantly super involved in their own lives once she grew up. Wish I got to see more of her.
Baby boy: I forgot his name, his whole character felt like an add on.
Claire: I did like seeing her develop from a sorta depressed stay at home mom, to a driven and capable career woman. I don’t think the career itself was too important, but joining the business did help her bond with Jay. What she needed was to feel confident and capable again, and that’s what she got. Her reaction to Haley and Dylan ending up together and whatnot was hypocritical as she was in Haley’s shoes once. I do understand looking at a bad reflection of yourself is uncomfortable but she could have been less judgmental. She was not a good parent to Alex, never tried to understand her and didn’t really look out for her as “oh she has good grades so she’s fine”. They didn’t show too much of her relationship with Luke but I do wish she’d have stopped being so hung up on college for him. Her relationship with Phil definitely grew over the years and it was good to see.
Phil: I hated him in the beginning. His constant ogling of Gloria was insanely uncomfortable, and it went on for far too long. It took another guy pointing out how amazing Claire is for him to get she’s great, though it still happened occasionally. The ‘wow I see what they mean by pregnant women glow’ when Claire had given him 3 kids was revolting. I am glad their relationship got better and he became a better husband. He was always a good father, very present for his kids, and I do like that he looked out for Alex, even when she didn’t think she needed it.
Haley: I get she was supposed to mirror her mother by going from irresponsible and ‘crazy’ to a sensible mom, but I wish her path had gone differently. Her relationship with Andy let her grow more into adulthood but she should not have ended up with him, that relationship was built on cheating, a terrible foundation, it wouldn’t have gone the distance. Dylan is a nice guy but he is almost like a step back from the progress she made, not because he’s a bad guy, but he stayed as basically the same character with little development. I will give him credit for being a supportive and involved dad to the twins. The future I feel Haley would’ve thrived in was as a single traveling photographer. She enjoyed fun and freedom, after being in so many tumultuous relationships I could see her thriving otherwise.
Alex: She grew up as a stereotypical middle child, always overlooked by her family. However her intelligence gave her an ego that both protected her and harmed her. Thinking herself better than her family allowed her to be okay in her situation, but that extended to everyone so it didn’t let her make friends easily. It definitely helped when she went to college and had to realize the people there are just as smart or smarter than her, but it didn’t help her much afterwards. I have to say I wish she ended up with the firefighter. He was so kind and supportive, not as intelligent as her sure but I think she needed that in her life, to show her ‘dumb’ people are human and productive too. Her possibly ending up with Arvin was something I hated. He is some who overlooked her and dated her sister. Not only did he date Haley, they broke up because he was embarrassed of Haley for being ‘dumb’. The only thing that relationship could do for Alex is further divide her from her family and common people.
Luke: He grew up as such a happy energetic kid. His lack of interest in academia was visible to everyone. I don’t know why everyone was shocked he wasn’t getting into colleges. Alternative routes would have been a better option to present to him, and I loved his medical system idea and wish he’d gone that way. His going off to college instead did not make sense to me and I can see him dropping out to pursue something else instead.

I (31, m) have an older sister who's 38. She's lived 500 miles away ever since she turned 18 and started a life there with two kids. M(14) and F (16)
These kids have always been very detached and almost impossible to engage with. My sister makes good money and as such, she's been able to give the kids a pretty nice life with 4 big trips every year and takes them to concerts nearly every other weekend. They've never had to want for anything and it makes me happy my sister has given them a nice upbringing. My issue comes however in that whenever they visit my mother , they're severely detached . My mom will ask them about how schools going and they give her shit responds like "Mehhh"
These kids aren't special needs. But my mom and I recently came to visit a sick relative in another state and my sister decided to tow her kids and husband out as well as a surprise. The thing is- they've been sitting there and didn't even say hi to my mom until prompted. The relative were all staying with tries to talk to the kids and they don't really respond with anything more than 1 worded dry answers before walking away unenthusiatically. They've been this way with the entire family and will sometimes laugh if I tell them jokes or say something funny but I can't help but feel sorry for my mom who wants to engage with and have conversations with them. We went to a party today and they sat by themselves, didn't talk to anyone and it makes me really worried as this has always been how they have acted. It isn't a sudden shift, I made the mistake of thinking several years ago that they just hadn't come out of their shell and they were little kids but they're both teenagers now and really don't talk to anyone except amongst themselves.
I've been wanting to have a talk and sit them both down and find a way to tell them "hey you know , your grandma won't be here forever and I feel like you guys are kinda cheating her out of experiences . She tries to engage with you all and you give her one worded answers and walk away"
But my sister is very protective of them. She likes to give them everything and I haven't been able to bring it up to her as she sees nothings wrong. This pains me to no end in that while My sister is very very outgoing - I don't understand why her kids are so standoffish.
Does anyone have any pointers ? Is anyone else dealing with something similar and how do you cope with that?
Were staying at a relatives house and they likely said "hi" when they arrived at her house but haven't spoken since and even my relative found it to be really rude. What can I do?

I have a younger autistic brother who I absolutely FUCKING HATE he always gets on my last nerve! I’m 99% sure my parents don’t now how to handle a special needs child he is whining and screaming as I am writing this. Recently my grandparents and my aunt came to live with my family due to war in my hometow. Honestly I didn’t mind this much I mean I did get a little less privacy but other than that it was fine,. We did have to move into to a bigger house in a new neighborhood but I was actually really excited because I had a friend living in my new neighborhood and I had some rivalry with the kids in my other neighborhood which is a story for another time… anyway things were going good I was hanging out with my friend and things were going good until my uncle moved then I was a little annoyed because he had stayed at our house before and I didn’t like him very much but I decided to give him a second chance at first he was being nice and he was actually kinda funny but then he started becoming really controlling almost like that “alpha male” term they use idk. Anyway my other brother who used to also hate my autistic brother are now star to get along which idk I still feel kinda petty about because it becomes kinds awkward after hating him for so long. Back to my uncle, my mom just left to go to the mall to get a couple things because we are traveling soon for summer break my autistic brother started hitting and kicking my sister who is only a toddler I told my brother to stop and he started screaming and kept doing it then my uncle came in and told me it was none of my business like first of all IM THE ONE WHO HAS BEEN HERE FOR HIS WHOLE LIFE SINCE WHEN WAS THIS “NOT MY BUSINESS” LIKE HE‘S THE ONE WHO JUST GOT HERE AND MIND YOU MY UNCLE IS 19 AND HE GRADUATED AT 17 LIKE GO TO COLLEGE ALREADY AND BY THE WAY HE HAS BEEN STAYING AT MY OTHER RELATIVES HOUSES AND IV’E SEEN WHAT HE DOES HE NEVER LOOKS OR TEIES TO DO ANYTHING TO GO OR TO ATLEAST PREP FOR COLLAGE anyway I tell him I know how to handle this then he proceeds to yell at me to back off and tells to my brother NAD I QUOTE “please don’t hit (sisters name)” LIKE I ALREADY SAID THAT AND HE STILL KEPT HITTING MY SISTER AND AFTER THAT HE DID NOTHING I managed to get my sister into my room and away from my brother the my “uncle” comes back into MY ROOM and threatens to beat my sister and when is tell him to leave guess what he said just take a guess like turn you head away from the screen and make a guess…. HE TOLD ME IT WAS NONE OF MY BUSINESS LIKE FUCK YOU YOUR IN MY ROOM IF ANYTHING ITS NONE OF YOU FUCKING BUSINESS after than I absolutely broke down and I left the room and waited for him to leave and I yelled that I hated him. Honestly I’m glad I can get a break from him this summer! If you read this whole rant I really appreciate it and I just wanted too get this off my chest

(Sorry if I broke any rules I’m new please tell me if so) TW: mention of weed and SA
To start i f21 and a friend Jake ftm21 had a sleepover 3 months ago with another friend, Isabel. I have known of Jake since elementary and we got closer in the last year of high school. I had always been more comfortable around him and he was just a really touchy feely person. Holding hands, hugging, leaning his head in my shoulder, etc.
I was a bit worried about his girlfriend, especially with her being a close friend, seeing us like that so I would jokingly push him away but he never got the message. I will admit I’m the type of person to worry if I bring up something like that I would ruin the relationship, so I never did.
So at this sleep over we all got a faded, we watched movies and played games, it was all fun till it came to actually sleeping. I was in the middle of them on the bed because I had this funny ASMR video for them to watch and Jake just laid his head on my shoulder and his hand went under my shirt, touching my side, back, and stomach. I tried to tell him to stop moving his hand and to watch it sense he was touching my lower stomach and close to literally touching my chest.
He gave me a ‘why’ or ‘I’m cold’ but after a few times he stopped. Later in the night I woke up to him saying something and taking my face to make me look at him in the pitch black room. He was so close out lips actually touched. To add to that his hand started to move and move up to my chest and he ended up actually touching it. I had to move his hand away and just went back to sleep.
He did the same thing the next morning (still not sober) and when he got to close again I told him to move it and he did, by moving it the smallest amount. That night when I got home I cried the hardest in my life and I could still feel his hands.
That was a few months ago, but I’ve told one person and she’s my best friend. I haven’t said a word to him or his girlfriend, no one else. I think about that night literally everyday and I have to physically pause what I’m going to try and stop thinking about it. I feel like it’s too late to say anything to him. I’m still confused why I didn’t move or do more to stop it.
I’m thinking about telling my sister just to have someone to actually talk to, and Jake. I’m still not sure of what to even say to him. Do I tell his girlfriend? I don’t wanna start drama, but I do feel like she should know, I would wanna know?

As a proud Californian with a soft spot for the ultimate American dream, starting my own business was always at the back of my mind. Metaphorically speaking, it's like surfing. You have to pick the right wave (idea), position yourself correctly (plan), and then ride the wave all the way to the shore (execute). I found that the Lean Startup method was my surfboard, helping me to balance everything.
I remember the early days of my first startup, a little online retail store I ran from my garage. I was wearing all sorts of hats - from procurement to marketing, finance, and even customer service. My daily schedule was a complete mess until I realized that I was spending way too much time on tasks that didn't move the needle forward.
Then I stumbled upon the Lean Startup approach, a methodology used by budding entrepreneurs to streamline their businesses. I was intrigued by its emphasis on eliminating waste, or in my case, time-wasting activities. Putting it into action required a complete overhaul of my daily routine. I started with the principle of "validated learning.” Instead of spending hours designing and ordering new product labels, I made a simple mock-up and asked for customer feedback. The response was overwhelming. Customers didn't care about fancy labels; they were more interested in the quality of the products.
I also used the "build-measure-learn" cycle to prioritize my tasks. If a task didn't have a direct impact on building the product, measuring its effectiveness, or learning something new about my customers, it went to the bottom of my to-do list, if not completely eliminated. Within a week, I had more time to focus on key activities like sourcing superior products and improving customer experience.
Another great tip I picked up was "pivoting," or changing strategies without changing your vision. I used to spend countless hours trying to increase sales through social media. But after measuring my efforts, I realized the return on investment was minimal. Instead, I pivoted towards improving SEO and the results were impressive.
Adopting the Lean Startup method revolutionized how I managed my time. But remember, it’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Experiment, measure, and learn what works best for you.
And oh, here's a funny thing to consider. If you’ve read this far expecting a war-time saga or a high-sea pirate adventure, I’m sorry to disappoint. No, this isn't a real story — but a hypothetical one to show you how you can use techniques like Lean Startup in your everyday life. But hey, don't be sad. Remember, not all heroes wear capes. Some just manage their time efficiently.

Which is why it took him so long to realize his feelings.
I love rewatching over and over because I always notice something new. One detail I have tried to pinpoint is the moment he falls in love with her, and am Austen quote comes to mind,
"I cannot fix on the hour, or the spot, or the look, or the words, which laid the foundation. It is too long ago. I was in the middle before I knew that I had begun."
For Penelope, it was love at first sight. Not just because she found him handsome, but also because he is so gentle and sweet. And as Eloise's best friend, she was always at the Bridgerton house. Always happy to see or speak to Colin. He has known her for years as a fixture in his home.
And because of that he took her for granted.
He has always been fond of her and cared about her. He has rescued her from Cressida and rescued her and her family in S2.
But it took Penelope overhearing his cruel words and her fight with Eloise to make him acknowledge how much he actually feels about her.
For instance, right at the beginning of S3, before the opening title, Colin returns home. He is found flirting with a group of young ladies while Penelope watches from the bushes. She looks dismayed and confused by this new Colin. Then he turns to greet his family, and she steps out from the bushes hopeful. This is the Colin she knows and loves. The minute he hugs Eloise he turns to look directly at her house, and sees her. (He really does always seek her out). But he doesn't acknowledge seeing her and turns back to his family. She feels snubbed. In her eyes, he is indifferent to her. I imagine seeing Eloise reminded him of her, and he looks to double check that she is there. But she is always there, and once satisfied by seeing her, he turns away. He takes her presence for granted.
Minutes later he walks up to her at the park, but her attitude is cold and indifferent. He jokingly comments about Eloise and Cressida being friends, and her response is cold and vague. Later when he speaks to Eloise in the family drawing room he brings up their friendship again. Eloise announcing in a rather final voice that they have grown apart is the moment he first realizes that the woman he has been taking for granted may very likely not be a fixture in his home.
This is compounded by their conversation after her dress is ripped. He thinks his flowery compliments will work on Pen the way they work on the other ladies of the ton, but instead she lashes out at him and reveals she overheard his cruel words. Colin even tries to get her somewhere alone and private, seconds after reminding her that she needs a chaperone, but Penelope is decidedly not succumbing to his practiced charm.
It is in Colin realizing that Penelope may very well no longer be in his life that he stops taking her for granted.
Even when giving her lessons in finding a suitor, I believe he saw the exercise as a fun way to spend time privately with her. He likely sees their lessons as a way to teach her confidence and as an excuse to flirt. He is having fun.
It is only when Lord Debling takes a serious interest in her that he understands he could very well lose her for good.
The kiss is when he finally acknowledges his attraction for her, with episode 3 being a slow torturous dawning of understanding of the intensity of his feelings. By the end of the episode as he watches her dancing with Debling you can see he finally really gets it.
He is in love with Penelope Featherington. He has been in love with Penelope Featherington. And now he has lost her to someone else.
Penelope on the other hand has loved him for so long, she sees the kiss as a final goodbye. She is inexperienced and never courted anyone or had any man show interest in her. It is why she is oblivious to what he is doing.
She doesn't notice when he flirts with her. She doesn't question all the times he goes out of his way to be alone in private with her. She doesn't even see the longing look he gives her after their kiss. She doesn't notice all the times he looks for her whenever they are at a ball or at a park. She is completely oblivious.
Even Eloise is oblivious to what is happening between them. She sees Colin's attentions towards Penelope as friendly. Lord Debling notices that Colin is competition by the end of episode 3 when he interrupts them to ask Penelope for a dance, and gives Colin a very pointed look.
When Violet announces that Penelope is to receive a proposal, Colin finally decides to make a move. Even then after interrupting Debling and Penelope's dance, he initially cannot get the words out. It is only after she leaves that he realizes he could really lose her forever. It is in that moment he risks everything.
That is why he proposes immediately after the carriage ride. He has taken her for granted for so long and it almost made him lose her. He won't bother waiting for the morning or asking for her mother's permission. He does not want to waste a single second more. It must have been heartbreaking and terrifying watching the woman he loves be with someone else. He doesn't want to waste another second.

For context I am 17 and just broke up with my ex. We dated for about 6 months. In the beginning I actually had a massive crush on him for like 3 months. I really did like him a lot and wasn’t super shy about it since we had theatre together after school. He also liked me back so we started dating.
Now, reason why I had broken up with him is because I started loosing feelings around March. When May rolled around I began to have actual doubts about my feelings and if I wanted to be in this relationship. Thing is, there wasn’t necessarily any problems. My ex was loving and caring like any boyfriend but he had his own traumas and issues. He would overthink very often which for me became exhausting to deal with. He’d cry a lot because he was scared I would leave him or that I would like someone else. Some odd reason he always had bad dreams and would constantly cry over it. It became tiring to comfort him. I sometimes hold hands with my girl friend like any girl would and he legit told me had a dream about me leaving him for her 💀 like what? And he was scared I was gonna leave him for her. Overall he was scared of losing me. He had treated me like I was his whole world. Like I was the love of his life.
Here’s the thing, this would be sweet and cute but personally in my opinion was just not really it. I mean yeah, I loved him but he’s not the love of my life. We have only been dating for a few months not years. When we’re in advisory he’d constantly cling onto me and wrap himself around me. I didn’t mind at first but then it became too much. I just want my personal space. I guess those things just caused me to start losing feelings.
So to me the relationship didn’t hold that much meaning to me. After I broke up with him I didn’t cry nor did I feel super sad. But after a day or two I did begin to feel a bit sad because he’s a good person and bf but he just wasn’t meant for me. So that made me sad that I let go of him but it was for the best because everything was becoming a push and pull situation between us.
So now here we are a week later and on Monday my old feelings for this guy sort of rekindled ig? Idk. In the beginning of the year before me and my ex even got together I kinda had a thing for this guy who I’ll refer to as Mf bc why not. I don’t know Mf very much because 1. I don’t have any classes with him 2. No after school activities together. Funny enough his older brother and I are good friends with each other. (His brother is ok with me liking Mf btw lol) so I sometimes see Mf when me and his brother are going somewhere after school. Occasionally in the halls and such.
Ultimately I decided to shoot my shot with my ex instead. Then a week ago I broke up with him. When Monday rolled around these feelings for Mf returned when I saw him again and interacted with him. I hate the fact I like him. Because I don’t want to but i literally can’t stop it. He and I both just got out of relationships so I’m not gonna try to pursue anything. But that doesn’t change the fact I still have a crush on him which I hate.
Unfortunately yesterday I also made the realization that Mf fits my type kinda well. (Not personally yet because idk him well enough to determine) but he’s taller than me, he’s fit, lean, and has a sense of style. And to me he’s good looking. 7/10 give or take.
Besides that I just don’t understand why now? I don’t want to date him right now. Because it’s highly possible that this is just a phase I guess. So I don’t want to do anything rash. I wanna give it like a month or two to see if I really like him before actually considering if I should try to get to know him and what not. Yet I keep thinking about him and have to resist the urge to text him. Ughh. Why I gotta have a crush on this mf? And why now?
(I’m having a crisis pls send help-)
Sorry that was so long. I have to make sure there is context so I can get advice.

I'm a chinito guy looking for a girl who would like to watch kdramas, movies or any series online. But pwede din kausap lang lalo na at medyo boring minsan life. We can talk about anything lalo if need mo lang mag share mga nangyare sa araw. Like movies/shows/animes/kdramas recommendations. Lets talk on tg. I am a funny witty guy who is fun to talk with. I am also up for intellectual talks. In life we need to take risk and chances in order for us to meet the right person. So i hope you take that risk and message me, i promise you will not regret it. Open to friendships, dating etc. I can start as your boredom killer and eventually become your handsome lover haha (sample of my funny witty side.)

I cycled to Budapest from the UK about 6 years ago. During this trip I received around 12 tick bites over a 3 month period. I wasn't concerned at the time as me and my friends believed you only got Lyme if you got the rash and got ill shortly after. How wrong we were.
So it's been 6 years of being totally fine and for the last 4 months I've been having lots of crazy symptoms. They were quite debilitating and scary at times and I've been absolutely convinced I have primary progressive multiple sclerosis. My hands, feet, legs, arms and face have been going numb randomly. Sometimes both my legs would be numb and painful for like an hour straight. I'd get all sorts of intense neuropathic pain across my whole body. I Would get stabbing pains in my eyes, my vision would go kind of blurry sometimes, I've been having periods where I feel incredibly weak and have lots of fatigue. The list goes on. Thankfully these symptoms would come in waves and I'd go weeks at a time feeling fine for the most part.
I started a 3 week course of Doxycycline yesterday (42 pills).
Because I thought it was MS, I'm actually incredibly relieved that it is Lyme, as funny as that sounds. I understand that some people go on to experience symptoms even after they are treated with antibiotics and some people make a full recovery. Given that I thought I was destined for a life of permanent, gradually worsening disability and intense pain, staying where I'm at now seems like a blessing in comparison.
I'm curious, what has your journey with Lyme been like? Has anyone had a similar experience to me? How are you now?

Sup girlypops, soul searching for more besties and people to include in my daily life basis. Info about me on my other posts. Check out a summarized checklist below;
Bestie Checklist;
Conversation Holder:
⬜️ ain’t wanna, don’t wanna
⬜️ deaf in one ear
⬜️ coherent
✅ I love talking, can keep a convo
⬜️ licensed therapist
Jokes/Humor:
⬜️ a literal wall
⬜️ chuckles
⬜️ slight comedian
⬜️ hilarious
✅ I’ll laugh my jokes even if you don’t
Emotional Availability:
⬜️ Leave me alone
⬜️ I’ll just listen, ty
⬜️ trauma dumpling
⬜️ experienced crier
✅ pull up a chair love, let’s talk about it
Looks:
⬜️ SpongeBob Season 2, Ep 2
⬜️ At least I’m funny
✅ Content when looking in a mirror
⬜️ omg date me
⬜️ team Jacob
Reply speed:
⬜️ You’re texting yourself lmao
⬜️ 500+ missed messages
✅ BlackBerry User
⬜️ avid responder
⬜️ EMT
Overall score: 8/10 Friendship experience. No refunds, shoulder guaranteed.

[This is my 1st ever Reddit post and English is not my 1st language so bear with me please.] Hey, I'm 21F from India. I'm pursuing Computer Science Engineering. I'm feeling a void in my life lately. I have irl friends and loving family members but find it difficult to relate with them and can't tell them everything about me out of the fear of judgment of any kind. I want a friend who I can share about my day and who shares about their day with me. I'm into self development/healing aswell so we can maybe motivate each other to grow in life by setting daily goals. I'd love if you send me random funny cringe memes, yt videos, serious documentaries, animal reels, tweets, etc. You can yap to me about anything and I won't mind. We can have a low commitment friendship too if you're really busy for chatting everyday. I use social media only for keeping up with the world but don't really socialize with anyone on it (maybe that's why I'm unable to make friends who I share same interests with haha). You can rant/vent to me, I'm a good listener and will try to cheer you up during your lowest days. We can have the most childish talks and the most intellectual discussions at the same time. If anyone between the age of 20 to 24 wants to be my friend then please dm me.[preferably from my time zone] 🤍