When I was a kid, I was given a recorder. You know the ones. Simple flutes.
Just about every kid in my day had a music class in which they learned how to play one (or at least attempted to).
One day, I took it out of my bag only to have the damn thing snap in half right in front of me. I had no idea it was so fragile!
As an adult, I've accepted that it was just cheaply made and that we're probably better off without such a crappy device as the one I played masquerading as a musical instrument.
There are more things out there that are equally sensitive, if not moreso.
People shared their stories with us after Redditor Traffic_Great asked the online community:
"What have you discovered is much more fragile than you thought?"
"As a kid..."
"A lot of construction. As a kid I always trusted that things like walls, railings, and other infrastructure was built to actually be durable and withstand a bit of 'roughhousing.' When I got to be a teen I realized I couldn't always count on that and the world as a whole became a lot less solid feeling."
yParticle
There are numerous construction-related accidents each year – it's wild!
"I used to pride myself..."
"My memories. I used to pride myself on remembering all sorts of obscure things. I'll look through my old stuff and have no recollection of ever doing or thinking about some things. Time has eroded a lot of old memories away, and it's scary."
boulomai
Have you considered getting checked out for this?
"I’m 35 years old..."
"My father. I’m 35 years old and two years ago my dad retired at the age of 67. A few months after that the doctors told him he has cancer."
"He is/was a Marine and has always been a good dad. I’ve seen a fragile side of him these past two years while he comes to grips with his odds of survival. Life’s a bitch."
Hazz526
For someone who used to be so strong and independent, it's natural that this would be devastating.
"I'm about done..."
"My tolerance for BS. I'm about done watching the news."
Soggy-Macaron-4612
As I've grown older, I've discovered that my patience gets shorter and shorter each year.
"Literally..."
"Literally any given relationship. Don’t ever take it for granted."
MagyarCat
This is solid advice – value the people around you. Relationships are a two-way street.
"In today's world..."
"A person's spirit. In today's world, it is so easy to lash out and be mean. One spiteful remark and it can diminish that person's self worth and lead them to more discouragement."
chip2sr
We must be kind to people. We never know what they might be going through.
"I've had small ones..."
"Larger glass jars. I've had small ones fall and hit my fridge rug and not break even from 6 ft up. Knocked a larger size jar of the bottom shelf (maybe 2.5ft) and shattered to pieces on the fridge rug."
pilotdarko
Oh, don't remind me. I've shattered a couple in my day. Cleaning that up is not fun. And sometimes you find tiny shards for months!
"My dad was strong..."
"Life. My dad was strong and never ill. Two weeks ago he died in our arms from an aneurysm. He said he had a big sudden headache, 30 mins later he was gone."
all-rider
Sorry for your loss. Brain aneurysms are scary.
For those of you who don't know: Up to six percent of people in the United States have an aneurysm in their brain that isn't bleeding (called an unruptured aneurysm). Ruptured aneurysms are rare.
"Metal is..."
"Metal is surprisingly fragile when stressed the wrong way."
Not_Adobe
Indeed! It can surprise you. Enough stress can absolutely snap even the strongest metal in half.
"The hinge..."
"The hinge on my new air fryer thing. It popped back into place but you would think a bit more effort would have gone into keeping the front on."
YetAnotherRCG
I did this earlier in the pandemic and was forced to purchase another one due to an outdated warranty. So frustrating!
Be kinder and try not to take life for granted. Oh, and stay away from construction sites. If those are the major lessons you take away from reading these, then my work here is done.
Have some stories of your own? Feel free to tell us more in the comments below!
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