Perhaps one of the biggest reasons a blog like "Humans of New York" has become such a popular phenomenon is because it invited random people to speak, unfiltered, and reminded everyone else that the people around us are endlessly fascinating and complicated in innumerable ways. Everyone around you has a secret or two, and while some people choose to keep those secrets quiet, others may achieve catharsis through sharing.
This appeared to be the case after Redditor AnotherThrow9182 asked the online community, "Reddit, what secret are you dying to get off your chest?" Some of these were deeply personal––others more lighthearted.
"The hospital I used to work at..."
The hospital I used to work at lost a baby corpse because it was mislabeled.
"I messed up..."
I messed up the promotional posters of a well-known martial arts film by editing its wikipedia article with incorrect character names before it came out. The company in charge of the posters was incompetent enough to use Wikipedia as its source for the names of the characters.
This is hilarious.
Now to find out which film...
"I accidentally found out..."
I accidentally found out my mother-in-law has a biological child that she gave up for adoption almost 50 years ago after I gifted her the AncestryDNA kit for Christmas.
"I'm excited..."
I setup a surprise flower delivery to my wife's workplace today. I'm excited for her reaction.
This is cute!
It's the little things.
"If I had my way..."
That the demands of the world seem like such a waste of time. If I had my way I'd move somewhere I could enjoy the sunset and call it good.
You can do that.
It's easier if you don't have a spouse or kids, of course. But life is certainly what you make of it.
"She doesn't know I know..."
I'll go first I guess... my mom is cheating on my dad and has been for a while now. She doesn't know I know and I don't know which of them to tell, or if I should just ignore it and stay out of their business.
"I have already been vaccinated..."
I have already been vaccinated (first dose only) but I haven't told anyone because I don't want people to start making plans socially with me. I'd rather stay home.
Can't say I blame you.
Many of us have pandemic fatigue... and many of us are also in no hurry to get back to our social obligations.
"When my sister and I were kids..."
When my sister and I were kids, she had a doll she loved that my step-mother donated. My stepmother apparently asked her permission and my sister agreed because she was only 4 and was being coerced into it by our stepbrothers. She adored that doll and cried for months about it.
My sister is now 26 and is ~8.5 months pregnant with a baby girl, so I tracked down one of those dolls on ebay and sent it to her. If all goes well, it should arrive about a week after the kid is born.
"I'm terrified..."
I'm terrified my husband will realize that I'm so not worth all the effort he puts into our relationship and taking care of me. I've got a chronic illness and he's had to add taking care of me to his plate on top of already being a wonderful husband and father.
"As a widow..."
As a widow I want to viciously slap married people who treat their spouses like s***. Why do you still get your spouse and CHOOSE to be an a****** to each other? Why did my husband, who I loved and adored, and who loved and adored me back, have to die while two ungrateful piles of s*** just go around making sure they ruin their spouse's day?
They say that we should be mindful...
...because everyone around us has a story of some kind. Take a look around: You're not alone. Everyone has their secrets, and for some individuals, some moments are so deeply personal that to tell another soul might cheapen them.
Have something you'd like to get off your chest? The anonymity of the internet can help. Feel free to tell us about it in the comments section below.
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