Life is full of seemingly unavoidable rites of passage: going to school, getting a job, paying taxes…
However some things aren’t as compulsory as they appear. And just because everyone else mindlessly goes along with them doesn’t mean that you have to as well. To find out which things you’re free to skip, Objective-Treat2245 put this question to r/AskReddit:
‘What’s something you didn’t realize was optional in life until you saw someone simply not doing it?’
You don’t have to read these top replies, but the answers are eye-opening…
1.
‘That you don’t actually have to have an opinion on everything. Watching someone say “I don’t know enough about that to comment” made me realize silence is an option too.’
-Carsanttc
2.
‘Giving a shit.
‘I don’t mean in an apathetic way, but growing up my parents panicked about every little thing. Going to the store, a dr’s appointment, a missed piece of mail, dropping a fork, spilling milk on the table. Everything turned into a “BIG DEAL”.
‘But I spent time with other people as a teen/adult, and realized that wasn’t normal. The world doesn’t end if you burn a pizza, or if the water spills over when boiling pasta. That guy who cut you off isn’t the worst part of your day, the staff member at the store checking your ID isn’t a bad person.
‘You can just “not” react to those things, and life gets a whole lot easier.’
-No-Following-4394
3.
‘Using the “fancy” cups, plates etc. Mum was flabbergasted when I made her a cup of tea using the china from her display cabinet. If not now, then when? Why shouldn’t we use it when we can?’
-bambootaro
4.
‘A person was talking stupid, and the person didn’t argue, but just got up & walked away without saying a word.’
-MehKarma
5.
‘Saying “thank you for the invitation, but I/we won’t be able to make it!” to a social invite without providing a detailed explanation about WHY you can’t attend.’
-Adventurous-Mall7677
6.
‘Your mileage may vary on this one, but sitting through meetings you don’t need to be in.
‘When I was an intern, I mentioned to my boss that a certain team’s meetings were brutally long and tended to get waaaaaay more in the weeds than they should. He told me, “Then just leave,” and it absolutely blew my mind. You have to know the politics, and I’d advise getting a vibe check from your boss first, but you can almost always say something like, “It sounds like you dont need me for this last part – is it okay if I go get a head start on this project?” or “I have something pretty time sensitive to get to – are there any things left you need my input on?” And then I just leave. I say it cheerfully, I always follow up on the parts that involve me, and I’ve never gotten in trouble for it or had it impact my reputation negatively.
‘Don’t let yourself be trapped!’
-Competitive_Bag3933
7.
‘Pretending to be okay all the time. You’re allowed to rest, not perform’
-uwuvxdh
8.
‘Seeing someone just not force small talk made me realize you don’t have to fill every silence and watching friends say “I’m too tired to go” without guilt taught me that you’re allowed to honor your energy without explaining yourself.’
-TJfreshman20
9.
‘I’ve got this great ironing hack called “Don’t buy clothes that need ironing.”
‘I have two full suits, a dark grey 3 piece and a lighter grey 2 piece, 1 pair of khaki dress pants, and two dress shirts pressed and starched by our local cleaners hanging up in my closet along with a couple of ties and all the needed rigamrole.
‘Everything else… it maxes out at “Business or Dress Casual” and if it doesn’t come out of the dryer and you can hang it up wrinkle free, it doesn’t go into my normal rotation. I don’t even own an iron or fabric steamer.
‘And I don’t want to hear one word about being lazy. I was in Uncle Sam’s Floating House of Shooty Ships for 20 years. I pressed and creased and ironed and spit shined and shaped hats and bloused boots and all that jazz for two fucking decades, I paid whatever “Prove you are capable of maintaining complicated clothing” dues you could even dream of. I’m done.’
-JoeMorgue
