There are some experiences that are widely regarded as ‘formative’, as in they help build the foundation of who we are as a person. Those tend to happen when we’re young , but throughout life, there are a number of events and experiences that can continue to shape us.
A Reddit post asked people to share an experience they think every person should have, and people gave a wide variety of answers, from the good to the bad.
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Far from home.
“Visiting another country. I feel like it would put people in a different perspective for everyone.”
People replying to this comment made some important notes. One, that it should be a country that’s very different culturally from your own, and two, that you shouldn’t spend your entire time there in a resort or such. Get out and truly experience where you are!
Pure bliss.
“Having no obligations or responsibilities, even if it’s only for a few days. Nowhere you need to be, nothing on your schedule that you need to do. There are no loved ones around who you need to consider. You literally have the freedom to do whatever you want whenever you want.”
Love what you do.
“Having a really good boss. Work is totally different when you have someone who mentors and cares about their employees.”
Many enthusiastically agreed, like one commenter who said, “Absolutely! I will take a pay cut to work under a boss that actually cares about me, listens to my ideas, and respects my time and work.”
Sweet dreams!
“Good sleep.”
A debate went down in the subsequent replies about whether or not it was a good mattress, a good pillow, or something else entirely that affected sleep quality. The one thing everyone agreed on was that investing in your sleep is never a bad call!
Stress-free.
“Not worrying about money.”
One grateful user agreed, “I just got a job two weeks ago that pays over double what I’ve ever made before. Just one paycheck and my entire life has completely changed. I didn’t realize how paralyzed I was every single day over money.”
Blackout.
“A total solar eclipse. Did that once back in 2017 and it was amazing. There’s another big one in North America in about two years.”
If the supply during the 2017 eclipse was anything to go off of, you should look into ordering your eclipse-viewing glasses now.
Laugh until it hurts.
“Finding something so funny that you roll on the floor laughing.”
This entry was lovely, as the replies were filled with people sharing hilarious moments that had them like this. People also shared the other symptoms of a good laughing fit, like tears in your eyes or your jaw aching.
A lonesome moment.
“Solitude.”
Elaborating on this, one reply wrote, “I hiked up a nearby mountain […] and was almost at the top at midnight with nothing but a cold wind and snow-covered ground all around me. Pausing the music and just listening to nothing, I’m gonna go for more hikes at night for sure.”
Should I stay or should I go?
“Living away from their hometown.”
This one was interesting, as the replies were torn between doing this and loving it, and doing this and hating it, wanting to move back home. Either way, it provided some experience, and allows people to better understand what they want from life!
Try, try again.
“Failing at something and then going back to trying it again anyway.”
“[That] that feeling of finally succeeding after thinking you’d never is so validating,” wrote one response, which many others echoed as they told tales of their own hobby or skill that they remembered failing at until they didn’t anymore.
All the stars in the sky.
“Seeing the milky way.”
A strong believer in this entry provided some more specific instructions, “If you’re in an urban or suburban area, do yourself a favor, pack up the car and go somewhere remote late on a clear night, someplace where the only lights are your headlights. Park, shut your lights off, step out of the car or at least open the window, look up. It’s very easy to miss and very easy to do.”
A mental check-up.
“As someone just recently blind sided by a divorce, therapy. We break bones and nobody thinks twice about going to the doctor. When we suffer a psychologically traumatic event then we just carry on. Take care of your brain too folks, see a therapist even if it’s only once a year.”
The ones you love.
“Feeling loved. Doesn’t matter if it’s romantic or platonic but feeling loved in some way.”
Someone commented the importance of physical shows of affection too, to which the person above responded, “Yes! Hugging someone, holding hands or leaning on each other. Physical touch is so important. You don’t know how important it is until you haven’t felt it in a while.”
Out in nature.
“A breathtaking moment in nature. It’s hard to put words to it but it conjures up so many different emotions that somehow all combine to create pure awe.”
The tales told in under this comment were all so varied and unique, which only proved that this experience is completely subjective and can happen number of different ways!
A level of empathy.
“Working in retail/healthcare so you can learn basic empathy and truly see how horrible human beings can truly be to each other.”
“Food service and retail are two ‘unskilled’ jobs that literally everyone should have to do for a while,” stated one reply. “The level of sheer disdain and disrespect people have for workers in food service and retail is [expletive] astounding.”
A matter of perspective.
“Having a job that means your income is below the poverty line for at least 6 months. Your perspective on consumerism and materialism will be changed forever.
“This should be mandatory for anyone holding political office. [If] they can’t [empathize] with the majority of their constituents, they aren’t qualified to represent them.”
Physically fit.
“Getting into excellent physical shape. Life is magnified and all together better when you are in shape.”
“Every day I look forward to the time I’m at a place in life where I can focus on my physical form again,” agreed one commenter. “When I was in shape I was the happiest and most confident I’d ever been.”
The watery vastness.
“The Ocean. Nothing humbles me more than I staring into thousands of miles of water. It’s like looking into another world.”
If you’ve been there, done that, but are looking to take it further, one user provided a suggestion: “Learning to sail and guiding your boat out onto the open ocean. Feels very free and powerful, yet so vulnerable and dangerous at the same time.”
Taking a hit.
“Heartbreak. Gotta know what that’s all about before you ever find someone who might be with you for the long haul. Prepare for the worst and all that. I’ve seen men who’ve only had one woman their whole lives broken wholly by that woman leaving. I think you need to know the stakes if you’re gonna try to build anything.”
In this moment.
“Being comfortable with yourself, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, and in all other ways. Just being happy with who you are.”
One reply agreed whole-heartedly, “It’s […] the warmest feeling ever when you can stop for [a] moment and just appreciate that right now you are really happy.”
