What seemingly insignificant event changed the course of your life?

[ladybee28]

Someone asked me this morning how I ended up living where I do (small island off the coast of Africa), and the genuine answer is that my ex-boyfriend's roommate found a good deal on a surfboard on eBay...

My boyfriend at the time and I were living in Senegal. Things had been pretty crap between us for a while, and when we had a huge row one day, it felt like we needed space. So he moved out, and started sharing a new place with a surfer.

One night they got pretty drunk together and this guy found a surfboard for sale on eBay. Only thing was, it wasn't in Senegal – it was on the island where I now live.

In their drunken state, they bid on it, they won, and they decided to book flights to pick it up (it's not so far, flights were fairly cheap). My ex thought it would be romantic to book me a flight too, as a 'make-things-up-to-you' getaway.

So off the three of us fly for a long weekend... in which I reach boiling point with said boyfriend, break up with him, and decide to stay on this island for a month to cool off.

3 years later... here I am still! And I often wonder where on the planet I would be if that surfboard had been listed somewhere else...

What random event / insignificant thing ended up playing a huge part in your life story?

When I was at school one of my friends wanted to learn bridge and dragged me along to the school bridge club for moral support/company. When I went to university one of women in my Arabic class found out that I could play bridge, she was in need of a partner so she dragged me along to the university bridge club. And that's where I met DH, 33 years ago. I don't actually like bridge very much and would never have gone to university club under my own steam.

I applied for the wrong uni course by accident. I was too embarrassed to phone UCAs up to change it. I got an offer on the course so thought what the hell. It was primary teaching. 7 years later, I'm a deputy head, met my husband through school and currently on mat leave after having our first son.

I love this thread.

Some lovely stories on this thread.

A random nasty remark from my boss. It was the last straw and I decided to go back into education. Now in my second year at uni (after finishing an access course with all distinctions and my first year with a first)

I'm not the thicko he kept implying I am. I'm proud of what I've done so far and have just started looking at internships. A few years ago I barely had the confidence to go into town in my own. Now I'm planning a holiday abroad alone.

I can't even recall how I came across it, but finding and watching a particular anime on TV, which led to me researching it online and finding online fanfiction writing and roleplaying groups, which led to me joining a group that had an aol chat, in said anime roleplaying chat I met a guy I chatted a bunch with...and is currently sitting next to me. That was half our lifetime ago, it feels weird how such a small easy to have missed thing for both us ended up this way.

Love this thread.
I was working a really boring retail job which paid me next to nothing and was terrible hours.
On a day off I was in the Daily Fail (🙈) and saw an advert for a helpline to get into teaching. I rang up and and got advice on teaching in FE as that was the only one I could start that September without doing anything educated related before hand. I applied to the only uni near-ish that offered it and two weeks later had an interview and a place.
That took me down to London where I trained then my bad geography had me applying for jobs in Kent where I was for a few years. Built a whole life, became a secondary school teacher which I prefer to FE and met my baby’s father.
If I hadn’t decided to follow my gut on that particular day and now the phone call (I’m a pro procrastinator) Inwouldnt have had my career, met friend or had my baby!

Lovely thread

Agreed to be plus one for a nice chap I didn't fancy more than a fling with. He was rather delish physically. Met a chap even more delish and knew he would be my husband. Oh, about 30 years ago. The rest is history.

I bought tickets for a gig from man in a pub and arranged to meet a friend of mine at the same time. I got there early and ended up talking to a guy who was looking for a singer for his band. I auditioned, joined the band and married the bassist. We've been together 22 years and the guy I initially spoke to is now my brother in law.

I was due to start my nurse training in March 1994 but a place came up to start in September 1993. I made a good friend who only had six months of her training left then and she was good friends of who ended up being my DH. If I'd started six months later I would never have met him.

Loving this thread...

OP, was the island off the coast of Senegal Goree...? Just wondering. Been and loved it apart from the Slave Museum and THE DOOR OF NO RETURN

Was up one morning in the kitchen getting ready for work and listening to a radio travel programme about a train journey... decided Yes, wanna do that one day... fuck, who wants to waste a life in an office!

Took me about 2 years to save up, organise and go on the trip. Met the father of my son there....

Such lovely stories on this thread!
Mine's more of a Sliding Doors moment rather than a happy ending. I was a premature baby and it meant I was in the youngest of the previous school year rather than the oldest in the next. I was always the youngest - family, school, work - and always babied despite my efforts to be independent. I wonder how different my life would have been if I'd been born on or nearer my due date, as one of the oldest in the next year group. Different friends, different experiences, a whole different life.

I invited my crush to hang out with a couple of mutual friends because he'd been feeling a bit down & I wanted to cheer him up. He had a friend staying with him that weekend so brought him along too. I spent the entire day mooning over my crush & got annoyed in the following days when he started asking me what I thought of his friend. 2 months later I'd been talking into giving the friend a chance... Less than 2y later we were married & the friend who introduced us was our best man!

Had I not organised the outing on that weekend, I'd probably never have met DH. I shall forever be grateful for my one day of pretending to be a social butterfly! And for our match-maker, who's still one of our closest friends over a decade later.

Seeing a guy trip over some steps and land at my feet in a nightclub without spilling his drink. Reader, I married him

such a lovely story op!do you think youll stay there forever now?
this is a lovly thread.so I don't want to share my moments as they aren't happy ones.

Applied for a working holiday visa for a country the other side of the world. I got a letter back saying I hadn't provided the correct documentation for one part of it, and to send it through. I decided I wasn't so sure about going after all, so didn't send it back in. A week later, I noticed a guy at work I'd never paid attention to before, and went to a bar with him after work. It's now 10 years and 2 kids later.

I barely went to school because of family circumstance so left with no GCSEs. I ended up in low paid jobs.

At once point I ended up on job seekers and they had a scheme where they made you go and work for companies for free to gain skills.

They made me work in a toy shop which I actually loved doing. I was only there 4 weeks and right at the end, the manager offered me a job. We got on really well and now we are married and have 2 beautiful boys. We sadly lost our daughter at 22 weeks a year ago but now pregnant with twin girls.

I was working overseas with tour groups. Usually mostly older couples but this group had a few younger folk including this guy who was there with his pal. Mutual attraction but nothing more. When he asked for my address at the end of the fortnight I refused (not supposed to consort with clients!) However I did give it to his pal.
Later that year,, working in a different country, a note is left by the Post Office. There's an envelope for you but insufficient postage. From him. More months pass and after we exchange a few calls and cards I find myself in the same region and call him up.
"Oh I can't come - it's football tonight." However he relents and we arrange to meet at a London tube station named after a famous football team. However I went to the station named after the stadium said team played at.
This was late 80s long before everyone had a mobile. Nowadays you'd be Whatsapping one another after five minutes. But we each waited the best part of an hour until I realised my mistake and got on the tube. Amazingly he was still waiting outside the station named after the team.
If I'm honest there are plenty of times when I wished I'd given up sooner and just walked away but some days I am glad I waited.
Sliding doors though...intriguing and tempting to fantasise about what might have been.

This sounds a bit cheesy but I do often have my own romantic story. I'd been on 2 boring dates with this guy. He was perfectly nice but I just wasn't feeling it. He was tough to talk to and we had nothing in common. So I text him and said I didn't want to meet again. I got a ? back and nothing more. Two days later he walks into the pub (where I was working and the place we had our first date) and sits beside me and just starts talking about an issue at work. It's clear he didn't receive the text and I'd messaged someone else by accident. So I decided to say nothing as I used up all my braveness on the text. I really didnt want to stay in the pub as I'd been on my feet all day. So I invited him to come to my house for a takeaway and some wine. Not one of my housemates was in which annoyed me for the first time. I really wasnt in the mood to entertain someone and I was so tired. I realised that I left my bag at work so had no money to order food. I was really sullen, he seemed to get the hint and said he would go home so I could relax. About 30 minutes later the doorbell goes. He's stood there with food and wine. Surprised and touched I invited him in to eat it with me. I saw him in a new light and realised he was a bit reserved and shy which could be mistaken for boring/boredom. We ended up watching trashy Friday night tv and having a laugh and I realised just how fit he was. About 2 in the morning he said he was going home and did I want to meet up again? This time I did. He went to kiss my cheek and I went to hug him. We ended up proper kissing. I thought fuck it and invited him to stay over in my bed. The fucker never left. That was March 2003 and I was pregnant by that May This year we'll have been together 16 years, married for 15 years and parents to 1 boy and 2 girls. He's my best friend and is so supportive and sweet. I'm so glad that the text didn't go through and I'm so glad he came back with food and booze. I can't imagine my life without him and my kids.

There shouldnt be an "often" in that first sentence. If it was often me and dh definitely wouldnt have made it past that first night.

A day off work sick, on an internet chat forum later that day, long story short, met my DH and we've been together 19 years now!

xWallToWallBastardsx did u ever tell him about the text? x

Yes and he was fine about it as he says it was obvious that we were meant to be. He knows he can come across as aloof or disinterested when meeting new people. He said he was actually trying his best to appear "normal" so as not to frighten me off. He said he was shitting himself when he came back with the food but wanted me to like him and think well of him. It worked. Honestly he's so laidback and nothing fazes him. He says I taught him to be.

Age 19 I woke up one morning to a mass of texts and missed phone calls from a friend having yet another drama with her boyfriend. I decided I was over it so instead of meeting up with them that night as planned I went to the pub next to where I used to work and ended up sitting with an old guy who lived above my work. (I knew him well - not a stranger!) Lovely old guy was meeting his mates and I sat with them all night (bonus getting free drinks as none would let me buy a round) and this became my new normal.

I would meet them in the pub almost every night and never gave a second thought to the 'friends' I'd been ignoring and then one night a few months later someone else joins us, a friend of one of the other guys, that friend is now my husband.

I do sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I hadn't ditched my old friends and just carried on playing referee to their dramas but I know I'm better off this way. If I'd have stayed with them I'd most likely still be working a dead end job, living with my parents, coasting through life sorting out other people's messes and wasting my money on drinks and clothes instead of having a husband, a house and my DS.