Page 14 | What small decision changed the course of your entire life?

justanothermanicmonday1 · 2023-09-10T10:51:07+00:00

Lighthearted. Mines was just getting out of a relationship, being in my thirties and thinking I'd never ever meet anyone. I'd got used to the fact that I wouldn't likely have children, and be alone. And I was fine with that. 4 weeks after I ended my relationship, my friend asked if I wanted to be set up on a date with her friends friend. I was extremely reluctant..... 3 years later we have a toddler and a newborn and it was the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. I didn't think I would ever be this lucky. He treats me how I deserve to be treated, hands on, funny, respectful, romantic & the best role model for our children! Intrigued to hear people's stories whilst my newborn sleeps away..... 🥹

Justonemorecoffeeplease · 11/09/2023 20:56

@TerrorTot 💐

Gosh that must be hard to reconcile. Wishing you all the strength you need.

Britinme · 11/09/2023 21:34

I was a fairly recent (three months earlier) widow from a 30 year very happy marriage. I'd been a long-time poster on a talk forum and when a meet-up was suggested there were a couple of women going that I wanted to get to know better so I went. The meet-up was to greet an American poster who was on vacation in the UK. He apparently fell for me on sight. We met up again because I went to Canada on vacation to meet up with various women in a writer's group I'd been on online three months later and he knew that because we'd been emailing as part of a group. I knew he had relatives in Ontario so I asked him what there was to do in Toronto as I had two days at a loose end there, and he said he'd coincide it with a visit to his cousin and meet me there. It all took off like a rocket from there, and we got married the next year. That was 21 years ago.

MoonCharged · 11/09/2023 21:53

Aged 18 I was at a big seaside celebration event with my best friend. We sat on a bench eating crisps. She spent 20 mins persuading me to go a walk down the prom with her rather than staying on the bench. I went on the walk....we got chatting to a group of guys along the prom... I ended up marrying one of them and we now have 3 kids 19 years later! If I hadn't of walked down the prom I would never have met him and my uni choice would have been abroad rather than at home which I chose after I'd met him.

aurynne · 11/09/2023 22:05

Applying for a position that had already closed.

It was how I got the job and moved to New Zealand. Best decision of my life!

VeloVixen · 11/09/2023 22:08

@TerrorTot

GG1986 · 11/09/2023 22:15

I nearly didn't go out one night as I was recovering from minor surgery, friends persuaded me, so I got dressed up and headed out for the evening. Bumped into my now partner of 13 years and have two kids. I'd also only 4 weeks before ended things with a guy I was dating, so was single.

Pastlast · 11/09/2023 22:19

I was 22 and moved back home to start a university course. Most of the house was unliveable as my parents builder went bust and I was sleeping in the conservatory.

got chatting with a girl on my course who had a placement in Germany for six months. She offered me her room in a house share when she was away. I met some of my closest friends living in that house and one of them set me up with my now DH of 15 years. We have three kids.

SmoothSeasDoNotMakeGoodSailors · 11/09/2023 22:30

A year after graduating, I'd just finished a temp job in the sleepy town where I lived and there was nothing in the pipeline for the future. Took myself off on a city break to cheer myself up. While mooching round the shops I saw a note in the window of my favourite store so popped in to ask about it. They interviewed me there and then as I was going home the next day - I got the job and moved 200 miles away two weeks later. 25 years on I am still here! Life hasn't all been plain sailing but I am content and not where I would be if I hadn't taken that city break.

Blacknosugarplease · 11/09/2023 22:43

ShellySarah · 10/09/2023 12:01

Good for you . I got out the relationship and I'm over 40 and single and won't have kids now.

It doesn't happen for everyone

’kin ell Shelly… 🙄

cadburyegg · 11/09/2023 22:45

Love this thread and I'm single going through a shitty divorce 😂

First one, decided randomly to give blood one day 15 years ago, couldn't do so because of low haemoglobin. On the back of that I was diagnosed with anaemia and later, coeliac disease. Finally after years of being unwell I had an answer!

Second one was when I had just come back from maternity leave with DS1. I was working part time and felt a bit lost, so my confidence wasn't very high, and I thought I'd never get any further in my career. I went to a small networking event run by someone quite senior, and thought her job sounded really good, so I started taking an interest in that line of work. That was 7 years ago, and after working my way up several pay grades, I'm now doing her job ☺️

Macadamiamama · 11/09/2023 23:33

How did it go??

gingerbreadbuns · 11/09/2023 23:42

The best decision was when my ex left me for someone younger.
I soon learned how much he changed me and finding myself again was fun .
From food to clothes everything and how much i missed being happy 10 years on im as happy as can be .

NooNooHead1981 · 11/09/2023 23:49

Decided to video my DD when she was aged 4, playing at an outdoors play area with a huge wooden tree house/obstacle type thing when we'd first moved to Norfolk nearly a decade ago.

Stupid decision by me, as I wasn't looking what was above me as I filmed her going up a ladder. I banged my head, had the most horrible concussion and post concussion syndrome for nearly a year, then a huge mental breakdown.

Couldn't function properly for months, didn't, and lack of sleep and severe insomnia about my post concussion syndrome symptoms led to the breakdown. Ended up on a lot of awful and potent psychotropic meds, including a first generation typical antipsychotic called Pericyazine. I then had a severe adverse reaction to it, and ended up with a hideous neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia that is a bit like Tourette's and Parkinson's disease combined 😳 😱💔😥

To say that the small decision to film my daughter on my phone ruined my life was the truth, and almost every day since it happened, I've been working on getting past the regret of it.

But... life goes on and I have a loving DH and 3 beautiful children whom I love with all my heart. If it wasn't for them, I'd probably have been a lot worse mentally than I have been.

NooNooHead1981 · 11/09/2023 23:49

Sorry for the typos 😅

lapsedbookworm · 11/09/2023 23:57

NooNooHead1981 · 11/09/2023 23:49

Decided to video my DD when she was aged 4, playing at an outdoors play area with a huge wooden tree house/obstacle type thing when we'd first moved to Norfolk nearly a decade ago.

Stupid decision by me, as I wasn't looking what was above me as I filmed her going up a ladder. I banged my head, had the most horrible concussion and post concussion syndrome for nearly a year, then a huge mental breakdown.

Couldn't function properly for months, didn't, and lack of sleep and severe insomnia about my post concussion syndrome symptoms led to the breakdown. Ended up on a lot of awful and potent psychotropic meds, including a first generation typical antipsychotic called Pericyazine. I then had a severe adverse reaction to it, and ended up with a hideous neurological involuntary movement disorder called tardive dyskinesia that is a bit like Tourette's and Parkinson's disease combined 😳 😱💔😥

To say that the small decision to film my daughter on my phone ruined my life was the truth, and almost every day since it happened, I've been working on getting past the regret of it.

But... life goes on and I have a loving DH and 3 beautiful children whom I love with all my heart. If it wasn't for them, I'd probably have been a lot worse mentally than I have been.

I've got a neurological condition that I am almost certain was triggered by psychiatric meds too (it's rare and they are a known cause of it). In my case I had no choice but to take them, I was suicidal (thanks to abusive ex) but it is still hard to make peace with. So I really feel for you, and I think it's ok to struggle with the randomly harsh consequences of a very normal decision

Johnisafckface · 12/09/2023 00:07

Not answering that one phone call… changed the course of my life. Wish I could go back.

ParadiseKebabHouse · 12/09/2023 00:31

Name change as mega outing

Opted for food at the end of the night out from a shop round the corner, out of the way, instead of the one on the way home. No idea why. Absolutely zero. Made no sense.

16.5 years ago. Been with now-DH since that night. 2 kids. House. The lot.

Best thing was, the shop was called Paradise.

Our teenager cringes when we tell the story of meeting in Paradise.. Kebab House 🤣

MrsCharlieD · 12/09/2023 09:31

Agreed to go on a blind date. We've been married 14 years next month. I so very nearly cancelled at the last minute too as I had a crisis of confidence over being overweight. So so glad I didn't.

JustBeKinder · 12/09/2023 10:03

When I was 21 just qualified as a nurse was planning to move to New Zealand, had a job lined up etc Gave it up when boyfriend at the time asked me to stay sadly the relationship didn’t last, I then met someone else had 3 children, he was a cheat, I m now divorced and single and although I adore my kids there ll always be that « what if » Sliding Doors moment . I have visited NZ and I loved it

72EasyLessons · 12/09/2023 10:12

JustBeKinder · 12/09/2023 10:03

When I was 21 just qualified as a nurse was planning to move to New Zealand, had a job lined up etc Gave it up when boyfriend at the time asked me to stay sadly the relationship didn’t last, I then met someone else had 3 children, he was a cheat, I m now divorced and single and although I adore my kids there ll always be that « what if » Sliding Doors moment . I have visited NZ and I loved it

That’s a really important corrective to many of the other stories on the thread.

Ap42 · 12/09/2023 12:45

I had a life flash before my eyes moment some 20 odd years ago, I got caught up in an earthquake and tsunami warning (the latter didn't thankfully happen) but it made me reassess everything. When I returned from Thailand, I went back to college and went on to uni to pursue my chosen career.

TotalOverhaul · 12/09/2023 13:17

Ap42 · 12/09/2023 12:45

I had a life flash before my eyes moment some 20 odd years ago, I got caught up in an earthquake and tsunami warning (the latter didn't thankfully happen) but it made me reassess everything. When I returned from Thailand, I went back to college and went on to uni to pursue my chosen career.

When he was about 22, DH was in an incident where he nearly died and his thought was: I want children! he said he'd never have expected that to be the most powerful thought but it was. And he has been a really hands on, good dad.

idrinkandiknowthings · 12/09/2023 14:09

@UnctuousUnicorns

Oh, he can fuck off with his word salad, the verbose cunt!

😂😂😂Howling!!

KateKateLee · 12/09/2023 15:56

The time I left home to move to university. Our rooms were allocated in the order that we arrived. I dated a friend of one of my flatmates, we moved together so he could do a PhD. Brought a house, eventually got married and had kids. Now getting divorced. If I'd left home 5 mins later I would have been in a different flat and would never have met him. I'd probably be living somewhere else now and maybe I'd be happy!

Jeannie88 · 12/09/2023 16:54

Not a small decision really but for my degree year abroad I chose to go it alone to a different city rather than the one with a group of friends. Had the best time ever, totally out of my comfortable zone at first but gained so much confidence, made friends from around the world. I was shy, always mega friendly, but to navigate a whole year on my own made me proud of myself! X