12+ Small Acts That Ended Up Having Major Consequences

Sometimes, a small shift in plans or a simple action can completely transform our lives, taking us to places we never thought possible. Some folks think it’s destiny guiding us, while others see it as random coincidences shaping our path. Regardless of what you believe, the stories we share today show that life has a kind of magic that makes it wonderfully unpredictable. All we need to do is trust the journey we’re on and see where it leads us.

• My desire for pizza set off a chain reaction that destroyed my family.
  One day, I got home from school and really wanted pizza. We were quite poor, but begging worked, so mom and I went to the local pizza place for dinner. Once there, I saw my uncle walk by. We were really surprised because he lived several states away, and it was strange that he was in town without telling anyone.
  It turned out he was having an affair with his sister-in-law, my aunt on the other side of the family. One thing led to another, and now everyone hates each other. We haven’t had contact in like 20 years. © Unknown user / Reddit

• I watched ’Who Wants to Be a Millionaire’ and got so annoyed at the candidates not knowing a simple question about Katy Perry that I applied. Surprisingly, I got in, got to play, and won a significant amount of money. With that money, I booked a holiday to a dream destination. It turned out to be a life-changing decision because I met my husband there. Now, we have a 1-year-old son. © KartoffelSu***Pie / Reddit

• A coworker asked me to go with her to her gym to cancel her membership. (I’m more assertive.) I really didn’t want to because I had a final project due the next day, but I went. She promised it’d be quick.
  We stopped at Walgreens on the way, so I could grab some supplies for the project. Almost ten years later, I’m now married to the cashier from that day. © ikneadselfcare / Reddit

• I had to call my heart surgeon to give him my new insurance number. The receptionist said, “Oh, hey, we just had a cancellation for this Friday, do you want it?” Of course, I wanted to get it over and not wait another month.
  I decided to take the open-heart surgery cancellation appointment. The surgeon then told me thank goodness I did take the early appointment because once he got a look inside, he realized I would not have survived until the original appointment date. © myeggsarebig / Reddit

• I was on the typical post-uni backpacking trip through Europe when I decided to change my path and visit Vienna. In the hostel, I met a girl who had taught in South America for a year, and I found her experiences fascinating. About a month later, she emailed me a job opening at a school in Ecuador with a ’saw this and thought of you’ type message.
  Taking a leap of faith, I applied, went through the interview process, got the job, and within three weeks, I moved to Ecuador. Several months later, I met the love of my life. Now, I am in my seventh year of teaching in Ecuador and celebrating my sixth year with my girlfriend. We have plans to move together to China to teach next year. Life is indeed crazy. © 593teach / Reddit

• I took a digital media class and learned how to edit in Final Cut 7. Eventually, I realized I needed music for my edits and got into music production because it would be cheaper to make music rather than try to find good stock music. Now, music production is my main hobby, and I spend so little time editing that it’s not really as much of a hobby anymore. © 3agl / Reddit

• I decided to audition for a musical at my local community theater. I had never been in a musical and wanted to gain the confidence to try out for a different musical later that year. I made the show, got dumped during the rehearsal process, and eventually started dating and married the lead. We even got married on the stage we met on.
  Because of that small decision to try something new, I gained some of the best friends I’ve ever had, gained confidence in myself, and met my husband. © betyoursa** / Reddit

• In my senior year of college (1996), I decided to go to a concert on campus. I was bored, and my evening class was canceled. I ended up having a blast and getting really into the fan scene.
  Fast-forward five years later, and I met someone through the fandom, who I would eventually marry. Literally every aspect of my life today (family, job, home) is based on that one concert decision. I would not be here if it wasn’t for that night. © OxGaabe6 / Reddit

• I covered a shift for someone in a challenging retail job. Met a random dude and started helping him as an assistant. He taught me a lot.
  Ended up continuing in that industry and have been in for 15+ years. Now am in a senior role at a large company with a pretty awesome life. © BloodInMySaltStream / Reddit

• So I was doing my master’s in London and needed to find an internship to be able to conclude it. Well, I spent the entire summer applying for jobs with no luck whatsoever. Went to the barbers to get a haircut, and a bit of talking, my barber tells me he knows a guy that owns a marketing agency and that he is happy to give me his contact.
  Long story short, I ended up living in London 2 more years than I had planned in an awesome agency, just because I got a haircut. © zebett / Reddit

• More than 10 years ago, I had finished an exam in university and decided to take the lesser-used exit from the building to go home. On my way out, I met someone from my secondary school, and we started talking. I mentioned I was looking for a student room for the next year, and she said she was going to leave her room and gave me the address and contact information of the landlady. I ended up moving into her old student room, and I met my current boyfriend of nine years because he lived in the room next to me.
  If I had taken the main exit, I would never have met the love of my life. © feather_st0ne / Reddit

• About 10 years ago, there were no PC games to play, so out of boredom, I tried using Windows XP’s Movie Maker. Little did I know that I would enjoy it and take it seriously.
  Now, I am currently working in TV/film production as a video editor. © beanbiin / Reddit

• I showed up late to the first day of a class, and the only available seat was on the opposite side of the room from everyone I knew. Ended up becoming best friends with the people sitting around me, and we have been best friends for over 15 plus years, roommates, and bridesmaids. I don’t even talk to the other people that I knew before in that class. © allieoakwood / Reddit

Life can often throw us surprises through the unexpected gestures of total strangers. In this article, people share the lasting impressions that strangers have made on them, and their stories have left us equally amazed.