20+ Events That Split Life Into ‘Before’ and ‘After’

Sometimes life feels like it’s stuck in the same routine, and there’s not much mystery until someone comes along, or something unexpected happens that turns your life upside down. It can be a stranger at the most random moment, or someone you’ve only met once, or whom you wouldn’t expect to show up in your life. And the crazy thing is that many of these people have no idea of the impact they left.

The best thing about these stories is that they almost always start out the same. Usually, with something simple, but the butterfly effect that happens can be gigantic. Because, without looking for it, that person ends up marking a before and after. And you can’t help but think, “What would have happened if I hadn’t left my house that day and didn’t run into that person?”

• I randomly picked up a sport to get better physical fitness following a spinal cord injury, and now have talent scouts looking to train me further. Even without that, the sport has improved my physical and mental health hugely, as well as got me engaged in continual learning about how to be a better person morally. © cr*pple2493 / Reddit
• Here’s a chance encounter that didn’t happen, that would have changed my life. My wife and I went to the same university, had overlapping social circles, and almost certainly were at some of the same parties.
  Based on some of the people we knew in common, it is quite possible she spent at least one Saturday night at a party in my apartment. But we never met, or if we did, it was fleeting, which we both agree was a good thing, because if we had gotten to know each other, then she probably would have pegged me for a crazy party animal, and I would have thought she was a little uptight.
  When we met years later, those first impressions could have prevented us from considering each other, even though we had by that time drifted into more common ground. © rapiertwit / Reddit
• I had a good friend in college who basically did the minimum to get by and typically had to fight to get passing grades for the semester. He met the right woman, and she was a serious student, and he just needed someone like that, and ended up turning things around and doing A/B (mostly A’s) afterwards. They got married years after college. © Stay-Thirsty / Reddit

• I took a class in college during my senior year called “Real World 101,” where they brought in various alumni to talk about their jobs and relevant skills for life after graduation. An insurance salesman talked about insurance, an accountant talked about doing your taxes, a mortgage broker talked about why your credit rating is important, you get the idea...
  One speaker had an international import-export business and talked about how he got to travel all around the world. He made it seem so exciting! During the Q&A, I asked, “Where should a young person go today?” “Taipei. No! Shanghai! You’ll be on the cutting edge,” he said. I made up my mind right then to move to China.
  It went about as well as you’d expect a hasty decision to go. The first month in China was a disaster; everything that could go wrong went wrong. Culture shock, huge language barrier, homesickness, loneliness, etc. Eventually, I settled in, made friends, and had a decent experience. But I wasn’t too happy there.
  After my 1-year contract ended, I moved to Taipei and loved it. I joke that I should have listened to the speaker’s first answer. While China didn’t work out for me, it put me on the path to Taiwan. Wouldn’t give that up for anything. © gotthelowdown / Reddit
• I met my mentor in a McDonald’s when I was homeless. Taught me a lot about how to live a successful life, and it’s turned out amazing so far! © Thedukeofdelicacies / Reddit

• I sang in my high school talent show. I would call it a “chance encounter” because I was very on/off about doing it at all. It’s my “Wonderful Life” moment, where if I had not done it, my life would have been drastically different. I got a wife, two kids, and two lifelong friends out of the deal. © p*ckbeaverton / Reddit
• I got laid off from my fourth tech support job in three years, out of Tech school. I was in my fifth month of unemployment when, out of the blue, a guy I had met at my second tech support job and was friends with but had lost contact with called me, having found my information on the internet.
  It turned out he had started a small shell hosting company, and it was starting to take off, and he needed some help with it. A year later, we abandoned shell sales and started leasing servers and computers to small companies. Ten years later, I’m a 30% owner of the company and making close to 250k a year.
  The day before he called me, I had applied for 2 jobs: a truck driving position and a security guard position. The day after he offered me the job and I took it on a part-time basis, both called offering me work. But the friend whom I now call my boss offered me twice as much as unemployment was paying me to start, and promised me that if I stuck with him, he’d make it worth my while.
  To this day, I believe I won some kind of lottery. It’s very hard work, 80-hour weeks, on call all the time, but I enjoy it and find it rewarding. I got a job I would have never dreamed of, and am able to help my parents and stuff and do things I had only dreamed of maybe doing if I ever won the lottery. I won the job lottery, and my reward is a lot of work, but a lot of reward as well. © dageekywon / Reddit

• My high school geometry teacher, who was patient and understanding, helped me appreciate the value of education and encouraged me to pursue higher education, when it wasn’t something I had been considering. All these years later, I’ve gotten a BA, an MA, I’ve seen the world, and I’ve grown significantly as a human being. I believe that my geometry teacher is one of those random variables in life who changed my trajectory for the better. © Mission-Ad-2776 / Reddit
• I once had an elderly lady tap me on the shoulder when she saw me getting frustrated trying on coats and frowning at myself in the mirror. She approached me and said, “You’re a beautiful woman, but you’re very hard on yourself, be kinder.” This was over 10 years ago.
  She then just walked away, but her words hit and never left me. “Beautiful lady, thank you.” I remind myself often not to be too hard on myself and to be kinder. Her words definitely changed something inside of me. © calamityjack72 / Reddit
• I was a teenager when my mom passed from cancer, and my dad was always working, so I looked after my younger sister. I wasn’t too serious about school. With all I was going through, it looked like I wasn’t going to graduate, but I had a teacher who took a genuine interest in helping me.
  It was the last month before I had to have all my courses done, and he would come in at 6 am and stay till 9 pm with me till I got everything done. He was amazing at explaining the problem so I could understand it in a way any other teacher I had could. He took a month out of his life to help me, but he changed the rest of mine. I graduated and was able to go into engineering and get a good job because of him. © SwimmingWord213 / Reddit

• Six years ago, I was about to go on a blind date. I was only out of a long-term relationship that went sour, and last minute, I chickened out and decided to quietly leave the pub before he showed up.
  I went into the toilet and was talking to some girl, and told her what was happening, and I couldn’t stay but felt really bad. She grabbed me by the shoulders, told me to take the chance because he could end up being the love of my life. She sprayed me with her perfume, fixed my hair, and turned me toward the door, telling me to get out there and have fun on my date.
  I did, and now we are married with two children. I never saw that girl again, but I owe her big time! © RevolutionaryTrip951 / Reddit
• One day in 2005, I was standing at the bus stop early one winter morning to get to UCC. I used to see the same people get the same bus. This lad got off at a construction site. It was one of those bitterly cold mornings with no clouds, and the sun wasn’t up.
  A meteor came streaking down from the sky and we both saw it. He looked over at me and said, “You know, our souls will be forever linked now,” and then turned around smirking. He was right. I still can’t see meteors without thinking about that moment. © Unknown author / Reddit
• Years ago, when I was about 22, I was InterRailing in Europe. I absolutely had to make the ferry from Roscoff to Rosslare on a particular afternoon, as my money had run out, and I was desperate. Anyway, I missed a train connection and ended up walking a sorrowful road, hitching and trying to think what I’d do.
  A lovely old man stopped, I hopped in, and in my pigeon French, I was able to explain my predicament. He drove me all the way, about 18 or 24 miles, and I ran into the ferry with seconds to spare. I’ve never forgotten his random act of kindness. It still crosses my mind often, 28 years later. © me2269vu / Reddit

• My moment happened back in 2017: I was 18, and it was around the time of the Leaving Certificate. I remember being so stressed and depressed for weeks leading up to it. My boyfriend had dumped me two days previously, and I was dying with a head cold and generally feeling very sorry for myself.
  My sister went into the hospital to give birth to my first nephew, the first grandchild of the family, and my parents and I drove up to see her and the baby. My parents parked the car, and she called us to say she wasn’t comfortable with me coming into the hospital to see the baby because of my cold (completely fair and reasonable).
  I felt like this was the final nail in the coffin of my self-pity. I was sitting on a set of stone steps in an alleyway beside the multi-storey car park, hugging my knees in my school uniform and quietly crying. This man, in his early 40s, approached me and gave me a used pen.
  I was so confused, and he said to me, “You look like you need a little present, and this is all I have on me. Honestly, things are going to get better, and I know you feel bad now, but it won’t last forever.”
  He gave me the biggest smile and walked away. I’ll remember that moment for the rest of my life! © TealMarsh / Reddit
• I don’t recall the conversation, but apparently it meant a lot to a young Pakistani co-worker. He got mocked a lot by the usual gossipy mob, and I thought he was a good lad. He just no-showed one day, and we never saw him again.
  It was a year or two later that I got a text from him that was his acceptance letter to the University. He told me it was all because of me that he had applied. He still reaches out now and then to update me.
  He’s continued with an advanced education and seems very happy, still attributing this path to what I said to him. I honestly have no idea what I said, but I’m glad. © PogMoThoinSlainte / Reddit
• When I was about 13, I was in the park with my best friend, and we somehow got talking to two Spanish students around our age. I was absolutely fascinated by the fact that they spoke Spanish, English, German, and some French.
  When I got home that day, I told myself that I was going to learn how to speak Spanish no matter what. I had no idea how to learn a language, but I eventually figured it out through trial and error. I taught myself Spanish as an extra subject for the Junior and Leaving Certificate and got an A in both. I studied languages in college and got a master’s in translation.
  Over the years, I kept adding languages, so I can comfortably speak five and know the basics of a lot more. My love for languages has taken me all over the world, and I’ve met the most amazing people because of it. All because I randomly got talking to two girls from Spain, who probably don’t even remember that brief conversation. © Unknown author / Reddit

• Years ago, I had a singing teacher, he was sort of the kind of music teacher J.K. Simmons is in the movie Whiplash, just not as extreme: a wonderful ear and an intense perfectionist who’d do anything to get the most out of you.
  One day, he kept pushing and pushing on breathing exercises and asked me out of nowhere about an upcoming audition, “Are you nervous?” I admittedly said I didn’t feel very confident, and he looked me deadpan in the eye and said, “Whether you’re confident or not, if you pretend to be, nobody can tell the difference.”
  Don’t know why it stuck with me, but I think about it every time I have to do something that requires confidence now.... Got the gig too!
  I had the polar opposite in another singing teacher when I moved. She could just see into your soul.... She somehow knew the exact point to ask, “Are you okay?” when the question itself would just break you. College and life were a rollercoaster, and that lady was such a valuable friend to have. © Rep*lsive_Mouse_9117 / Reddit
• I was at a bus stop, and a bus, which wasn’t mine, was approaching. I noticed an old lady trying her best to make it stop, but she was still a good bit off and wasn’t going to make it, so I waved at the bus to stop. It stopped, and she made it. She walked straight by me and onto the bus.
  When she sat down, she looked out the window and gave me a little wave to say thanks, and I swear, that image will stick with me. I was going through a rough patch at the time, and that little wave gave me a flutter of happiness. © philmarlowescat / Reddit
• I was about to do a driving lesson but realized I had lost my logbook. When I got to my driving center, I told my instructor and asked if I would have to do all my previous lessons again to fill up the new book, and he said, “No, you’ve already made a mistake. Why should you have to be beaten down anymore?”
  Typing it out makes it seem like I was being a little melodramatic, but it was one of those times when you’re hit with a little wave of realization after being given some advice. I suffer from anxiety quite a bit, so I was expecting the worst: an angry instructor, wasted time and money, having to resit all the lessons, etc.
  Just to hear something like, “You really don’t have to punish yourself half as much as you think you should,” instantly put my mind at ease. Probably a quote I’ll remember for a while. © thepinkblues / Reddit

• I got dumped by the guy I thought was my person. Like, he legitimately was the most compatible, comfortable, easy-to-adore guy I’d ever met in my life, and he really seemed to feel the same about me. Unfortunately, he had to rearrange his life very suddenly, and I didn’t fit, so he pretty much cracked my heart in half by ending things.
  I’ve always known I wanted to be a writer, but the last fifteen years, a horrible marriage/divorce, and a lot of emotional damage have kept me from doing it. After going through losing this guy and the reasons for it, I’m writing again and have been inspired to write a novel that I actually have a beginning, middle, and end for.
  I’m in love with it so far, and it feels amazing to be creating again, especially with a purpose. He always encouraged me to write, and in the end, I guess he really did. © avoidance_behavior / Reddit
• My parents died. My aunt asked me what I was going to do. I told her I was going to ride my motorcycle until I was ready to come home.
  I did the US, and while in New Zealand, I ran into an old friend. He asked me if I still wanted to go to Antarctica. Yes.
  It’s been twelve years “on ice”, four Winfly at Close in McMurdo, two winters at Palmer Station, 14 months at the South Pole, and two long tours on the NB Palmer IB/RV (Ice Breaker/ Research Vessel). © bmwlocoAirCooled / Reddit
• A few years back, I was in a bar in America with two friends. We’d been on a hike that day, so we were fairly tired, and I remember winding them up that I’d gotten the last stool, and they were standing.
  Five minutes later, a local couple came in with a third person and took the table behind us, which had two stools. I turned and offered my seat to one of the ladies, who took it with loads of thank yous.
  I thought no more of it until they were leaving about an hour or so later, and as she was walking past, she said, “You’re a proper gentleman, your mom must be so proud.” My mom passed away when I was 17. I can’t begin to describe the lift it gave me. It made me feel 10 feet tall. It still does when I think back on it. © upadownpipe / Reddit

These serendipitous events can result in radical change. Have you ever met someone who, without expecting or asking for it, changed your life completely?