Life

People Share The "One In A Million Thing" That Happened To Them

by Lara Rutherford-Morrison

Whether you believe in destiny or are convinced that everything happens by random chance, it’s fair to argue that weird coincidences happen all the time, serendipitous moments that you wouldn’t believe if you hadn’t witnessed them for yourself. Today, a reddit thread asked, “What "one-in-a-million" thing happened to you?” Hundreds of people have chimed in with their answers. Whatever you might think about fate, these experiences demonstrate that, if nothing else, life is a strange, mysterious beast.

In the thread, redditors recount improbable events large and small. Some of these happenings are life changing, while others are minor, inconsequential moments that are only remarkable because of their unlikeliness. Some represent very good luck, and others very rotten. Some are random twists of the genetic lottery, and some show just how tiny the world can be.

Sadly, I do not recall many experiences in my own life with one-in-a-million chances. My one connection to such happenings is that my dad is very good at winning raffles. Like, WEIRDLY good. I can recall him winning at least five during my childhood, including one in which he won a cow. Yes, a living cow, whose names was “Red.” My sisters and I were furious when we weren’t allowed to keep him in the backyard.

By and large, the redditors’ examples involved less livestock:

1. A magical fortune cookie.

OK, maybe not "magical." But this fortune cookie did seem to have a sense of fairness.

2. Genetics.

3. So, Karate Kid influenced a lot of people.

After this redditor reported recreating the famous Karate Kid chopstick maneuver, a number of others piped up with similar experiences.

4. Lucky in love.

Awwwww.

5. It's a small, small world.

A number of redditors had stories about randomly bumping into old friends and crushes in other countries.

6. Very bad luck.

You know when you get a vaccine, the nurse gives you a piece of paper with info about the drug's incredibly rare side effects that only affect a tiny percentage of recipients? Sucks to be part of that crew.

7. Beating the odds.

As Han Solo says,

8. Sometimes, it's the little things.

It's the small, mundane wonders that make life interesting.

Check out the whole askReddit thread here.