The Butterfly Effect: the theory that the flap of a butterfly’s wings could cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. People make so many choices every day, every single second, that have such far-flung effects that we don’t realize the gravity of them until the consequences have already landed. Some of the stories that follow feature people whose lives were saved thanks to a sudden whim. Other people had their entire lives changed by a single choice they made, sometimes years earlier. Content has been edited for clarity.
A Cheating Girlfriend Led To So Much More
“I was living in Florida and on my birthday, my girlfriend of three years told me she cheated on me. This led my friend and me to go for a walk on the beach to discuss it. On the beach, we were mugged by three men. This made me decide I hated Florida and I made the decision to move to Seattle.
With no money and in a new city, I took a job at Starbucks. I served drinks to a Czech woman who worked next door and was there on a six-month work and travel visa. She was leaving for Los Angeles in one week and would be back in the Czech Republic in two weeks. I asked her if she wanted to hang out.
After one week, she left but missed me and decided to fly back to Seattle for two days before going home. I picked her up at the airport and asked her to marry me and she said yes. She left for home and found out her father had pancreatic cancer. He was supposed to be dead before she would even come home, so he never told her. I quit my job and flew to the Czech Republic.
He walked her down the aisle and was my best man. I found a temp job in the Czech Republic, then joined a small start-up with 50 people. I started in Customer Service but worked on tech projects. The company proceeded to explode and became huge (3,000 people). I became Senior Tech Manager. That was a brief history of my past five years, how I met my wife, and how I got my job. All because my girlfriend cheated on me.”
A Misdiagnosis Led To Her Dream Job
“I had loads of tests done when I was 19 due to severe mental health issues out of nowhere. One specialist suggested I had malabsorption which was causing my brain to be starved of vital nutrients (that’s the short version). So she suggested I cut out gluten and I may have coeliac disease. So I lived for 12 years as a coeliac. I set up my own bakery company for vegan and gluten-free cakes and breads (basically due to hunger and jealousy of everyone else’s food!), won loads of awards, and got offered a job in product development, then a role to run my own restaurant, my dream job!
I did that for a while and then left to run a consultancy business and now do product development for a dream company.
Seven years ago, I got invited to brunch with some friends. I didn’t used to go out to eat much unless there were gluten-free options. Luckily this time they were going to a restaurant that offered good gluten-free dishes. Off I went. I met my now-husband there that day!
In the meantime, I had more digestion issues in recent years so I went to get further tests. A colonoscopy and gastroscopy reveal NO COELIAC DISEASE but instead a massive cyst on my ovaries, hiatus hernia, and colon adhesion to my abdominal wall.
So top line: if I didn’t think I was a coeliac for 12 years, I wouldn’t have my dream job, wouldn’t have met my husband, and wouldn’t have discovered many other health issues that I have now sorted. Plus, the best part is that I can now eat yum yums!! Winning!”
Saved By The Hummingbirds
“I was in a very abusive relationship and very depressed. Everything I did was for this person and his child, I had nothing for myself. I got up early and went to bed late to make their lives run and had nothing for myself. I got an email from my college advisor that there was a volunteer opportunity to catch hummingbirds at a local park. The experience would help build my resume and while my abusive partner was angry that I went, it didn’t impact him that much and while it bothered me that he was mad at me, I decided I could live with the manchild’s silent treatment for a few days if it meant I could get a job after college and have a few hours of happiness just for me.
So I went and caught hummingbirds two or three times. I invited the manchild to bring his son and he said, ‘It’s too much work.’
I said, ‘That’s fine. I’m not getting up at five am to get his son dressed and out the door and then babysitting while I’m trying to network.’
The manchild was ticked and the silent treatment ensued.
I ended up meeting a guy about my dad’s age who was the guy over the hummingbird project; he was certified to band them and came occasionally. He told me there was an internship for next summer and I should apply.
Come spring, the same opportunity came around and I was invited back to catch hummingbirds. The guy was there again and said the applications were open and I should apply. I was too afraid because it meant moving to a different city and I knew my abusive partner wouldn’t allow that.
Fast forward, I found out he was cheating on me and had been for a while. He told me I should kill myself and when I said he wasn’t worth dying over, he threatened to kill me. I got some of my stuff with my mom’s help (he kept a lot of things that were important to me and threw them away because he’s a prick) and decided the rest I could replace or deal with the loss of. He had his shiny new 19-year-old girlfriend (10-year difference between him and her) move her stuff in while I moved my stuff out. He left my account negative $200 and went to my boss and told lies about me and tried to get me fired and expelled from college (thankfully it didn’t work and almost got him arrested). I should have taken it to court but I didn’t. I just cut and ran and tried to rebuild my life and figure out who I was.
I graduated with my bachelor’s degree two months later. Spent a lot of time painting and reading self-help books my mom helped me find. I applied for the hummingbird internship finally even though it was probably filled. Got a call that there were only two other applicants with no biology experience and he wanted me to take the internship. I accepted. I went on a week-long trip to Iceland with my best friend who helped me through all the awfulness of the breakup. When I came back, I was happier and much more healthy and felt like I had a grip on life, as I’d been working a lot and I finally had some money in my account again. My parents helped me find a place to stay in this city three hours away from home, which ended up being a trailer behind the office I worked for. This made it possible for me to take the internship.
I spent more time figuring out who I was. Even getting to choose what I wanted to eat for dinner was more freedom than I had had in years. Choosing what kind of pasta and sauce. What I bought at the grocery store. What movie I wanted to watch. When I went to bed. It was freedom. I was finally a human being again. And I was happy! My boss quickly became my friend and work was more like play. I was so happy that I had completed my degree. My boss told me we’d be leading some foreign students on a six-mile hike and catching hummingbirds and snakes and lizards to entertain them and teach them about the American West, and it’d be a paid day of work.
Well, I woke up late but had put makeup on because my mom wanted me to get pictures with the students. What I didn’t know was their American teachers brought two of their sons along to help with the eight students. One was a year younger than me (let’s call him ‘Preston’) and very handsome. His parents were super fun to talk to and his brother was pretty cool if shy. I found out Preston and I had literally everything in common. We even watched the same series of movies the week before. So I asked if he wanted to keep in touch, he said yes, and we swapped numbers (FINALLY). He asked if I was busy later because he’d love to buy me a drink at the little pub in town. I got nervous. I swore off dating the week before and let EVERYONE KNOW. And then this guy came along. I ended up saying yes.
So we went on this date and we ended up closing the bar down and talking in the parking lot for two hours after closing. I told my dad about it the next morning and my boss teased me and said it must have gone well because I was in a pretty good mood. I visited home for the weekend and told my parents the long version of meeting this guy and my dad said he liked him already and asked me if I just met my soul mate. I was thinking probably.
Fast forward to now, five months later. He treats me not just as a human being capable of and allowed to make mistakes, but like a queen. I’m happier and healthier physically and mentally than I have been in six years, and I’ve repaired a lot of family relationships. And I really owe it to that decision to go volunteer and catch hummingbirds last fall. It started bringing everything to a head because I was trying to be an actual independent person and my ex didn’t want that. And now everything has completely turned around.
Trust your college advisors. Practice self-care. Don’t let anyone destroy who you are. Say yes to more good things and fewer bad things. So much can change in less than a year.”
They Really Are Man’s Best Friend
“When I was a kid, my dad got me a puppy without checking with my mom first. She was furious, of course, but eventually bonded with the dog, and loved her. That dog died of cancer just before her eighth birthday. My mom said absolutely no more dogs. Ever.
Within two weeks, she had adopted a sweet mutt from the local animal shelter. Shortly after, I brought home a mutt of my own. Her dog was female and mine was male. She complained constantly about my dog because he was ‘too big’. He weighed 45-50 pounds.
About four to five years later, my dad had what we would later find out was a seizure in his sleep and stopped breathing. My mom’s dog woke her up frantically barking and nudging my dad’s hand. My mom gave my dad a good shake and he started breathing again. His eyes were open, but he was not responsive. Mom came barreling down the stairs to get me and my dog came with us. He actually passed us as we were going down the hall and takes a running leap into my parents’ room from the doorway and lands on the bed about seven feet away. He puts one paw on either side of my dad’s face and began licking his face, from chin to forehead.
My dog was not a licky dog, and this was totally out of character for him. A moment or two later, my dad responded and said, ‘Get off of me, you silly hound,’ while gently pushing my dog to the side.
My boy stopped immediately and laid down on the other side of the bed, watching my dad closely.
It took a while to get a diagnosis, but the response from the animals made them look for seizures first. He’s fine now, seizure-free, and has no meds. But if we hadn’t gotten our first dog 20 years ago and lost her young, leading my mom to the shelter to find the next dog, and me to where I found my boy, my dad would have been dead for the last 13 years. Both of the dogs are gone now, and lived long happy lives.”
A Brief Friendship Led To A Long-Lasting Promise
“I grew up speaking Spanish, so in high school my mom made me sign up for French. I didn’t really care but figured whatever at least it was something new. I was a good kid, a bit of a cut-up with absolutely zero direction.
In that class, I met a girl and we sort of became friends. She got sick that year, cancer. It was horrible. I visited her in the hospital, got close to her family (still am), and she passed the following year.
French, it turns out, was her favorite subject and her dream had been to study abroad. Her parents asked if we (her friends from that class) could do that for her.
As the years went on, I worked every summer to try to save up to study abroad. I noticed the others who had made the promise weren’t making moves towards it, so I worked even harder. Finally went for a semester in my third year.
To be fair, I always enjoyed French, but it wasn’t a passion. Except for that semester something kind of shifted. I came home, finished undergrad, then got into a master’s in French. The whole time, my friend’s mom was excited, feeling like my friend was somehow vicariously living through me.
I graduated with my master’s and then moved back to France. I’ve been here for three years now, and May first was the 11th anniversary of my friend’s death.
As I type it out, it’s not so outwardly obvious, but the entire time it’s been so clear for me that she’s been with me on this journey. I’m now an English instructor at a university here.”
A Phone Call Kept His Dad Alive
“When I was in grade six, I won a scholarship from my local council to pay for my books and school stuff to go into high school the next year (high school is 7-12 grade in Australia).
Because I wasn’t being told anything about this yet, my dad talked to my mum in the garage and put me inside the house so I wouldn’t listen in. The TV was left on and a random ad I had never seen was playing about a new psoriasis treatment trial that needed volunteers. I knew my dad had it bad and the number showed on the screen. I remembered the number but didn’t write it down. I told my dad about it and he wrote the number on a box in the garage.
Two weeks later, I saw the number and asked if he called and he said no. It was weird because I usually didn’t remember phone numbers at that age and normally my dad wouldn’t write on a box. But he actually decided to call up and they booked him in for a medical screen for a pre-health test.
During the test the next month, they found his blood pressure was so high he should have been dead. Like, right there dead (I think it was 245bpm and he was 58). He was given medication for the next few years which prevented the strokes and heart problems from killing him. Had he not had the medication, he would have died within the next month or two.
All because my parents didn’t want to spoil the surprise of a scholarship and put me inside to talk.
I also have never seen that ad or any medical volunteering ads on TV ever again.”
In Her Darkest Hours, She Met A Beautiful Light
“I had left an ex who was extremely toxic. I had attempted suicide several times and was admitted to a psychiatric care unit.
There, I met a girl named Lucy, whose mother was from Greece. She and I became good friends and we made plans to go on a trip to Greece together and hit all the ancient spots.
We got the help we needed and each left the care unit and even moved in together. We became more like sisters, we loved each other.
Two months before our trip, I was meant to go collect some books that had arrived for us in our local bookstore but I’d had a bad day at work and was exhausted. Lucy volunteered to go. As she left the shop, a car came onto the curb and hit her. She was killed instantly. They never caught the driver.
Her mother encouraged me to take the trip anyway and asked if I could take some of my friend’s ashes to scatter into the ocean when I got to Greece. I agreed.
As I was doing so in Athens, a man came up to me and asked me if I was ok, as I was crying. He was very nice and offered me a coffee in his cafe to help me calm down.
That man was named Luca and he studied mythology and archaeology for fun. I study mythology for fun. I extended my trip by a month to stay with him. He let me stay in his apartment and insisted I stay as long as I needed.
When I spoke to Lucy’s mother, it turns out that she knew Luca’s mother, they had gone to school together.
We have been together for ten years now, married eight years, and have twin daughters. Lucy’s mother is godmother to our girls.”
How An Overdraft Fee Resulted In Four Weddings And Six Kids
“I was just out of high school and new in town with no job. I was living off what savings I had left and my account went below zero without me knowing. I was overdraft charged like 10 times and owed over $300. I went down to the bank, spoke with a teller and she ended up being a lifesaver. She worked with me and got all the charges removed. On top of getting the charges removed, we got to talking about my situation and she said that her son worked at a local restaurant and she would help me get a job. She was a woman of her word and by the end of the week, I was working full time.
Fast forward, I met a cool dude who worked there and we became friends. I introduced him to my sister, they fell in love, got married, and had two kids. His best friend came into town for the wedding and I introduced him to my roommate at the time, they fell in love, got married, and had two babies. I also got my best friend a job at the restaurant, where he met a girl working there, they fell in love, got married, and had a kid. Right before I left, I got my other roommate a job at the restaurant, where he met a customer, fell in love, got married, and had a kid.
As a bonus, my best friend, who I helped get the job, repaid the favor and got me a job at a different restaurant, where I met a girl, fell in love, and got married.”
The Streets Of Mexico Were No Longer Safe
“When I was a kid, my parents had a pretty good life for themselves in Mexico. Then they got caught up in this ‘sounds too good to be true’ pyramid scheme that was too good to be true. They pretty much lost everything, all their savings, their house, and there were a few people that were furious with them for getting them involved in that scheme.
One woman, in particular, became obsessed with my mom, calling all the time, leaving threatening notes at the door, and even showing up at places we were going. My parents started to worry that she might try to do something to harm me, so they decided to move to the U.S. far away from her, and start over.
Had my parents not gotten involved in that pyramid scheme, which got that crazy lady after them, causing them to pack up and move to another country, my life could be so much different right now. I often wonder how things would have been for me if I had grown up in Mexico instead of Chicago.”
