High school girlfriend was a bit intense and told me she wanted me to marry her and that she wanted children. I was 16 at the time. I was terrified by that, because you know, 16, and she got mad at my nervousness. She dumped me a week later and wouldn't you know it, married less than a year out of high school with now 3 kids.
I went on to get my degree, move far far away, get a much better job and a much better partner. I think back to who I would have been if removed me had let myself be pressured into that. Small town, working at the gas station or pizza joint, supporting 3 kids...
Shortly after getting my driver's license, I stupidly merged onto a road with a 40 mph speed limit without looking left.
A car was coming right towards my driver's side door. The driver of the other car made their brakes squeal (this was before ABS). Right before they would have hit me and probably killed me (this was before airbags), they released their brakes, swerved around me, and kept going.
It was some really impressive driving, and it likely saved my life.
I moved to UK after school to get a university degree. Graduated in 2014, and despite having multiple interviews, had to move back home due to not being able to land a job. Eventually got employed elsewhere, and boy did it turn out pretty well compared to what would have happened if I stayed.
As kids we were out in the country setting off fireworks, I launched a bottle rocket. Instead of it going up, it took off did a 90° turn and went horizontal. Went inside their garage. It landed in the case of all the other fireworks.
I’m not sure what the odds were of that firework setting off other fireworks. But it definitely made us hit the ground.
Was walking down a sidewalk, roughly 100 to 50 feet from a stationary group of people, when a car slowed to a near stop and unloaded on them.
It looked like some kind of Draco, AK-pistol type of weapon, but I did not get the best look, as I was rather preoccupied with jumping into some bushes and then sprinting away.
I was driving home from an event late at night on a highway. It was warm and my AC wasn't working, and my eyes felt heavy. My blinks kept getting longer until I realized my eyes had been closed too long. I realized I was falling asleep at 65mph and opened up the windows and managed to wake myself up, but if the road had been any busier I could have killed someone, myself included.
Came to say "ex" too. We split when engaged and before married, so yes, bullet dodged. We went our own ways before legal/financial/possible children complicated things.
9/11 happened a couple weeks after my family and I got back to California from vacation at Disney World and it always felt like we dodged possibly being on a hijacked flight.
Taken literally, a gang shooting aimed at somebody about 10 feet from me. A friend nearly tackled me and dragged me into the bar I was standing in front of.
About 30 years ago in Amsterdam. Came out the front door of my place very stoned, was grabbed immediately aside by police. Escorted around the corner, and there where a lot of cops and the local news. Eehhhhhh for me?
Turned out a neighbor with a rifle was aiming at people in the street. They got him without people getting hurt.
I was lucky the police where a few meters from my doorstep I guess. My panic attack lasted a while though.