Embarrassing Moments Happen to Everyone

Showing up at work with two different shoes (when it’s NOT the national holiday for that!), wearing a piece of clothing inside out, coming out of the restroom with your skirt hiked up and showing your backside, etc. We’ve ALL had embarrassing moments in our lives.

I started young. My momma told me on more than one occasion, “Gail, what happens to you happens to everyone, you’re just goofy enough to announce it to everyone!”. Mom tells the story of when she took my brother and me to the pediatrician for our annual check-up. This was back in the stone age when girls wore dresses to school (and evidently to the doctor’s office, too). I think I was 7 or 8 years old. She asked me if I had a slip on under my dress before we left. (Another “dinosaur” item that ages me.) Well, of course, I did! I can just see myself rolling my eyes at such a question. The nurse came in and told me to take off my dress, but leave my slip on. (No WONDER Mom asked about the slip.) The nurse left and I proceeded to pull off the dress and crawl up on the exam table. I looked up to see my momma staring at me in horror!!

You see, my slip strap was broken when I got dressed that morning. I thought I was such a genius solving the problem by getting a safety pin and fixing it all by myself! I found a two-inch safety pin and placed it so one end went into one end of the strap and the other went into the slip itself. No hiding of the pin. My momma’s view was…slip strap — a two-inch gap from the safety pin — and then the slip. It wouldn’t have been so bad, however, the two inches I added to that side (with the help of the safety pin) meant that the slip was showing more of my flat chest than it should have! HAHA! I still laugh about it. I remember I wasn’t embarrassed, but I did feel a little bad about how embarrassed I made my sweet Momma.

When I was an elementary principal, the office staff was making plans for “Book Character Day” (which I love!). You dress up as characters from favorite books. They decided on Alice in Wonderland. This fearless leader was told I would be the Queen of Hearts. Alright, I could live with that. I went to the party store and bought a Queen of Hearts outfit. When I got it home to try it on, it was so short I swear my undies were showing! I looked like a cocktail waitress in a not-so-nice establishment! Definitely not G-rated for an elementary school. Do you see the black and white polka-dot on the hem in the picture? IT WAS NOT THERE! In a panic, I gratefully found two scarves from 50’s day dress up that I sewed onto the hem. In the picture, I was climbing on the desk (breaking all safety codes) to remove some crepe paper from the ceiling when the office staff informed me that the Queen of Hearts would yell “Off with their heads!”. (Somehow I’d forgotten that part but I was trying to look mean in the picture.) G-rated moved to PG-13…*sigh*

Clothing seems to be involved in many embarrassing moments. Have you ever worn your clothing inside out? I have… twice! Again as principal, I was standing in the hall talking to two teachers before school. The one kept staring at my shoulder. We all kept talking but I remember I reached up and tried to tuck my bra strap back in thinking it was showing or something?!? Around noon I was in the office area when a couple of teachers starting coming in for our grade-level meeting. One of them asked, “Is your shirt on inside out?” After closer examination, I replied, “Why YES, I guess it is!” I’d worn that blouse like that all morning! I sent out an email (yes, Mom it was announced) to let the staff know…and that I found it hilarious!

I’ve worn different shoes on my feet in public three times. Not once mind you, but THREE times! (You’d think I’d learn?!?) The first time I drove into the big city to get my hair done at this swank place. I sat down and put my feet on the footrest. Then I happened to look down and saw them. One navy and one brown shoe! What did I do? You got that right…I announced it! The other two times were getting dressed in the semi-dark and arriving at work to discover the mishap. Oh, well.

“Blessed are they, that can laugh at themselves because they will never cease to be amused.” ~ Ritu Ghatourey

Remember…

Hey! Did you know “National Two Different Colored Shoes Day” is an actual holiday in May? A national holiday set aside for wearing different shoes ON PURPOSE. That’s my kind of day! I have a sheet in the download that lets your staff write down their most embarrassing moment to share. And…I’m sharing the appreciation cards from the file FREE for everyone. Just right click on the picture and “save image as”!

Be brave and share your embarrassing moment in the comments below and how it made you feel. I think we’ll all find out that we’re human…and not so different after all! And I promise to laugh with–not at–you. 🙂

Lead joyfully,

Gail Boulton