This article is dedicated to all the klutzy, clumsy kids out there. May your shoe laces stay tied, your zippers stay zipped, and your food always avoid your face, shirt, or hair.
We've all been there. Some people more than others. The rising panic, the sudden flush to the cheeks, the slight sweat that seems to appear the moment we realize we have done something wrong, something socially unacceptable, something totally lame. It's happening; we're embarrassed.
There are various forms of embarrassment. There is, of course, the popular embarrassment via food. Maybe the food or drink somehow missed your mouth and lands on clothing. Maybe you eat something with your fingers rather than a fork. Embarrassment from food, typically, is laughable. A simple giggle and a stain stick can remove any lingering feelings of shame.
The next form of embarrassment is the classic physical embarrassment. The gym class clown, the trip and fall dodge ball incident, the oops I ran into a tree, sign, person, etc. This embarrassment can range in permanent reminders of your clumsy actions such as a bruise, a scrapped knee, a twisted ankle, or sometimes even a broken nose. During my prime awkward stages, a.k.a. middle school, I had frequent experiences in this area of embarrassment.
Another common form of embarrassment is verbal embarrassment, or the old foot-in-mouth recipe for disaster. Unlike other forms, this level of discomfort results directly from running your big mouth. The silent ones will never know the true meaning of embarrassment until you accidentally call one of your sorority sister "high maintenance" as she stands behind you in line.
Anytime the opposite sex is introduced, the chances of embarrassment double. This is a guaranteed fact. The combination of verbal, physical, and food embarrassment all lead up to one awkward encounter the moment a boy enters the picture. From saying I love you followed by awkward silence, to running into your ex with a new girl, boy embarrassment might take the cake for creating some of the most uncomfortable feelings in the world.
Here is the good news! Listen up! If you have been reliving your most embarrassing moments while reading this, that is okay because being embarrassed is normal. In fact, I would argue some of the most genuine people are not the ones that never seem to be in disarray, but rather the ones that can roll with the awkward, the humiliation, the shame and the uncomfortable.
Speaking from many moments of personal experience, being embarrassed builds character. It helps you navigate through the sticky moments of life. It teaches you to help others in the midst of their uncomfortable times. The truth is, I will never stop embarrassing myself. There will never come a time when I am so prepared for whatever life throws at me that I am able to skillfully dodge embarrassment. I have accepted this. So to quote the fabulous Taylor Swift, "You've got to shake it off, shake it off."
