Blush for Naught

Today I walked to the stage. I tripped and fell in front of 100 people!

So should I have felt embarrassed? I don’t think so.

Well that’s because so far I have had so many such instances that I have got a thick skin now.

I think there are different types of embarrassing situations:

1. Those that is situational

2. Those that are spoken by us by mistake

3. Those that are caused by others

Let’s start with the first type. Once I was traveling from Mumbai to Lagos and a gentleman sat beside me. Throughout the journey I told him about all the cheap joints in Mumbai and he heard me very keenly. When we landed in Lagos he gave me his card which I just put in my pocket without giving it a second look. Then I told my dad about the whole incident. He asked me to show him the card of this gentleman. I gave it to him. He then looks up to me and asked do you just randomly start talking to people without knowing who they are? It turns out he was the richest Indian in Lagos! And yes I told him all the places he could get cheap food including the best “vada pav thella” in Mumbai.  Cringe! Cringe!

Well situational embarrassing moment has been mercifully limited. It was when my friend bought a new condo and I was at the house warming party and asked to raise a toast. I obliged. I addressed around 50 guests and said “Today Mike must be extremely happy to get his first condom. I am sure its not the first and last condom. I am sure with time, it will only be bigger condoms”.   I was too drunk to realize that I kept saying condo instead of condoms. Sorry it would be the other way around.

As far as embarrassing moments by others are concerned there is no dearth. But I shall narrate the least one of them to you all. It was my first prom night ever. I was obviously very excited. The evening started well and it was getting better. Now people had started giving dedication for the girls/ boys they liked. Suddenly the music goes all quite.

The DJ announced “there is a message for Aditi Guha". 

“Yes! Yes! I got a dedication too!”

“Your mom is waiting in the parking lot!”

I was so embarrassed when the message ended that I could give a tomato a run for its money!

However, to sum up, I will tell you embarrassment is actually in our head. It was our thoughts about others' thoughts about us.  I think embarrassing situations are the best thing that can happen. Like Douglas Engelbart had said once ““The rate at which a person can mature is directly proportional to the embarrassment he can tolerate.” And last but not the least – it always makes an awesome story! Your embarrassment of a lifetime will be others moment of pleasure!