A few years ago, I asked in a blog post what was the silliest, most embarrassing thing you did while growing up.
I only received a couple dozen responses. My guess is that most people don’t wish to remember those special moments, even after decades have passed by.
My favorite came from Clyde, a retired attorney in central Ohio:
“I was 13 or 14. It was summer, and I hung out most afternoons at the public swimming pool. My ‘wish-to-be’ girl friend, Angela, was the main attraction. Bolstered by chugging the first beer in my life, I jumped into the pool right behind Angela. When she ducked under the water in the deep end, I followed her down. She turned toward me, and I was certain she invited me to give her a romantic underwater kiss (this worked great in an Esther Williams movie I saw).
I was wrong. Angela kneed me in a vulnerable spot and swam away. At that moment, I remembered I’d never been in the deep end of the pool. My dog paddling skill was not working. A lifeguard, a popular senior girl from my high school, jumped into action and tugged me to safety. The whole crowd at the pool combined cheering with laughter.”
You may wish to share an embarrassing moment of your own. I’ll keep it a secret… maybe.
Perspective