Feelin' Groovy

I wrote about putting my foot in it the other day. Considering the day I had yesterday, I must really be losing it. While running from a client meeting to a luncheon, I took a step on a cobble stone pathway in my lovely black business-type high heels - the ones that say functional but still cute - and a slight twist of my ankle sent me spinning, books flew, marketing materials scattered, scraped knees - torn stockings, and bruised wrists - both of them. Amazingly enough, I was not seriously hurt.

As I sat on my bum, trying to collect my thoughts and belongings, a kind gentleman who had looked my way just in time to see me land, hurried over to lend me some assistance. He asked if I was OK and then helped me to my feet. I said yes and brushed myself off, organized my mess as best I could, and then started on my way again. His parting comment stopped me dead in my tracks, "You must be embarrassed." I guess I should have been but I wasn't. I stopped, stared at him, steely-eyed and replied, "Nope, I'm not. People fall all the time. Thanks for your help." And away I went.

So, my question for you is, should I have been embarrassed? When facing a moment where all composure seems to go out the window, when nothing goes your way, when disaster seems imminent, when there is no one to catch you, when life kicks you hard, when you get sidetracked - and yet you right your ship, should you be embarrassed, apologetic, mortified, upset or unable to carry on? I think the opposite was true for me at that moment. I had picked myself up, brushed away the remnants of a crash and moved along. Unscathed but still on a mission. Work.

Knowing that you did all that was possible to prevent a disaster is important. Taking the time to prepare, to know what is needed of you, to fulfill your end of the bargain, to meet your clients/hiring managers more than halfway, to give and give and then, give more -- these are all necessities in the climate we call "today." Life goes on, work goes on, and adversity is always present. How you handle it will determine whether or not success is on the horizon or, at least, a good lesson in "what not to do next time."

I arrived at my luncheon with a new story to tell and I wore my torn stockings the remainder of the day. They were my badge of honor. No, I wasn't embarrassed, I was thankful that I had not cost my company a serious amount of money or lost a client or dishonored my profession. I was glad that I could walk away unscathed with another lesson in my pocket.

Slow down, you move too fast... Feelin' groovy.

by rayannethorn

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Thomas Patrick Chuna on September 16, 2009 at 8:31am

Good comeback, Rayanne.

maybe I'm just just cranky this morning and reading into things, but if it was a guy that tripped and fell, the "gentleman" in question certainly wouldn't have tried to shame the guy with a comment like that...guys (ones who are fond of their teeth anyway) allow other guys to save face in situations like this.

No reason for saying " you must be embarrassed" , unless he thinks you should be, and all women need to be spoken to like five year olds.

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Permalink Reply by Peter Ceccarelli on September 17, 2009 at 3:53pm

Moral of the story is this.............wear flats....AND.......bare legs. Bare legs work well for Katie Couric and there are some very stylish flats on the market.........I work for a internet shoe retailer.............and not that I'm a woman's shoe afficiando..........but I understand that we have some "cute" things on our site according to the woman in the office and the guy over in the corner who goes by the name "Mary" and wears makeup!!!!!

I'd be embarrassed if it was me who fell. So I make it a point to NEVER fall down, especially in public. Did you know that most people who witness a fall, laugh! It's true. There's research on the topic. We tend to laugh more when we witness someone doing a splat on the pavement than most other types of accidents. It's a fact. We generally don't laugh if we witness a car accident, a shooting, someone walking into a post, etc, but we laugh out of the potential personol fear of embarrassment for oursleves when we witness it by someone else if I recall the research article correctly.

Should we be embarrassed about the other pit falls/up's and down's that come our way in life? Nah! It's life and I look at it this way. Most of the stuff (good and seemingly bad) that happens in life is just a lesson in a classroom. We can chose to learn from it or not. As for tripping and falling, it might be a warning to "slow down", pay more attention to where we're going in general, and be congnizant of potential gaps that might trip us while we are flying madly through life tending to our busy and over taxed schedules and to-do lists. There's a lesson in everything because everything, no matter how small or big, meaningful or trite, happens for a reason.

I enjoyed this blog! Thanks!