Monday Mumbles #12,564

Monday's haven't been one of my fav days in quite some time despite not having to drag myself into an office, wondering where the weekend went. Today is no different. I awoke to the usual alarm in my head brought about by sun streaming into my room and invading my face, slapping me awake with its burning spotlight.

After a cup of caffeine-fueled tea, the Daily Internet Rounds began again as I checked The News, decided what to write, and then began writing.  While researching a fact, I noticed a word. My heart sank. I had misspelled that word in a recent post – TWICE! OMG. I felt foolish again, and Monday is certainly telling me to shape up and Get It Right, FFS! Why can't I be perfect? - self-admonitions abound. For some, it is a constant refrain.

You have had similar experiences of embarrassment in a public or quasi-public way, I'm sure. We can laugh about our mistakes/gaffes, or we can take ourselves out to our Inner Woodshed and Flog ourselves into oblivion, but it won't erase the private disgrace of feeling stupid. Of course, to mitigate further self-flagellation, I can pat myself on the shoulder for discovering the spelling error and fixing it as quickly as I could before more people who know better would read the otherwise interesting post and judge my abilities in a not-so-pleasant light.

Can't have that, now can we? Yet It happens. Mistakes. Isn't it worse when they are made in public? Unless you don't give a flying squirrel (yes, you read "squirrel" correctly), or have risen to a Buddha-State of spiritual detachment from the cares of the world, most of us cringe when we fall on our face in front of an audience of any sort. However, we have a choice to laugh at ourselves or begin a rash of negative self-talk.

I can (and did at the time) laugh about a Classic Life Moment Lesson from a brief humiliating situation many years ago. I think you might relate one way or another:

 It was one of those lovely California days where the weather is just right. I was working in a building at the corner of Little Santa Monica and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. It was, and still is, one of the busiest and most gridlocked intersections in the area. A few feet up from Little SM is the Real Santa Monica Boulevard. Cars are double-backed-up on Wilshire and both SM's with two traffic lights within mere feet of each other. To cross the street at Little SM and Wilshire in the middle of a bright afternoon is akin to being on display on the runway during Fashion Week In New York. One may as well wave while crossing.

And so it was after having lunch across the street from my office that I felt a surge of confidence as I prepared to enter the crosswalk. I felt so Comfortable In My Skin. All was well in the world and I knew I looked so fine and breezy. With a large grin, I crossed the street with a jaunty gait. Completely un-intimidated by the bored audience stuck in their cars at yet another every half-inch rate as it is in Beverly Hills for a few miles on Wilshire.

You can feel it now, can't you? No, it wasn't toilet paper hanging from my person. It was a full-on complete Open Zipper on my very blousy-like slacks where an unzipped zipper means one can see whatever was to be zipped! No wonder I had noticed a few people smiling. And all the while I thought it was Just Me Being Confident. Hah! I really did laugh after I regained my balance and had zipped the zipper.

The Lesson? Never Leave The Bathroom Without Checking Your Fly.

The Truth? You have to laugh at yourself because just when you think you can do no wrong, the Universe comes along and hands you a joke or a strong whack on the head.

The End (for today).

Image via: http://www.scientiaweb.com