My Most Embarrassing Moment!

My Most Embarrassing Moment!


I have been asked if I ever had an embarrassing experience and what I learned from it. Who hasn’t? Whether we said something inappropriate, stumbled when we would have preferred to be graceful, slipped and fallen down in front of others, had something in our teeth when we smiled, or done a hundred other things that made us look foolish, it’s normal for human beings.

Face it. To be human is to be subject to embarrassment. Looking back, perhaps the most embarrassing moment in my life was not witnessed by anyone. It occurred in the dark. It was physical, painful, and even mortifying. It was also very dumb.

I was in high school. I was the master of ceremonies for our annual musical show, which was a really big deal every year. I had to wear a tuxedo for the show, and I arrived at the high school early. In fact, I was there before anyone else. I opened the door and discovered that the auditorium was in total darkness. No one was there. Instead of waiting until someone showed up to turn on the lights, I went into the auditorium, inching my way along the wall to the front of the huge room. In the darkness, I carefully mounted the steps at the side of the stage, only to discover that the curtain was closed.

My objective was to feel my way in the dark along the curtain until I found the center of it, pass through it, and carefully make my way backstage to the light controls. My intentions were good, but my sense of direction was terrible. I walked right off the center of the stage into the orchestra pit, falling headlong and smashing into chairs and musical instruments.
There is nothing more terrifying than falling in total darkness. When I had collected myself and determined that I had not broken any bones, I crawled up on the stage, dipped beneath the curtain, and made my way to the lights. Once I found them and turned them on, I went back and picked up chairs and instruments, placed things back where I thought they belonged, and then went backstage to the dressing area. I was limping a bit, but I never told anyone what had happened to me.The show had to go on. That’s show business folks! 

What did I learn from this experience? Always wait until the lights are on. Don’t do stupid things. Stepping off a stage in the dark isn’t cool, and you can get hurt. In retrospect, staying in the light is a wise thing to do throughout one’s life. It’s important to clearly see where your next step will take you in all circumstances.