Someone called me "graceful" the other day. Someone who hasn't spent a lot of time in my presence. Yesterday I was in some kind of a hurry to get out onto the deck. I opened the glass slider and smashed right into the screen slider.
My father sometimes called me "Gracie." It wasn't meant as a compliment. Like after the time I was carrying a cake to the table, tripped, landed on the floor with the cake flipping frosting side down as well. Then there was the time -- not so funny at all -- when I went to sit next to my dad on the couch but banged into his knee, the one he had just had surgery on. There may have been words a bit more forceful than gracie that time.
The time I was walking into my high school -- spectacular fall with books and papers flying in the wind -- just as a school bus was pulling up so many of my fellow students got to see the show -- that made the year book. I'm not remembered for any of my academic accolades.
I had a classroom of quite volatile high school students on particular year. I had the habit of pacing around them as I presented a lesson. I thought it kept them in their seats better that way. Anyway, one time I started noticing that they seemed to be in rapt attention. I started thinking, "Damn, look at me go! I really have them hooked. Super teacher!" I take a few steps backwards, hit an empty desk, and I am down. Rusty jumps up with a triumphant shout to collect on his bet that I would do exactly that clutzy
maneuver.
Yep, grace under pressure. That's me all over.
Funny post. My daughter is likewise graceful. She once walked into right into a sliding glass door that was closed. The rest of the family was out on a small balcony of our hotel room when BAM!, she walks from the hotel room right into the closed door trying to get out to join us. We still tease her about it years later.
ReplyDeleteOh my, you've certainly had your mishaps. While one of my high school teachers didn't fall, she did come out of the bathroom with her skirt tucked into the top of her pantyhose. Since I babysat regularly for her, I was informed it was up to me to tell her. :)
ReplyDeleteHa ha, the great thing is that you can laugh about it --and now we can too. I use to be graceful, now I can't walk through a doorway with grazing each side. I tend to call myself "Grace" out loud whenever I do that.
ReplyDeleteIs this Gracie as in Gracie Allen? I'm afraid I'm getting even klutzier as I add years to my years.
ReplyDeleteOh my! The one about banging your Dad's sore knee really got to me. Now, that's not funny. Ow. Anyway, David is like you, so you are not alone. He banged our dining table and broke it. He had to buy another one. Costly bang.
ReplyDeleteGood to have a sense if humor about these mishaps rather than brooding.
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