Embarrassment

This morning, my husband told me that he had a dream that we went out for dinner. After a few drinks, I decided to join the band for a song; unannounced and uninvited.

As the story would go, in my approach of the stage, I tripped and fell on my bottom. "How embarrassing?" he remarked (in real life). "For you," I asked? "For you, I would think," he responded.

As I laughed, I thought about this for a moment. Would I have been so terribly embarrassed? Truth is, it depends on who was in the room.

What is embarrassment? I have a cousin that gets embarrassed by the strangest things, but manages to put herself in the position to be embarrassed frequently. My children get embarrassed by interesting things, like being told to "not" do something in the presence of others. The key though, in both instances, is the presence of others.

As adults, the rule is the same, someone else must be present. But, why? Why are we embarrassed; as if anyone, that has ever truly "lived", has escaped making some blundering mistake in life? Is there always some beautiful person in our presence that feels so insecure that they must make a spectacle of our mistakes? Or are we simply guilty of being that beautiful person in every instance possible? Or are there young people watching? Sometimes they cannot control their giggles. Other times, its their insecurities too that make them make spectacles of other people's mistakes.

Regardless, the laughter you provide others could be considered a great gift if you can find it in you to laugh out loud too. In balance and bliss, that is an accessible solution.

I have another cousin that used to be so amazing in this category. If you fell, she would first make certain you were okay then, she would look you directly in the eye and laugh. The look she would give you, would leave you laughing uncontrollably; so much so, you could not be embarrassed, nor could you muster the energy to stand erect again for another 10 minutes (a sure fire way for everyone to know that you fell). These days, she gets embarrassed too.

Why are we so serious and without the power of "laughing out loud at ourselves?" Why has embarrassment taken a front seat in our lives? Where is our balance & bliss?

Well, I am still laughing at my husband's dream. I wonder if it would have been funny in real life. Could I have laughed at myself? Furthermore, who would have been the kid or beautiful person in the room that made a spectacle of me?

Probably, my husband.