To Die Of Mortification Or Not?

While in Thailand, I had plenty of, um, embarassing things happen to me. This morning I was going through my e-mail inbox and I found this story that I had sent home to some friends of once incident in particular. I got a good enough laugh over it again as I remembered that Sunday morning, so I figured I would share it here too...

A week ago Sunday morning was the Lord's Supper at RBC so while the church partook of that, I got up to use the restroom. We were staying for the afternoon meal anyway, so I figured that was a good time to go! After I came back to my seat, Pookie gave me a strange look and started touching my skirt. I was a little curious as to why she fingered my skirt, but didn't give it too much thought. Finally she leaned over and said, "Do you have on two skirts?"

What on earth?!?!

I had no idea why she would ask that question and so I just said, "no, but it might look like I have two skirts on because the bottom has ruffles..." yada yada yada. But Pookie said, "No, I think you have two skirts on." Since I knew for sure that I didn't have two skirts on (!), I sweetly corrected her and told her no again. Then she said, "I think there's something wrong with your skirt. I see two different colors." I began to feel around my skirt and about shrieked out loud when I realized there was a huge, and I mean a huge rip in my skirt... in the back... with (ahem!) another color showing underneath. No wonder she thought I had two skirts on! My first thought was to laugh, but my second thought was "how long has it been ripped?!?!" I mean, come on, who wants the whole church to see something else besides the skirt?!?!?!

Pookie looked at me (while shaking with silent laughter!) and asked, "What are you going to do?" Hmm, good question! So finally we got up and went to the bathroom and as soon as I entered in, I bemoaned the fact that I had paid $12.00 ($12.00!!!!!) for that skirt only a week before I came to Thailand... the one consolation was that I paid for it with a gift card. Once I got to the stall, I realized the rip was even worse than I thought and my only two options were to die of mortification or to laugh at myself and my poor skirt! I chose the second option and after the Lord's Supper was over, I explained the situation to one of the Filipino girls and she ran to a shop to buy me some safety pins. It wasn't very elegant, but at least I wasn't showing two colors anymore!

There was also the time I tried to get on the back of a motorcycle with a skirt on... yeah, that was interesting, to say the least! I didn't know... well, never mind:o). And of course there was the time I was making a desert and burned the pot handle right off the pot and dropped scalded milk down my legs... over the kitchen floor... onto the counter, sink and washing machine. But that's another story!


But you know, long ago I developed a sense of humor and of laughing... at myself. I know that I do my fair share of dumb, "blonde" things and often I'll say, "Oh! I am so stupid!" And since coming home, I've said that phrase a lot as I've gotten readjusted to work... all the while doing some not-so-smart things along the way! And you know what? It's better to laugh than to sulk, get angry, or bitter. Because those are attitudes that just shouldn't be in my life and they really don't let me grow in my walk with God.

In the meantime though, I'll probably keep on doing some pretty dumb things... and sheepishly laughing too:o).