The Zimmer Zoo

Have you ever noticed that the things that have happened in your past that are most memorable are usually ones that were the most embarrassing? Of course I remember lots of GOOD things too, but the embarrassing ones seem to pop up out of nowhere. At random times. Just to make me feel like cringing all over again.

Examples, you say? Oh sure – why not.

Crying at my own birthday party. And trying to crawl under a rocking chair. Why? Because I didn’t want to get those spankings. I believe I was in the 3rd grade. New to my school. Good times.

Two in one day! At some point when I was in elementary school (5th grade, maybe?), we had a chimney fire at our house. In my rush to get out, I had put on a zip-up sweatshirt but forgot to put a t-shirt under it. As one of the first ones to ‘develop’ in my class, having no t-shirt on was quite bothersome to me…luckily, I don’t think it was widely known to my classmates. That same day, one of our neighbors was talking with me about the fire while we were walking from the bus stop to the school … so I wasn’t really thinking about things. When we got to the road we needed to cross, I looked both ways and crossed. Which made the appointed 6th grade crossing guard upset that I didn’t wait for HER to tell us when to cross…which she then reported to the vice principal…who then had to come and “chat” with me about obeying the rules. (Cuz, you know, in the 5th grade, I don’t know how to cross the road by myself!! …and it’s not like I did it on purpose anyway…)

Almost learning a new word. In the 6th grade, I believe I told my teacher that he was taking us for granite. Yes. He laughed.

It’s just a name. Also in the 6th grade, I managed to piss off a (different) beloved teacher without really meaning to. I’d been calling her daughter, a good friend, “Little T” and then called her “Big T” … which she didn’t like at all. (Totally understandable looking back at it NOW…didn’t mean anything by it when I did it though.)

Smell? In Jr. High, I was sitting next to a guy who liked me (and I knew it), when he told me that I smelled good – like baby powder. I shrugged and said “oh, that’s my deodorant.” To which he said nothing. Thinking he hadn’t heard me, I said it again…and got a look that said, “duh, I heard you the first time.” Which embarrassed me more than if I’d just kept my mouth shut and let the embarrassment stay on him.

Boing! Also in Jr. High, I was at our local fair (Field Days) just hanging out…when a guy who liked me (and I knew it – different guy than from above) started to stare at me. So, I gave him the ‘stink-eye’ … and walked face-first into the line that held up the tent I was going by. Yes. He laughed.

Please tell me that I’m not the only one who relives these things. (Wait, please tell me that I AM the only one reliving my things though!)

Filed under: deep thoughts, iijm, me | Tagged: embarrassing memories | 4 Comments »