Tuesday, March 12, 2013

My ‘Not So Finest’ Moment By: Karen Pilarski



I thought about Gerard Butler’s recent snafu in judgment. He admitted to sleeping with a reality star Brandi Glanville and not remembering her full name. I could almost visualize the huge egg on his face. Though smiling the slime of the yoke dripped off his chiseled chin. It sounded as if Butler did this in retaliation for Glanville’s public kiss and tell. Butler eventually made amends. It is not just famous faces that do foolish things. While I’d like to think I’m always at my best. I am not. Everyone has their own ‘not so finest moment’.   

My husband and I were at my niece’s school concert. Little did we know but several grades were performing. The auditorium was packed with screaming kids and flustered parents gripping their cameras. There weren’t enough seats for everyone. My feet were sore from wearing my high heels all day. There I was crabby, sore and tired. Stupidly I didn’t change before the concert.  My husband and I were less than thrilled to be pushed to the back to stand and watch. Each grade as we found out sang five songs each. At one point we walked around the school. I heard my niece sing and took blurry pictures from waaaayyyy in the back. 

I thought the opportunity to leave would be after her class was done. Nope. Apparently a few more grades had to sing and then they would do an all school song.  During the all school song my niece didn’t even make it to the stage. She was in the aisle singing! We felt irritable and just wanted to go.

 I was staring off into space when I heard a commotion behind me. Some pushy lady was screaming at my husband! Apparently she told him to move and because it was so crowded he couldn’t. He explained there was no room and she was still ranting at him. I don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was the claustrophobia or I was just stressed. Whatever the reason was I glared at her and hissed “Who the hell do you think you are talking to my husband like that?!” She then started yelling at me saying he should have moved. My face became red hot as did my temper. She proceeded to yell at me and hurl insults so I gave it back to her. I called her a name and told her to be quiet. I was ready to take off my blasted high heel and fling it at her. However, we didn’t come to blows. Finally a parent next to me got between us and yelled at the lady to shut up and she should have more manners. Then she said the following to the ranting lunatic: “There are children here, I will pray for you.”  That right there made me feel very small and just dumb. I bet that is how many people feel when they make a bad choice. Just plain dumb. 

Embarrassed at my judgment I wanted to stick my head in the ground. We all have our limits as to how far we can be pushed. As adults we can act as juvenile as our children. In stores adults fight over toys during the Christmas season. At football games people yell at another parent’s kids that they stink at football. People yell at you to keep your kids quiet in church. Oh yeah, IN CHURCH. While it is important to set a good example it is also equally important to show that adults have bad days and bad choices. Luckily my snafu wasn’t noticed much over the crowd rushing to leave after the performance. I got out unscathed but in the rear view mirror in the car I detected a trace of egg on my own face.

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