Faux Pas
You have done it. I have done it. We have all done it at some moment in our lives. The "it" I refer to is making a mental error of such small, yet immensely embarrassing proportions. What are these "mental errors" I am speaking of? Here are a few examples: consider a situation in which you are meeting someone for the first time. You are introduced to this person and he or she says, "Hello." You respond, "I'm fine, how are you doing?" When exchanging your salutations, somewhere along the line your brain made its choice of greetings and was not going to change its mind regardless of what the recipient if your words had said to you. This is an aggravating situation, sure it may help break the ice, but it really does make you feel like a moron. The simultaneous receptions are not as frustrating but are still quite strange. When the eerie monotone sound of your voices joined together as one reverberating "How are you?... fine." For those who have ever been at a dinner party of cocktail or any social gathering, have you ever gotten your drink mixed up with someone else's? You are standing there confident, collected and having a good time, then someone says, "Is that my drink or yours?" "Uh, I don't know. I thought uh...? That is a conversation stopper if I have ever seen one. It is as if the entire party must stop until the matter of the mixed drinks is solved. "Well, I put mine here, beside this one... wait is this one mine?" Then of course there is the door conspiracy. Why would the manufacturer of a door put a handle, specifically designed for the action of pushing, on a door you have to pull to open. I am positive everyone has done that. Even the coolest of cool have met that rude, abrupt shove from the door which seems to say "Pull me, don?t push me you idiot!" These Seinfeldesque blunders have plagued mankind since the invention of the handshake. The little quirks in life that make us laugh, cry, blush and bothered should not be forgotten about. It is important for people to remember that, in fact, we are all people. No matter how rich, poor, powerful or pitiful we all do the same stupid things. Perhaps in remembering these stupid things we will be kinder to those around us. The next time you feel angry or mad at someone just picture them slipping extremely hard in the shower; this should not only make you laugh, but cause you to feel sorry them for being human, just like you.
