As I sit to write this answer to the pond for the week I can feel my cheeks get a little rosy and a chuckle starting to escape my lips because although it is embarrassing, time has healed the wounds into a moment of laughter. The pondering question this week was "What have you learned from your most embarrassing moment?" I must admit that I posted this question already knowing my answer but it has been fun to relive and relearn my moment.
I don't know if my most embarrassing moment could really be classified as a moment but rather a period of life that all accumulated into a moment in time. When I was in high school I started sweating a lot, now it wasn't from sports, running, or any other physical activity, as would happen to a normal person. No, I could be sitting perfectly still and still have sweaty arm pits (not quite to the extent as the picture above though). Now, I know that is gross, but none the less it is true. Well, I did everything that I could think of change deodorant (many times), walk with my arms down and never raise my hands, wear dark colored shirts, wear jackets over my shirts, etc. Well, I made it through high school without too much attention drawn to my short coming but then came college. I was able to keep up with my same tactics and wardrobe necessities that was until Old Navy entered my life.
I had searched all over Rexburg for a job and finally found one in Idaho Falls working at Old Navy. One might think, "Wow, great discounts and a fun job, what else could a girl ask for!" Wrong, my first thought was, "Oh crap, I have to wear a red shirt!" Now, red is the WORST color for a sweaty girl, white, black, cream, anything but red. Well, I tried to wear a jacket over the top of my shirt, that didn't work because 1. it was too hot and 2. they told me I couldn't. So, I just tired to wear another shirt underneath the red one to soak up whatever might come my way, once again, nope didn't work! So, in all desperation I stooped to low levels and did the ONLY thing I could think of, Panty liners. Yes, you read it right, panty liners. I would stick the sticky side on a shirt, have the absorbent side next to my skin and then put the dreaded red shirt over the top. I was stoked!! It totally worked, minus the raw, red armpits I would come home with but anything was better than armpit stains. Well, it was smooth sailing from then on out, or so I thought. Unfortunately I did not have a shirt that fit the right way and that the panty liners fit on so I had to borrow one from a roommate and rig it up every day before work, without her knowing, mind you. One night I got home late from work and just threw my shirt over my desk chair. Well, I got up late the next morning and had to run to class before I "unrigged" the shirt. I didn't think anything of it until I came home that afternoon and found 2 lone pant liners stuck to my desk and the shirt gone. She knew!! I wanted to die!! Later that day she came home wearing the beloved undershirt and just busted up laughing when she saw me. I ended up having to tell her my story and the reason for the madness that I put myself through. In the end we were both laughing at my misfortune and set out to find another solution. In the end I found a better solution and was able to retire my underarm panty liners for good.
So, onto the lesson that I learned from this tragic yet funny time in my life. I have learned that it is okay to laugh at yourself. It is okay to look in the mirror and just laugh. I tend to take myself too seriously at times and feel the need to do and be perfect, which none of us are. But I have seen that the times that I am able to get over my shortcomings, my less than perfectness, my silliness, and just laugh I am so much happier and have much more energy to give to those around me. So, thanks Candra for unknowingly lending me your shirt, for informing me that the backstreet boys sweat too, and for helping me laugh at myself. You're the best!
I don't know if my most embarrassing moment could really be classified as a moment but rather a period of life that all accumulated into a moment in time. When I was in high school I started sweating a lot, now it wasn't from sports, running, or any other physical activity, as would happen to a normal person. No, I could be sitting perfectly still and still have sweaty arm pits (not quite to the extent as the picture above though). Now, I know that is gross, but none the less it is true. Well, I did everything that I could think of change deodorant (many times), walk with my arms down and never raise my hands, wear dark colored shirts, wear jackets over my shirts, etc. Well, I made it through high school without too much attention drawn to my short coming but then came college. I was able to keep up with my same tactics and wardrobe necessities that was until Old Navy entered my life.
I had searched all over Rexburg for a job and finally found one in Idaho Falls working at Old Navy. One might think, "Wow, great discounts and a fun job, what else could a girl ask for!" Wrong, my first thought was, "Oh crap, I have to wear a red shirt!" Now, red is the WORST color for a sweaty girl, white, black, cream, anything but red. Well, I tried to wear a jacket over the top of my shirt, that didn't work because 1. it was too hot and 2. they told me I couldn't. So, I just tired to wear another shirt underneath the red one to soak up whatever might come my way, once again, nope didn't work! So, in all desperation I stooped to low levels and did the ONLY thing I could think of, Panty liners. Yes, you read it right, panty liners. I would stick the sticky side on a shirt, have the absorbent side next to my skin and then put the dreaded red shirt over the top. I was stoked!! It totally worked, minus the raw, red armpits I would come home with but anything was better than armpit stains. Well, it was smooth sailing from then on out, or so I thought. Unfortunately I did not have a shirt that fit the right way and that the panty liners fit on so I had to borrow one from a roommate and rig it up every day before work, without her knowing, mind you. One night I got home late from work and just threw my shirt over my desk chair. Well, I got up late the next morning and had to run to class before I "unrigged" the shirt. I didn't think anything of it until I came home that afternoon and found 2 lone pant liners stuck to my desk and the shirt gone. She knew!! I wanted to die!! Later that day she came home wearing the beloved undershirt and just busted up laughing when she saw me. I ended up having to tell her my story and the reason for the madness that I put myself through. In the end we were both laughing at my misfortune and set out to find another solution. In the end I found a better solution and was able to retire my underarm panty liners for good.
So, onto the lesson that I learned from this tragic yet funny time in my life. I have learned that it is okay to laugh at yourself. It is okay to look in the mirror and just laugh. I tend to take myself too seriously at times and feel the need to do and be perfect, which none of us are. But I have seen that the times that I am able to get over my shortcomings, my less than perfectness, my silliness, and just laugh I am so much happier and have much more energy to give to those around me. So, thanks Candra for unknowingly lending me your shirt, for informing me that the backstreet boys sweat too, and for helping me laugh at myself. You're the best!
6 comments:
Oh my, thats too funny!! I love that you can laugh at yourself. So you need to share the secret solution that you found.
Lacey...you kept your problem from me, your are a silly girl. Isn't it sad the things in life we worry about and are so huge at the time and as we look back we wonder why we found them so distrubing. Can we all lear a lesson from this?
Certain Dry... the best antiperspirant out there! I used it for about a year and it cured me for good. Thanks Certain Dry!
Yace, that is too hilarious. I had no idea that this was on the top of your list of embarassing moments. I just loved laughing about it with you. You sure fooled me...you seemed like a natural and just shrugging things off and laughing at yourself. And, DUH, own up to the fact that you are a genius and master-minded a panty liner solution. It's almost as brilliant as time I proceeded to "accidentally" fall down in the wet snow, so that my peers wouldn't know that a 3rd grader had wet her pants during school. GENIUS!!
HILARIOUS! Oh the days of sweaty Old Navy---and the joy of the Certain Dry Solution! This took me back to the good old dorm days (of which Sarah Ann Barnes Hall I revisited this weekend). I'm so glad that you shared this---you and Can are such good secret keepers!
LOVED this story Lace! What a great friend that Candra is, even without knowing it (and so smart, falling down in the snow like that!). I'm glad you've found the answer, because because to this day I have problems with sweating (started up in Junior High. I blame my father's genes). I guess I've kinda just learned to live with it and wear really boring clothes. I've tried everything. Not panty liners, but those sweat pads (basically the same thing). It's just nice to not be alone in the world, haha.
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