Have you ever stuck your foot in your mouth in good ole proverbial fashion? I am sure I have done it so well that the tap dance could be heard half a world away. Woodwardenglish.com defines this idiom like this: to say or do something that offends, upsets, or embarrasses someone else. The art of misspeaking isn’t lost to anyone who is old enough to talk. This photo of Salty Dawg and the distaste he is expressing immediately brought it to mind. This is how I feel after sticking my foot in my mouth. Yuck! Oh, how I wish I was exempt from ever repeating that feat (or maybe that foot, LOL!) ever again!
You know instantly when the words that just came out of your mouth is one of the biggest mistakes of your life! The embarrassment flushes heat all through you like a furnace. Now in very public view, every part of you just wants to crawl away under any nearby table. Whether just tactless, foolish or accidental, the foot went in. So, what do you do now? Is recovery even possible?
Here Are Some Suggestions To Try
- Acknowledge your mistake
- Sincerely apologize
- Bring in some humor and laugh
- Allow yourself your humanness
- Don’t allow this or other past mistakes to define your identity
- Refocus on a new subject
- Say a prayer for God’s intervention in a reset
Embarrassment is actually a type of fear. We are afraid that what others are thinking of us will be bad. We want to be held in high esteem, liked, and accepted. There is a touch of perfectionism to this type of thinking. As if any one of us is perfect. That Utopia, my friend, does not exist for anyone. We are all humans who err. Righting ourselves when we stumble is huge. It is a valuable life lesson to learn. Take a few deep breaths, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and stay in the game. You can bank on the statement, “This too shall pass!” Time heals almost everything.
Now back to Salty Dawg, he is quite guilty of some incident and trying to hide his big 128lb body under my coffee table in the den. I doubt it was sticking his foot in his mouth. Salty found that table to crawl under and thinks he is hiding. He is caught but who can be upset with a face like that! I can’t. Those big brown eyes get me every time! So this time he gets a pass! Have a great weekend ya’ll and try not to stick your foot in your mouth!
Cute fur baby.
He is! 🙂