Photo by Zachary Nelson on Unsplash
When I was in my 20’s I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I love Ann Arbor and as time has passed I see my life there as having been a time of excitement, new ideas, new experiences and huge growth. However, for various reasons a lot of it sucked at the time.
One winter day my friend Jane and I headed to the A2 Film Festival, walking through channels of grey snow piled high to clear the walks on the University of Michigan campus. As we walked across the center of campus, I noticed the bronze commemorative “M” plaque embedded in the middle of the Diag had been carefully cleared of snow.
“I’m going to jump on the “M!” I shouted to Jane as I ran full tilt toward the plaque. I jumped as high as I could and landed with both feet square on the “M”. What I hadn’t noticed was that the “M” was covered in a thin, hard film of ice and both feet flew out from under me.
As a dancer, I was able to come down on one leg which started a chain reaction of high stepping kicks like a demented Rockette as I fought to keep my balance. The momentum was incredible as kick after kick I stayed upright only to know that the dreadful conclusion of my dance was frightfully near.
I drew a crowd of cheering, laughing people curious (as I was) to see how long I could continue. I wonder if they thought I was showing off on purpose. This was not the case. The terrified rigor mortis concentration in my face should have been a clue of my distress level but I think they were all looking at my feet.
The final humiliation: I lost what little footing I had and landed hard on my ass on the bronze “M.” I got applause and I heard one guy say to another as he handed over a dollar, “If she’d lasted another 30 seconds I would have won!”
Wiping the laughter tears from her eyes and trying badly to look sympathetic, Jane helped my sorely bruised ass and ego up from my fall. I did learn some good lessons from this impulsive jumping disaster: humiliation is survivable and sometimes darkly funny; it’s a good idea to check for ice on things in the winter; being impulsive doesn’t always have a happy ending; and don’t mess with the University of Michigan “M!”
I know you’ve had some embarrassing moments too. Want to share them with me? Leave me a comment and let me know! You know I love to hear from you.
