By Traci Rork
Miss Informed
(5.7.09)
I’m sure we can all recall moments in our lives where we’ve been steered into confusion and looked like idiots. Perhaps we misunderstood or misconstrued someone’s directions, or we took bad advice and were misled by another idiot. Then there are times when stress or sleep depravation leads one to absent mindedly put the cereal box in the fridge and the milk carton in the cabinet. Whatever the case, we’ve all felt like a head case at some point in time.
I will be the first to admit when I’ve pulled a “Traci”, and I love the fact that plenty of my friends rush to inform me after they’ve pulled one as well.
Generally these moments and mix ups are sandwiched between sane and productive times, so no need to have any of us committed as of now.
Have you ever hurried to get a Blockbuster movie back on time only to learn you had returned an empty box? They call AND write you a letter informing you of your stupidity, by the way.
Did you know that there is a huge difference between evaporated and condensed milk? While attempting a turkey casserole, I created a sweet, meaty mess we named Dessurkey, and promptly tossed after taking one horrific bite.
I may be alone on this next one, but has anyone else gotten confused while trying to pay their Comcast bill on Kennedy Ave.? I accidentally dropped my check in the trash can next to the payment slot and walked away. This error was not discovered until the following month when I went to pay the overdue bill and almost did the same thing again! I walked right up to the trash can and opened the slot before I spotted the payment slot on the wall and had an “Aha moment!
These events are to be remembered and used for enlightening purposes throughout our lives. As a first grader, I was supposed to “put a ring” around various animals and objects on a piece of paper for a homework assignment. Seriously, how hard could this be?
I’ll never forget how puzzled I was after learning I had gotten it all wrong. I turned in my assignment with the satisfaction of a job well done and was shocked when the teacher asked why I had turned in a blank piece of paper. What? Are you kidding me?
“It’s not blank,” I said in amazement as I looked at the assignment I was both proud and protective over.
“Then why didn’t you put a circle around the bird? Or the cow? Or the fence?” The teacher asked while I looked at her, insulted and confused by what she failed to see.
“You didn’t say to put a circle ~ you said to put a ring,” I said, pointing out the tiny diamond ring on the bird’s little toe, the sparkler around the cow’s hoof and the bling bling diamond fastened to the fence.
If only she would have said circle . . . Because when I hear the word “ring” it can mean only one thing. . .jewelry! My mom saved that assignment, which is tucked away with other masterpieces including a spelling test where I misspelled “ship” in a rather offensive way...
A few years back while ordering office supplies for the Citizen, I was trying to buy the most reasonably priced items instead of the most expensive pair of scissors. (Mostly because I was told to tone it down after splurging on blue and pink colored notepads for the reporters, which I thought made life a little more fun.)
Unfortunately, when the reasonably priced scissors arrived, I discovered why they were so cheap. They were tiny little scissors for Kindergartners in bright colors with rounded 2 and a half inch long blades! Citizen photographer Rob O’Neal patiently man-handled the tiny scissors with a straight face and made them work while teasing me only a little bit. You’re a good man, Rob.
Personally, I think we need these complications in our lives too keep things interesting. Mistakes build character, teach us lessons and keep us busy. Although you may be embarrassed at the time, these flubs and follies connect us all in our imperfect world.
However, while these little setbacks are comical, pulling too many “Traci’s” in a row isn’t recommended, as there is such a thing as building too much character. So, pay attention to detail, ask for directions when confused, and if you want something, be clear and concise about what it is you want. Otherwise, you might find that you and those around you are running around in rings….I mean circles.
Sometimes it is not our achievements that define and build us, but rather it’s the ways in which we’ve been wrong that show our true colors. The times in between our successes . . . where we’ve screwed up, laughed about it with friends, dusted ourselves off and marched on down the road.
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