Cheerful but Sloppy Sometimes

If you ask anyone about me, they will say, “She’s cheerful!”

Except one day, I was cheerful, but I think a little sloppy.

In December, we had an employees’ holiday luncheon. However, as usual, I was late.

I often find myself running behind schedule, sometimes due to traffic, sometimes because I prefer not to be the first one there, and most of the time because I struggle to decide what to wear!

I arrived at the event 30 minutes late, with more than 60 people already seated and eating. Our director was at the microphone speaking when I walked in. I glanced around and noticed there were no available chairs near my colleagues. The event planner then found me an empty seat and asked me to sit at the corner table with the directors.

For a moment, I felt a wave of anxiety. I really didn’t want to sit with the directors. What was I going to talk about? Maybe I should just sit quietly and not say anything at all.

I considered leaving the event entirely, telling everyone I was going to the bathroom as an excuse to sneak out.

Then, I glanced around the room at my colleagues, and I saw them all looking at me and laughing. They could tell I was uncomfortable, and honestly, I hated that they were laughing at me at that moment. So I sent a message to one of them saying: “Not funny!”

Once our director finished his speech, he joined us at the table, so I introduced myself since he is new to the center.

Then, everyone began discussing research, funding, and various projects.

I recalled someone once telling me that if you find yourself in a room where people are talking about a subject outside of your expertise, it’s better not to pretend you know everything. Instead, you should ask insightful questions.

But at that moment, I didn’t ask any question. I just didn’t feel the need to ask anything.

I’m not sure how the conversation shifted from professional to personal, but one of the directors shared the story of how he met his wife. He mentioned that he was drowning at the beach and she was the one who saved him. He then added that he still isn’t a good swimmer, even after 20 years of marriage, and he thought that his wife now…

I interrupted him, jokingly saying, “She will let you drown now.” Everyone at the table laughed, and I thought to myself, “Oh shit, what did I just say?” To lighten the mood, I quickly added, “Because I’ll let my husband drown,” which made them laugh even more.

I sent another message to my colleagues saying, “Help!” 😅

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you said something to a crowd and later regretted it, even if it was funny?