I have decided that this coming week will be very stressful. Among other things I am performing a drama called "What A Character" which is actually a series of skits that my school drama class is putting on. I am definitely a drama queen and I love acting, but there is something about performances that make me just a little bit stressed. Our first of three performances was this morning and it went...okay. You can never predict how a drama will turn out. Sometimes people forget their lines, other times your props just won't cooperate and other times yet you stumble over your own feet, nearly causing a catastrophe (believe me, I speak from experience). Today's mistake involved a cupcake, a spotlight and one unsuspecting victim.(Okay, so she was totally expecting it...but it was still surprising).
One of my skits is called 'Cupcake For Your Soul'. I won't go into any plot details, but I will tell you that one part requires me to throw chocolate cupcakes across the stage and up a ladder to a young lady who does not want them. The first problem is the "across the stage" part. I have awful aim, so while attempting to throw cupcakes I managed to hit everything except the target. I hit the wall behind her, I threw one backstage and I think I even hit the wrong actor! But the one moment that I remember most clearly is when I was most into my cupcake throwing. I need you to imagine this entire sequence in slow motion though, because that is exactly how I saw it. So I reach onto the tray, without really looking and feel my fingernails dig into a cupcake, and by dig I mean literally. I glanced down and saw that my fingers were buried in chocolatey cakiness. Now this wouldnt' be that bad...IF the rest of the throw had gone smoothly, but NO. I watched almost in horror as my hand extended behind my head. For those of you who have never participated in the art of cupcake throwing, it is commonly practiced, and just plain curteous to throw your cupcakes underhanded. And here I was, my hand OVER my head. It's at this point in time when I realize that there is no going back and I cross my fingers and hope for the best. I feel my fingers dislodge from the misshapen cupcake and I watch in silent horror as the cupcake whizzes past the targets head, scarecly missing it, and with the speed of a thousand cats, continues on to the wall behind her. I see the cupcake squish against the wall and fall to the floor......And then it was finished. I ended the sequence with an out of character gasp and wiping my greasy fingers on my pants and continuing on.
The stupid thing about this was, that while I was beating myself up for that ridiculus overhand throw, no one else really noticed. I found myself looking around self conciously while everyone else was chuckling and having a good time. And, like always, it got me thinking and I realized this. While everyone else was having fun acting and being a part of something that brought joy to others, I was meekly peering around, worried that I might have made a fool of myself and that people might think less highly of me because of it. I missed out on a good time because I was a little too concerned about myself. I later realized that no one even noticed my overhand throw, and no one thought any differently of me at all. So my challenge to you is this: The next time you make a fool of yourself, don't get too caught up in it. Relax and think rationally, because in the whole scheme of things, a poor arm and a flapjack cupcake should really be something that you should be able to laugh about.
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