Spilled

Fill in the blank: "Don't cry over spilled ___________."

For me, that blank today was "popcorn kernels." At my work, we have "popcorn Wednesdays" where we make up enough popcorn (through the help of a commercial popcorn machine) for all the hungry Law Students to eat. Today we were a little late in getting started, so I went out to help. Thinking the box of popcorn kernels was secure on the edge of the counter, I reached down to grab something and the box fell. If any of you made those fake "rain sticks" in elementary school where you poke a bunch of needles through a toilet paper tube and let rice run through it, that's kind of what it sounded like. A rushing rain of kernels as they spilled onto the floor and quickly rolled into every nook and cranny.

If I were still 5 years old, I probably would have burst into tears.  If I were still 13 years old, I would have blushed furiously and wished to die or hide in my locker. But experience has taught me that the best thing to do is apologize profusely and clean it up ASAP. So I went on a hunt for the custodian to get some brooms and I'm *almost positive* that we got all the kernels. We certainly tried. I paced the floor several times to make sure we got every stray one, but it's always possible one snuck away. My managers were very nice about the whole thing, which I appreciated as I swept and swept...and swept.

This experience reminded me of the last time I initiated a major spill. It was at the Missionary Training Center in the Dominican Republic. We were cleaning the kitchen. I climbed up to clean the top of the fridge, where there were several 5-gallon jugs of Ranch dressing perched. That's right: 5 gallons. Think of a gallon of milk and times it by 5. As I was climbing back down, I knocked one of the jugs behind the fridge. So, I had to get the elders to move the fridge and then go back there to try and clean it up. It had oozed into all sorts of places by then, and I needed a lot of help. Towels just don't sop up as much Ranch dressing as you would think. Thankfully the elders and the other workers were really understanding. 

So what's the point of this post, besides sharing some of my embarrassing moments? I'm grateful for people who are quick to forgive. And I hope to mirror their forgiveness and remember my embarrassment the next time I see someone spill something.

When was your last embarrassing moment?

Rhetorically,

Rebekah