"They're all gonna laugh at you!"

I really can’t explain why I did what I did that afternoon. I was bored and unsupervised, a dangerous combination. But there I was, with my arms wrapped around my legs, grasping my ankles. Trying to walk across the kitchen in that position, I lost my balance. As my arms were now useless, I face planted into the linoleum floor. Ouch! The only thing I could think of as I pulled my upper lip out of my braces was how I was going to explain this to people. My lip swelled up and almost touched my nose, exposing the little square imprints from my braces. It wasn’t pretty.

The next day, I held my breath as I stepped into the classroom. Maybe they won’t notice… yeah, right! Someone gasped, and the rest of the class looked my way. A few people tried to hold in snickers until someone finally said, “What happened, Lippy?” Laughter ripped through the air. Some were still trying to be sympathetic, but it was obvious I was going to be the talk of the school that day. It was a teenage girl’s worst nightmare.

As the day continued, I slowly realized something. People were laughing at me and calling me names… and I did NOT die of embarrassment. In fact, I was getting lots of attention and some of the comments made me laugh, too.

So what’s so wrong with people laughing at me? I like to laugh myself, and isn’t it the “best medicine”? I’m all for contributing to the wellbeing of my fellow Americans. Bringing me to the other side of the spectrum…

Several years later, at a college gathering, I attempted to entertain everyone with my Chubby joke. Squeezing my face with my hands until my cheeks plumped up and my lips stuck out, I recited the lines that without fail had my boyfriend rolling on the floor. I delivered the punch line, and… crickets. Seriously, now that I WANT someone to laugh at my big, puffy lips, I get nothing.

Just as I never died of embarrassment, I also never died of flopping on stage. But at the risk of making a fool of myself, if I can get just one person to laugh, it’s all worth it. If anything, I can make myself laugh.

So, lighten up, Carrie. Just think, you increased the immune system and blood flow of all those people at the prom.

“They’re all gonna laugh at you!” Well, I hope they do.