by Alexandra Griffin 

A heart stamp and photo taken by Alexandra Griffin

Ah, the things we do for love. Sometimes when we are into someone or even meet someone interesting on the street, we get a little crazy. Okay, a lot crazy! I have had a lot of funny and embarrassing moments with the opposite sex. I have tried so hard not to be awkward about, but it always ends with me being a total spaz. Has anyone felt like that before? I know I have, and I don’t even try stopping myself anymore because it’s just going to be weird all over again. Here are some of my embarrassing and funny moments navigating the dating scene. 

Now there must be people out there that feel that when they try to be cool, they get nowhere when they like someone. When I try to be cool, it never goes smoothly as like I think it will. One time, I was trying to be cool and I leaned against a tree and a few minutes later the tree fell! It made this creaking sound so everyone from all around the camp heard it. Silence,t, then the laughter. Trying to be cool doesn’t always work out the way you think it might. It might draw more attention to yourself, but not quite the way you were hoping. Other examples are just being clumsy all the time. I’m sure everyone has had their awkward moments as well. Often the viewing of a magnificent creature may send you walking into some stationary object or even  flat onto your face over a curb. 

Another experience seeking out love as a shy person is that sometimes we get a little giddy and maybe we say things that were not meant to ever be said out loud. For instance, when I was leaving one of my classes early and one of the guys that I had in my class at the time said goodbye to me and do you know what I did? I said “Baaaaaaa.”LIKE A SHEEP! I baaa-d like a sheep! It was the most painful experience I have ever had. The worst part about this whole experience was that I was very emotional that day and I just wanted to be left in peace. Apparently, I’m not that type to ever have peace when it comes to dating. I literally ran out of class with my head down followed by the sound of laughter. He didn’t laugh but his friends did. When I came back into class, I never really looked at him or his group again. Now I will forever be known as the sheep girl. Kill me now! Can any of you beat that? 

The last funny moment that I remember is, this guy kept asking me out and I wasn’t interested. One day when he asked me out again I told him that I was doing laundry. This is a little inside joke with my mom because when my mom had a crush on my dad, when they were working together, he asked her if she wanted to go boating with him and she said she had to do laundry. At that time, in my class, I didn’t know what to do with this guy and the laundry just popped out! But the funniest part was he totally believed me! And, I turned to the other classmates in my class and they are totally saying things like “Oh yeah, I also do laundry.” Or “My mom taught me how to do laundry and it’s not that bad to do.” So, if you’re ever in a very awkward position like that you can use this because maybe you’re actually doing laundry. 

I have to say some of these unlucky love stories do help us because they build experience so we have more practice, which gives us a clue on who we want in a partner. First, the most important thing to remember is that you have to actually talk to the person because if you don’t then you won’t get to know them. You don’t even know who someone is once you really know them. They could even be a really crazy person, but that’s another story for another time. A little tip to talk to someone you’re interested in: Laugh. While you think some of your embarrassing moments were so painful you wanted to just hide in a deep dark hole, just laugh. Just remember that when you make it funny, it makes it easier because you’re laughing and you make your special someone laugh as well.