An Awkward Ending

The flame was officially extinguished last night in Beijing. The flag was taken down and passed on the London for the 2012 games.

I don't know if he was scared or just plain nervous but the Mayor of London looked very uncomfortable last night as he entered the stadium and walked onto the stage. It was really odd to watch him climb the stairs two at a time, not know what to do with his hands while standing there, and then struggle with the flag (as they all did). But I could not help but think that this guy was coming across as a goof ball.

Please don't misunderstand me. I am not coming down on the guy. I am just wondering why he seemed so out of it. I am guessing he was just really nervous and was in a situation that was totally foreign to him (pun intended).

We all feel like that sometimes. The boss calls a surprise meeting and all the other "bosses" are there. The teacher starts asking for volunteers to come to the front of the class. Dad comes home and goes straight to his room with Mom so they can talk about a "situation" that occurred at work. A neighbor invites you to a party and you know absolutely no one else who is there. The school is hosting an Open House and you are the new family in the class. All of these situations and others just like them can really make us feel very uncomfortable, uneasy, and out of place.

I want to encourage you to try something. The next time you are in one of these situations, remember that you are not the first person to feel that way. You are probably not the only person in the situation who feels that way. And this is probably not going to be the last time you feel this way. So relax. Take it easy. Don't draw attention to yourself but go ahead and introduce yourself to someone new. Take part in what is going on. Don't just sit there doing nothing and looking awkward. Wade into the situation with confidence that says, "I know this is new for me but I can get through it and will know how to handle it better next time."

I bet you will find that by taking some steps like these that others will be put at ease too and you will make some new friends at the same time.

And remember this: At least you are not on world-wide TV.