“What was I thinking?”

I’m really on a roll with this back-to-school stuff. (Not necessarily a good roll, but a roll nevertheless.) Those back-to-school ads we’re bombarded with starting in late July got me thinking of my one and only back-to-school clothing disaster.

I was going into grade two, and as part of my fall wardrobe preparation, my mother bought me a bright yellow rubber raincoat with really great snaps. (The sort of coat Paddington Bear would wear.) Don’t ask me why, but for some reason, I loved this raincoat. Maybe it was the snaps. Who knows?

The first day of school, I was determined to wear my raincoat. Unfortunately, it was a sunny, hot day with not a cloud in the sky. I was undaunted. Regardless of the weather, I would wear my new raincoat to school. There’s not a whole lot more that I remember of that day except for three things:

-It was very hot underneath that rubber raincoat.
-Quite a number of times, I heard myself say, “Well it’s raining at my house!”
-My lunch kit contained two very bruised pears– although not nearly as bruised as my ego.

These “What was I thinking?” moments have a strange way of haunting me decades later. Fortunately, embarrassment can be great fodder for fiction. In Klutzhood, Arlo pulls off plenty of “What was I thinking?” moments. Have you ever accidentally swilled down the paint brush cleaning water during art class? (I hope not, but if you have, you’ll know how good it tastes.)

If you’re looking for an interesting prompt for writing, give “What was I thinking?” a try. Anyone out there care to share their “What was I thinking?” moments?

Until tomorrow,
Chris