Red Splotches

When I was in high school, I had to take a speech class. Our first assignment was to portray someone that would be easily recognized by the class without saying a word. Funny assignment for a “speech” class, I thought. So I decided to portray a teacher. I was nervous, but it helped that I would not have to utter a sound. My little skit went off well, and I received some applause at the end. As I took my seat, someone whispered in a loud voice, “Look at how red she is!” and several students giggled in response. I could feel that my face and chest were hot. I was embarrassed. As soon as the bell rang, I ran to the nearest girl’s restroom.

I looked into the mirror and was appalled to see my cheeks and chest covered with big red splotches. I wet a paper towel with cold water to use as a compress. After several minutes, my skin calmed down and returned to its boring beige color. I was already late to my next class, so there was no time to worry about this now.

After talking to my parents about it, and getting opinions from my relatives and grandparents, it was decided that my splotches were caused by embarrassment. Just as a person’s face turns red when embarrassed, I was blessed with the extra special gift of red blotches all over my face and chest.

But, I was puzzled. I wasn’t embarrassed when I gave my presentation in speech class, so why did I break out? After enduring the remaining semester of speech class and my obligatory splotches that appeared more time than not, I figured something out.

When getting in front of the class, I didn’t feel anxious or embarrassed, but inside I actually was. My splotches were my body’s way of saying, “Hey, you think you got this, but you’re actually a wreck. Just so you know.” I learned that my body will always “betray” me – it will show me how I really feel. When I think I’m not worried about taking a trip or doing something out of my ordinary routine, sometimes my stomach will tell me about it. If I tell myself I trust someone, but I feel uneasy around them, isn’t that the surest indicator that maybe I’m telling myself to trust the wrong person? If I have planned something, but I am having nightmares about it, should I really go through with it? I’m not saying I should stop doing anything, I just think its good to trust your gut.

I’m a big believer in mind over body. I know thinking positively really helps when you are ill. But I am also a big believer in listening to my body. My red splotches taught me that.

#Ragtag Daily Prompt #RDP

RDP Monday: SPLOTCH