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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

We’ve all had them. 

You could be meeting someone important, a new business connection or perhaps a potential new friend, but the greeting you planned flies immediately from your mind and your mouth makes a noise that’s lightyears away from human speech. Maybe you thought you had the perfect dance move for a party but you end up looking like the inflatable arm-flailing mascot that graces many tire centers, cell phone stores, etc. Awkward moments often come unexpectedly. Sometimes, they appear to come frequently. There are even times where fate, karma, or even your own brain have marshaled their forces to sabotage your social interactions. March 18 is National Awkward Moments Day, a day in which to celebrate those awkward moments, but who would want to do that?

Why celebrate moments that are . . . well, awkward? Maybe the word “mortifying” would be more appropriate. No one wants to experience the face-flushing embarrassment or skin-prickling anxiety of these awkward moments, yet they are as inevitable as death, taxes, and awards shows. Awkward moments will happen because your day, month, or even year doesn’t always go according to plan. Like the inflatable arm-flailing mascot, life will veer this way and that, with no rhyme or reason. It is in those unplanned and random moments that awkward moments are most likely to rise up like a horror movie villain, ready to ruin your social interactions. 

The first thing to keep in mind, however, is remembering that such moments happen. And it will be okay. The National Day Calendar website has some suggestions on what to do after an awkward moment that could mitigate the social damage and even make yourself feel better. One can change the subject of a conversation. Sometimes, it’s just good to apologize and call it a learning experience. Laughing at the experience also helps, and it’s also easier to do in hindsight. The most important thing to do is to breathe. Take a moment to realize what you did wrong and do your best to recenter yourself. 

Having suffered through some very anxious and awkward moments, I have also learned some lessons for when they inevitably happen. I try to keep in mind that I am not perfect, just as a lot of people aren’t perfect. Mistakes, including the social ones, can be anxiety-inducing, but they can also be opportunities to learn and to grow. In the long, sometimes curvy line of one’s life, there will be a few awkward moments in one’s life, but there are also plenty of other times within that life to make use of the lessons learned from those awkward moments. And even if a moral isn’t evident in an awkward moment. The passage of time makes it easier to laugh at that one time you tried a new dance move and it didn’t work out. 

So take pride in your awkward moments for they are opportunities to be better people and to also be humble. We all have our awkward moments, no matter the person, no matter their status. Those awkward moments can help us learn about ourselves and understand each other. 

Was that a good sentence to end on? Was that awkward? Guess I’ll find out when people read this.

And here’s some not awkward programs at our library: 

On Tuesday, March 19, at 6 p.m., the library writing group Write Out There! will be meeting. Write Out There! welcomes writers of all kinds to get some awesome writing prompts to get you started and we can also do workshops where other writers can share their work and get feedback. Bring anything you’re working on, or just bring paper, pencil, or laptop to do some writing and have some fun. 

On Wednesday, March 20, at 2 p.m., the Kentucky Picture Show presents a classic legal drama starring Henry Fonda. This film features the jury in a New York City murder trial. Many in this jury are frustrated by a single member whose skeptical caution forces them to more carefully consider the evidence before jumping to a hasty verdict. Popcorn and snacks will be provided. 

On Thursday, March 21, at 4 p.m., the library is hosting a Meal Hacks and More 2024 program. Join Clark County Extension Senior Nutrition Education Program Assistant Sandy Kennedy as she cooks through the 2024 NEP calendar. Learn meal prep tips and tricks while tasting a new recipe each month. Meetings will be held the 3rd Thursday of every month through September. Registration is required. To register, contact the library at 859-744-5661.