Life's embarassing moments....

The really big ones started for me when I was in the first grade. I remember the first one like it was yesterday even though it's been over 40 years since that eventful day.

I was attending school in Alaska, on a military base. Back then "Fire Prevention Week" was a really big deal. My elementary school teacher had been reminding all of us students for days prior that we would be attending an assembly and that "Sparky the Fire Dog" would be on hand.

Now "Sparky", he was a really cool character and all of us students were really excited about his pending visit. Can you imagine how truly excited I got then, when I mistakenly thought that my very own father was going to be portraying Sparky? For you see, at the time, my father was an Air Force firefighter.

I do not know how I got it into my mind that my "Pop" was going to be Sparky, but into my mind it went. And so, on the morning of the big assembly, in front of my entire class I announced that my father was the man that was going to be dressed up like Sparky the Fire Dog.

The other kids starred at me in awe. They were truly impressed and I was ecstatic at my new found popularity. Just a few minutes later, we all filed into the gymnasium and found a place to sit and watch the fire prevention presentation. About half-way through the show, ol'Sparky made his appearance. All of the students stood and cheered and then eagerly waved to the character.

Me, I jumped up and down and tried as hard as I could to get my father's attention. But seeing that I was so far away from the place where he stood, I eventually conceded defeat.

The defeat at hand was much easier to take than the next embarrassing moment though.

Apparently, because it was so hot inside the gymnasium and inside the Sparky the Fire Dog costume, the man inside decided to lift off the large costume head and get some relief.

Can you imagine my surprise and the surprise of my fellow classmates when the man inside the suit was revealed to be man with black skin?

These days, that would not have been much of a surprise.

But let me tell you, back in 1966 - "surprise" doesn't even come close to describing the reaction.

Let's just say that the looks I received were not very nice. And then the additional reactions that I received when I tried to explain my mistake was even worse.

My temporary popularity had lasted less than an hour but the embarrassment of the event lasted for decades.