Shameless

Let’s talk about shame, or more specifically those moments when we forget about it and just do what we want to do. These are the moments when you do something that the average person would consider completely embarrassing and unnecessary.  And you do this without hesitating.  No justifications or dares or bribes.  You just do it.  Believe it or not, I come from a family that has absolutely no shame. You might not be surprised, as I voluntarily document my family’s weekly shenanigans and post them on the Internet for the whole world to ponder.  But this might come as a shocker.  This week, I would like to tell you about several of these shameless moments.

My first came about seven years ago, when my family was on vacation in Canada.  It was Christmas, and we are Jewish.  So rather than eat Chinese food and embark on our annual “Christmas Decorations Scavenger Hunt” we went to Canada.  We were in our hotel lobby chatting before dinner, when we saw a man dressed as Santa Claus walk in (or, if there are any children reading this, Santa Claus himself walked in!).  Something you should know is that we had a running joke that if I ever got to meet Santa I would ask him for a pony named Butterscotch.  And my time had come.

My dad told me to go ask him, and without even hesitating I waltzed right over to the big man himself.  He looked at me, a child of perhaps ten, and asked “What would you like for Christmas?”  I looked him in the eyes, ignoring the fact that he should really be making his rounds if he WERE the real Santa, and said, “I would like a pony named Butterscotch.”  Santa was a little taken aback, and knowing he could not supply such an entity, said, “Well, ponies make a lot of poop.  And they take a lot of care.  So maybe next year!”  I took my candy cane and left.

Next is my dad.  One year, when Jake and I were at summer camp, he and my mom went on a two-week vacation to Scotland and London.  I made one request before they left: that my dad would take a picture of himself in a kilt.  He laughed and said “yeah, right.”  But then, two weeks later, I received this picture in the mail.

My mom said that she has never laughed so hard in her entire life.  No shame.

The tradition of having no shame extends beyond the four of us.  Several years back, my mom’s side of the family went out for dinner.  My grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles, all of us were there.  When we were finished, my Grandpa asked if they would wrap up his leftovers.  “Of course,” replied the kind waiter.  As he took the dish, my Grandpa asked, “Oh, also, could you throw some fresh bread in there?”  I kid you not, it happened.  And he got his fresh bread.  No shame. 

So what brought this discussion on?  As you know, I am a walking advertisement with my bag.  I carry it around in the hopes that people will ask me about it allowing me to tell them about the blog.  So this week, I was sitting outside a Starbucks waiting for some friends to come meet me, when a woman walked by.  She made a passing comment, saying, “I like your bag,” clearly expecting me to say thanks and allow her to keep walking.  But, having no shame, I stood up without hesitation and said, “Thanks! My mom actually designed it.  If you are interested in purchasing one, we sell them online at www.thetotebagchronicles.blogspot.com.”  I was upset that I didn’t have any cards with me, but it was the best I could do.  As I said, no shame. 

If any of you are reading this and thinking of your own shameless moments, please post them!  We would love to hear your stories.  

-Emma