Life's Little Emergencies

The thing about emergencies is they never seem to happen at a convenient time. All of us have had the occasional mishap that left our pride bruised or our reputation shot. Sure, life goes on. But how do you handle the situation in the meantime?

The fashion emergency
Your bathing suit strap breaks. A button pops off. Your zipper splits apart. You forget to remove a label. Clothing mishaps occur all the time.

Once, I showed up at church with a 10-inch piece of tape down my thigh that read, “size 8 / long.” Fortunately, a kind lady just ripped it right off my pants and remarked, “Oh, I forget and leave those on all the time.” Smart woman (her, not me)!

When clothing emergencies happen and you find yourself stuck between a rip and a torn place, get help! If you don’t have a sewing kit with you, ask around. We’ve all been there before, so most people would be more than happy to lend a hand (or a safety pin).

And when we put our heads together, a solution usually results. I once ran into a woman at a church retreat struggling with a broken zipper. We couldn’t get the thing fixed, so I ended up loaning her my sweater to tie around her waist. It’s amazing the things people can come up with.

The "love thy neighbor" emergency
Your heart goes out to them. You know, those individuals who are walking comedy skits and don’t even know it. They may have a piece of spinach in their teeth, some food on their face, their fly open, toilet paper stuck to their shoe, or a host of other embarrassing issues going on. Once I even saw a woman come out of the bathroom after inadvertently tucking the back of her dress into her pantyhose. Of course, I immediately interceded and politely informed her of her alarming rear view.

But how do you tactfully handle these little emergencies?

The main rule of thumb to apply here is definitely don’t ignore it, unless doing so would be less damaging for the individual. Sometimes, some dandruff on the shoulders or pepper in the teeth is just better left alone.

But always consider how you would want to be treated. Sometimes simply leaning in so others cannot hear or making up an excuse to walk the individual to a quiet corner and break the news is often the best tactic.

But don’t hesitate to try to fix the situation. By and large, a person would much rather feel embarrassed in front of one person than a whole room of them.

The saving-face emergency
The good Lord has a way of keeping us all humble, whether it’s the baby spitting up on your good blouse before you leave for work or walking through a huge mud puddle in your best heels. But we have all faced them and, surprisingly, lived to tell about them (or not to tell about them as the case may be).

A good friend of mine once showed up for work with bird poop in her hair. After a few minutes in the bathroom, a new slicked back hairstyle fixed everything, except saving face with her peers. The next day, a co-worker brought in an umbrella and gave it to her as a gift.

But we learn, we live, and, later, hopefully, we laugh. But what do we do when it happens?
The trick here is to strike a balance between frank and funny. Face the situation head-on and don’t try to squirm out of it. And remember that the people around you probably feel almost as uncomfortable about the situation as you do, so a humorous remark sets everyone at ease.

That doesn’t mean you need to break into a slapstick routine over the situation. A quip or two will be fine. When you give people the freedom to laugh about the situation, you are giving yourself the freedom to recover from it.

And if you think you’ve got it really bad, it may help to remember my friend — at least it’s not bird poop in your hair.

The "I just knew this was going to happen" emergency
We are all familiar with this little emergency. The car battery that you knew you needed to replace is dead, right as you are running late for an important meeting; or that tiny little nick in your stockings spreads to two inches wide and travels all the way up the back of your leg before lunchtime. Those tiny little troublemakers can easily become full-fledged emergencies.

So what do you do about them?
Here is where you apply the adage of an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Don’t give those little buggers a chance — get rid of them.

Throw away the chipped glass before it breaks in your guest’s hand. Replace that battery before it has a chance to make you late. Throw away those stockings and buy another pair. If it’s a little problem now, you can guarantee it will be a big problem later.

And the same goes for your appearance. Give yourself a good onceover in a full-length mirror before stepping out in public, and if there is anything unsecured, fix it or abandon it. If that bra strap keeps falling down your shoulders, tighten it or wear a new one. If the button is loose and you don’t have time to fix it, wear a new shirt.

Feeling put together will give you an air of confidence, usually enough to carry you through any emergency.

But keep in mind that life’s little emergencies can and will happen. So remember to approach the situation and deal with it matter-of-factly without calling any unnecessary attention to it. People won’t think any less of you if your faux hair ponytail pops off your head and lands in the potato soup. But they will respect your dignity and courage when you handle the matter with aplomb.