Gracefully, tripping through life.

If you're one of those people whose life is always perfect and has never tripped and fallen on their face at the entrance of the club, then you're not like me, and you might also be AI, but that's a topic for another day. This blog post goes out to everyone who needs a metaphorical mop for all the chaotic life messes they have going on. Bonus points if you forgot to put out the "wet floor" sign to warn others, and they have also fallen into your puddle of sticky, hot, garbage juice, and now there is no one left to save you from yourself.

Listen, I've done my fair share of slipping on floors, in life, and once quite literally on a rogue chicken nugget at a gas station. Whether it's a prosthetic misfire, a questionable dating decision, or saying "you too!" When the barista tells me to enjoy my drink, I've mastered the art of falling with style. And by style, I mean mild panic and an awkward giggle.

But here's the thing no one tells you when you're face-first on the floor (physically or emotionally): staying down is optional. Lying there for a second? Totally acceptable. Crying? Also fair. But eventually, you gather your pride, your leg (if applicable), and your last shred of dignity, and you stand back up, even if it's with the help of a friend, a chair, or a very confused stranger who just wanted to use the bathroom in peace. If I had a dollar for every time a stranger helped me back up, I would have a lot more cash than anyone carries in their wallet in 2025. In fact, it's one of the things that has renewed my hope in humanity and helped me realize that not every person on the street is a serial killer or someone who wants to snatch my $50,000 leg and run to the pawn shop with it.

I have, however, already thought long and hard about what I would say to someone in that situation, out of sheer, rehearsed desperation to tug at their heartstrings enough that they hand me back the leg and apologize before walking to the closest police department to turn themselves in. I will not share it with you here so as not to lose its dramatic effect should I ever have to put on a live performance.

The thing is, you can't be prepared for every kind of mess. Many of them are entirely unexpected and not our fault. Life has a way of tossing curveballs and chicken nuggets into our paths when we least expect it. But falling doesn't make you weak. It makes you human. We all have moments where we feel like human garbage juice. That doesn't mean we are garbage juice; it just means we're currently in a spilled, chaotic state.

So here's to the stumblers, the spillers, and the beautifully unprepared. May we fall, flail, laugh, and get back up, again and again.