I am mortified

[Mortifive]

Utterly and completely. And embarrassed.

At a petrol station earlier, returning to the car after paying for fuel, and I went flying. And when I say flying, I mean flying. I didn't stumble or trip, I flew.

And I couldn't have picked a more conspicuous spot to do it if I'd tried. It was a service station garage so a big and busy one.

Honestly, I am completely thrown beyond all proportion by this. It just made me feel old and stupid and pathetic :(.

Just remembered another occasion, I got out of the car, OH spoke to me as I was stepping onto the pavement and I tripped. Because I'd hurt my knee a few weeks earlier I managed to turn and fell on my back but the momentum made my head thud against a store window. All I could think of was the scene in Ghost where a window shatters and comes down like a guillotine onto the bad guy, Carl!

Personally I think the shame at something like falling over stems from childhood, learning to walk, getting lots of praise for walking, wanting so much to be able to do what the bigger people do, that we feel embarrassment when we don't manage it. I don't think this goes away entirely for everyone.

That's absolutely terrible that nobody helped you 😥 It reminded me of something that happened to me in Tesco recently. I've just had my second hip replacement a few weeks ago, the first was a few months ago and my walking is brilliant now so I often forget I'm still recovering but I'm still getting my mobility back for getting up and down from the floor etc (despite having had both hips replaced, I'm not old 😂) I needed baguettes and the only ones were right at the back of the bottom shelf. I completely forgot about my hips and bent down to get them, had to reach right in, and then realised I couldn't get back up 🙈 I didn't know what I was going to do. At home I use a chair or the sofa to pull myself up but all I had was the moveable trolley and the shelves. I'm not even sure how I did it but I got back up somehow...it hurt getting up and it hurts afterwards too!

Oh my. I can’t quite imagine how you didn’t stop rolling but love the story

op we’ve nearly all done it. I loathe tripping and did it the other day just walking inside

OP I am sorry

i hope you feel better asap

I am clumsy and following injuries, I have to be very careful. I just think anyone who laughs at this sort of thing is a wanker.

the first bone I broke, I was only 26, and wearing trainers. I can also fall over a carpet pattern.

Last winter I took my car to hand car wash thing, got out my car and the ground was a sheet of ice, I went flying and badly injured my elbow, I was so embarrassed I just got up and made out I was fine. I then went and sat I the cafe to have a coffee to calm me down. I honestly though I had broken my arm. Luckily my car is an automatic or I would have struggled to drive it home.

anyway, these things happen to all of us, it’s embarrassing and as we get older it seems to be more painful 😬, hope you are ok OP.

I fell over recently and have no idea how, just suddenly I was on the floor.

A few days after I read a line which said that when old people "have a fall" and you ask them what happened, they tend to say "I don't know - the ground just came up and hit me!" I was nodding in recognition at this, as that's exactly how it was for me. Then I remembered I am not even 60!

Lol 😂 😂😂😂

A few years ago my flip flops slipped on the marble pavement of the Forum in Rome. I fell heavily on my arse and my legs went right up in the air like Charlie Chaplin. About 90 people of 70 different nationalities went "Ooooooh," in unison (universal language for ha ha look at that poor cow!)

Oh I'm sorry OP. I was on a school tour with my new job as a teacher. I hated the school tour. The other teachers in the group were really unfriendly and clicquey, kept organising get togethers and leaving me out.

I spent most of it on my own. None of the students were mine so I didn't know them. I'd basically been bullied into working six days of my midterm for no money.

We were on the coach for about the third day, the two other teachers had moved into a section to chat and pointedly ignored my efforts to join in. Ignoring cows. As an aside I am no longer new, very settled into the staffroom and I still see them at the same crap with anyone finding their feet - proper playground bullying.

I decided to be proactive so strolled down the coach chatting to each of the rows of students asking them what they'd liked best so far, what they were looking forward to etc and generally getting to know them. I got to the end of the bus pleased with my efforts when the bus driver suddenly slammed on the brakes. I flew backwards, rolled all the way down the bus and straight down the steps to the emergency exit.

There was total silence then instead of ripples of laughter all I heard was an outbreak of concern from the students.

I leapt up, back into my seat, buckled up and sat there shaking, laughing and crying like a complete weirdo. Later I discovered my body was black and blue. The two teachers incidentally didn't even ask if I was ok. It was truly horrible.

Oh it’s such a shock when these things happen OP.

I was out in a town I don’t visit often a few years ago. I forgot that the shop I was in had steps on the way out.

Stepped out onto thin air and landed face down across the pavement. Right in front of a small group of people walking down the pavement.
They were all very concerned and kind and helpful, but I just wanted the Earth to open up and swallow me 😳

I expect that most people witnessing this sort of fall will probably forget about it very soon though.

Finniest thing I've ever read on MN (in a nice way!) You have a real flair for writing!

Years ago I saw a dress I fancied in a shop window and decided to go in to hunt it down . I walked at normal pace into what I thought was the shop but it wasn't , it was their shut glass door and I went smack into it quite hard .

I noticed a shop assistant make a gasping face and then was obviously giggling. Needless to say , I turned round and went away as I had suddenly gone off the dress !

I was once in a nightclub on a date. You had to go up onto the stage to talk to the DJ to request songs. I went to request a song, and then for some reason instead of going down the stairs at the side I jumped off the stage to get down. Only someone had spilled a drink on the floor so I skidded across the floor and fell. It would've been funny only I hurt my back badly and that was the start of something that never truly 100% went away. Sometimes accidents happen, or we make mistakes. I doubt anyone will remember your fall, it's OK. I hope you are feeling OK now..

including my now ex partner (children's father) who snarled at me to "Get the fuck up! You're embarrassing me!
this is awful, that's how he treated his pregnant wife, I hope you're good now and this dreadful person has reaped what they sowed.
I've had a fair few trip & falls, sprained ankle bruised rib type things, it's very upsetting when no one comes to your aid

It was up a sheer cobbled street @CharlotteStreet can't remember the place. Just that it needed warning signage.
I wasn't hurt, the stupid coat took all the impact I didn't even ladder my tights. Sore the next few days but I think that was wounded pride and anxiety that I'd make the local news.

Worse thing was I honestly thought then DP was having a heart attack he was doubled over clutching his chest, couldn't get a breath in he was laughing so hard.
I sulked all the way back listening to the silly fucker wheezing on the motorway.

Hate that coat.

I noticed a shop assistant make a gasping face and then was obviously giggling
I just cant relate to this, I always feel the other persons pain, NEVER have an impulse to laugh, I am not a saint by any means but my impulse is always to help

Sounds like my late OH on the SIngapore subway, the train pulled in and the doors opened so he stepped forward slammed into the secend set of doors. Apparently there are the trains doors and the doors onto the platform!

I had this convosation a few months ago after a viral facebook video of people being asked 'what embarrasing thing would turn you off from a first date' and SO many of the young lads said 'if she trips over I'm walking off and pretending I don't even know her' and it made me think 'why?'.

Humans are the ONLY true bipedal animals in the world (birds are bipedal to but have a different set up for walking/hopping as its not their main design for movement, animal like kangaroos and apes/monkeys actual have 4+ walking points although they can stand/move on 2) and we tie so much of our pride and sense of self into walking that if we fall its 'embarrasing' or 'mortifying' often to the point people pretend they're not hurt and allsorts.

No other animal seems to suffer the same 'embarrasement' if they stumble/fall dispite having more limbs in use.

What is actually embarrasing about falling though? it litrally happens to ALL of us in life and can happen at any time through no real fault of our own because its just natural.

Hugs op, it’s horrible isn’t it.

I fell out of the back door last Xmas day. We’d been keeping cans outside the back door to keep cold cos we’d run out of fridge space. One of the cans had started to come out of the box and as I stepped out my foot clipped it which meant it fully came out and rolled under my foot sending me flying. I hadn’t even been drinking!

Luckily only DS2 saw me and to be fair to him he did act concerned and made sure I was ok before pissing himself laughing.

I proper felt sorry for myself and wanted to just cry.

@Mortifive
Falling over once one is past 10 is horrible and embarrassing.
I have tripped several times while wearing a certain pair of sandals - I fell in London and Bristol
London, not a single person stopped ( Clapham Junction walkway)
My bags went flying ahead of me-
In Bristol, Two lovely chaps asked “ Are you ok?”
It happens- Shoes and small discrepancies in road/ pavement/ field surfaces cause it.

I last tripped visiting Mum in London- Had Whippet on lead near Sheen Common at night, and we both spotted a fox
I tripped over a tiny kerb in the dark and went flying
A couple walked past and said nothing.

My knee hurt and hand was cut.

Hope you don’t hurt too much.

Oh no OP! Bless you, am glad you haven't done yourself a terrible injury.

Google "famous people falling over" and console yourself that at least you didn't do so under the full glare of the world's media!

@Sandunesandseashells How awful that no one helped you. What the hell is wrong with people?! Fuckers.

if she trips over I'm walking off and pretending I don't even know her
wuuuut??
my other half is no saint but he has the chivalry app well and truly installed!!

Mam "I had this convosation a few months ago after a viral facebook video of people being asked 'what embarrasing thing would turn you off from a first date' and SO many of the young lads said 'if she trips over I'm walking off and pretending I don't even know her' and it made me think 'why?'."

because, especially in youth, being physically incompetent like me, is like being Niles Crane or whatever the modern equivalent is. I've had friends be embarrassed of my physical ineptitude.

Ouch!
That sounds really bad.
You possibly damaged something in your spine/Coccyx?