Some people are blessed with height, or strength, or beauty.  I'm blessed with klutziness.  Most people have the occasional run-in with the corner of the kitchen cabinet, or misjudgment of where the curb stops.  Every once in a while they might walk into a water fountain that they didn't realize was there.  I, I do those things on a daily basis.

I started my freshman year of high school off by tripping over a bush and face-planting.  As far as face-plants go, it was fairly spectacular.  And my extreme clumsiness waited until 90% of the student body had left before it showed itself, which was kind of considerate, I guess.

I've gotten so used to being clumsy, that I've actually begun to perfect the art of being graceful in my clumsiness.  My sophomore year, I missed a step on the flight of stairs leading to the main building, while wearing a short skirt.  Following the fall, I was congratulated.  Somehow, in the couple of seconds between missing the step and landing on the ground, I had the presence of mind to moderate my tumble.  Funny how once I've DONE something klutzy, the 2% of gracefulness that adds to my makeup, rushes in to make a feeble attempt to salvage the situation.  But, that 2% did allow me to land neatly, with my feet tucked beneath me, and my skirt delicately swirled around me.

When I was younger, I used to think that I was going to outgrow it and I used to dream of a day when I would glide through my days effortlessly and be bruise and embarrassment free.  Thing is, I'm 22 now and my days are not effortless, and I tend to be bruised fairly frequently.  The embarrassment, though, I have gotten under control.  I no longer care when people see me catch my toe on the crack in the sidewalk and launch forward for a few steps.  This is because I now mostly wander around listening to my iPod, so I can pretend that I'm in my own little world.  And in that little world, no one notices when I commit a movement faux pas.  And no, my iPod is not why I trip on sidewalks (aha! I know you were thinking it).

Here are a few things that I can think of that are evidence of my klutziness:

1) When I tripped over a bush stump and face-planted.

2) When I missed a stair and fell down.

3) When I fell UP the stairs and landed on my hands and knees.

4) When I closed my thumb in the door to my dorm room (the nail then turned purple).

5) Every time I get tripped up by sidewalks and misjudge curb height.

6) When I was at John's and walked into the coffee table.

7) When I was at my apartment and almost walked into a bookcase as I was trying to get into our pantry.

8) When John and I were at Starbucks and I tried to put my coffee cup down but missed the table and dropped the cup on my lap.

9) When I was at the gym and my headband flew backwards off my head and landed on the floor and I had to stop the treadmill to go pick it up.

10) A couple of mornings ago when I was trying to eat cereal and illustrate this post at the same time and my hand forgot what it was doing and tilted my bowl and dumped milk and cheerios on my leg and on the floor.

I think that perhaps I just have a very poor kinesthetic sense.

This is just how it is.