08 May 2006

In-your-face rebellion

I'm allowing myself a ten minute break from reading The Witness of Preaching by Thomas Long. Since this is a study break, like most of my posts have been lately, please expect nothing more than frivolity. I'm all out of profundity anyway.

It happened to me last week - I was absolutely betrayed. I was just sitting there in an office chair, rocking back on its springs and enjoying a conversation with an old friend. But suddenly, with just the right (or wrong!) combination of words, phrases, ideas, nonverbal cues, and unstated assumptions, it happened! Like that perfect moment in a summer sunset when the sun hits the clouds so that they glow with an otherworldly light, my cheeks blossomed in an unwarranted, uncontrollable pink! Ah! Betrayed! By my own face, no less!!!

I think several things when my face pulls a Benedict Arnold, revealing emotions and truths that I had no idea were lurking so close to the surface. First I think to myself, "Hmm, my cheeks feel a little warm... wait a second! I remember this feeling from when I wet my pants running the mile in 9th grade! I'm embarassed!" (Turn a deeper shade of red at the realization that it's happening... and at the unpleasant re-living of j.v. soccer tryouts.) Then I try to pull some sort of mind control thing, thinking that if I just concentrate hard enough I can will myself not to blush. This results in, you guessed it, more blushing. In desperation, I merely wish that my freckles would temporarily expand to at least rein in the sudden rosy rebellion. Finally, I accept that some things about being flesh and bones are beyond my control and just hope that my conversation partner hasn't noticed that my cheeks look like cherry tomatoes ripe for the plucking.

Now, if you're one of my compadres, and you're wondering to yourself if you were the culprit, I have one response: no. First of all, it happened more than once, so it'd be hard to narrow down to only one person. Second, if you don't know, I'm not telling. We're talking about mutiny here - this is top secret information, a breach of security! So you won't know... unless, of course, my face just gives me away!

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