Sometimes Even I Can Put My Foot In My Mouth

It happens to the best of us from time to time. Saying downright stupid things is, at times, simply par for the course. And I am not free from doing it as well now and then. Of course, depending on who you may happen to be talking to, perhaps it happens more often than I would ever care to admit here.

"It is better to be thought of as a fool, than to open your mouth and prove that you are a fool."

I can't remember where that quote came from. But it stands to reason, does it not? So it happened the other day as I was having a conversation in the office regarding the New Year's that my wife and I, with my mother in tow as well, spent at the Hollywood Casino in Missouri.

"Did you win?" asked one of my esteemed colleagues.

"No," I replied. And then it happened. The statement of the century. The one that proved I was a fool when I opened my mouth and the words just flowed out.

"If I don't win, I either break even or lose."

Yep, there you have it. I said it. A completely and totally brilliant statement. Naturally there was a long pause, and then the laughter began. I sat like a puppy dog with his tail between his legs, and probably blushed a little bit.

I could only counter with, "At least it is, for the most part, a reasonably true statement."

That was my effort at a recovery. Of course I am sure it did nothing to fix the entirely foolish statement made just moments before. Ah well, what can one do except accept his own humility and just go with the flow and laugh along.