Here’s the thing. People who WIN things. If I had a nickel for every time, in their acceptances, they say they are “humbled,” I would have a large amount of money. They are not remotely humbled. You are humbled if you suddenly feel “less than.” You are not humbled by getting a medal.
If you work hard and strive, and then get to be awarded the best at something, you don’t suddenly feel like a nobody. “Nobodies” feel humble, because they are most surely not bursting with pride. They are bursting with feeling like they are just one of the herd, not leader of the pack.
This is a number one pet peeve. Do these winners feel as if saying they are humbled makes the rest of us feel more fond of them? Or makes the rest of us “non winners” feel better about ourselves? I only feel humble when I fail at doing something: like undercooking the turkey at Thanksgiving three years in a row. As a matter of fact, that humbled me so much that I stopped making turkey.
What people should actually feel humbled about:
- Forgetting why they walked into the kitchen
- Letting that pile of laundry sit there all week
- Buying those vitamin D capsules and never taking them
- Going out for dinner, then coming home and having cheese and crackers followed by 3 cookies
- Not noticing chin hairs until they are kindly pointed out
- Losing their glasses four times in one day
- Calling that woman you have met three times “Jeannine” when her name is and has always been Tanya
Humble pie. Have some…
