A Little Attention Please. . .

Writers' Workshop Wednesday with Mama Kat:

Prompt of Choice: Recall a time when you did something to get noticed. (#1)


Over the years I have done any number of things to intentionally get the attention of others.

I have studied in hopes of gaining the approval of teachers and parents.

I have rehearsed in hopes of performing well in plays and gaining the appreciation of audiences.

I have exercised and painstakingly attired myself in hopes of creating a silhouette that evoked envy in women and admiration in men.

I have spun tales of romance and intrigue in an attempt to catch the interest of agents, editors, and publishers alike.

I have assessed the pros and cons of being blond versus brunette, trying out both while carefully observing the effect it has on others—which I might add was not the effect I had anticipated (I will save those findings for another post entirely).

All for the benefit of a little positive attention from people as close as my husband all along the relationship spectrum to complete strangers.

But what I often forget to consider is the action that will draw attention I don’t wish for. Getting noticed, I have discovered, is not universally positive. It is not always something to be desired. It is often to be avoided at all costs. And the worst kind is when you get noticed and you don’t realized why, or that it is for a negative reason, which you missed entirely--having mistaken the true reason—until it is too late and the damage is done.

What I really wish someone had told me, is that wearing a pretty, flitty summer skirt to school will likely get you attention. But if you’re not careful, you will likely wish it hadn’t.

Since I am about to embark upon further education, I thought it appropriate that I revisit a memorable moment from my first year of college. Let me just say, by all means, wear the cute skirt that swishes about your thighs and makes you feel pretty. Don’t, however, heave your backpack up onto your shoulder and walk diagonally across the entire college campus marveling at the attention you are getting from guys and girls alike, while NOT noticing the cool breeze upon your backside.

Or at the very least, check to make sure said skirt is not tucked up under said backpack, exposing your derrière for the world to see. Unless of course you LIKE getting noticed, regardless of the why. Then by all means carry on.