Mistakes are a natural part of life

I mentioned before that you’re going to screw up. Let’s be honest, you already have several times, right? I can’t count the times I have, as a dad, as a husband, as an employee, and as a friend. The important thing is to own your mistakes. One of my biggest was when I was acting at the Children’s Theatre in Lexington, KY. I was in The Diary of Anne Frank, playing the man who hides the family in his attic. I was supposed to come on stage and climb some steps and tell everyone to be more quiet. As I entered the stage, I banged my head on a piece of the set, loudly. I stumbled downstage, and finally found the stairs. The moment my feet hit the second step, it crumbled beneath me, creating a cacophony of clattering. I fell onto the stage as the man playing Mr. Frank pulled me to my feet. He whispered in my ear that everything was fine. My line was “You must be more quiet,” which is ironic considering the racket I’d just made. But that’s not what I said. In my best East Kentucky accent, I blurt out “Y’all gotta quiet down!” At which point, the actor playing the dentist spews the milk he was drinking onto the first three rows of the audience. The entire crowd erupts into laughter, and I was mortified. I had just turned Anne Frank into a Gallagher show! Somehow I kept my job after this horrible performance. I tell you this just so you know that, no matter how badly you mess up in your life, I doubt it will be as bad as turning a serious play about the Holocaust into a slapstick comedy. So, keep your chin up. And keep walking.