Originally Posted by
Neo Emolga
We all make mistakes. You apologized, you definitely show you wish you could take back what you did, and it sounds like you've learned what you did was wrong. It sounds like something you'll remember to keep in mind when you come across similar situations. So don't continue to berate yourself. I've made some really bad mistakes, also and boy, I wish I could take those back and hit a rewind button, but I can't. The best you can do is learn from them and try to repair the damage as best as you can. No one can expect anything more out of you.
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As for me, eh, today was kind of a silly embarrassment. :P
I work for a company that specializes in the production of medical devices and today was the end of year luncheon. Everything was going totally great, I met a bunch of really great people, we had a fine meet and greet thing, and then we gathered in the dining area after some light snacks and drinks. There were a few speeches, highlights of the year, everything was really pretty good and I had no problem!
So the speaker devices to show a few videos of surgeries. First, they started with a botched needle insertion. Eh, some blood, nothing pretty, but not horrible. I shrug, but things are normal. Next video, there was the laparoscopic stitching with some blood and guts. Again, not pretty stuff to look at, but I have seen a few things like that before. Boom, then there was another video with a surgery trying to do a regular incision and they cause a critical artery to burst with a LOT of blood oozing all over the place. The speaker even mentions that everyone knows this was well beyond hemostats at this point (hemostats are devices, tools, and such used to stop bleeding), so this is serious and a lot of people are gasping. At this point, I'm not really having the best of times here.
I start feeling a little queasy and light-headed looking at this stuff. I was wearing a tie, tried to look a little nicer for this luncheon, and I totally wasn't expecting this stuff to be played right before lunch. Next, she goes into a stapling procedure and I just try to take my eyes off the screen because holy crap, I think I had more than enough of blood and guts for today and I really wasn't ready for this much in full color. Well, I was feeling pretty bad and light-headed and she was still talking with some pretty vivid description. At this point, I realize even taking my eyes off the screen doesn't seem to be working.
I decide wow, let me just step out for a minute, get some fresh air, maybe splash some cold water on my face, and I'll head back in when they're done with this stuff. So I quietly get out of my chair, start heading toward the exit, act like I just badly need to go to the bathroom, and bam...
... I never made it.
I ended up passing out in front of everyone. Like two hundred people, including all my bosses and coworkers! Yikes. There was a sudden panic, suddenly I'm surrounded by people, someone rushes to get me water, another person is trying to prop my feet up, and I feel so silly. Only then do I think "darn it, should have taken off this blasted tie sooner so it would have been easier to breathe," but at that point, it's kinda too late, but better late than never. Off it goes for the rest of the day. About a minute later, I'm feeling okay, but they tell me I should head outside, relax, and everyone keeps asking how I'm doing for the rest of the lunch! Agh. Not fun, but I try to play it humorously with a thumbs up sign on the way out while blaming the tie and that this is why we need more business casual. Silly me, all the other guys weren't wearing ties. But my boss and my recruiter recommended it might be a good idea to wear one for this event. So much for that idea! Ah well.
Seems like they're pretty used to seeing tons of blood and guts during the REALLY GRIZZLY surgeries but me, not so much. And I have to say the junk I've seen in horror movies and video games wasn't on this level. Not to mention I was ready for it then and wasn't wearing ties. But this was pretty grizzly medical worst-case-scenario stuff and I'm not so sure that was the best thing to show right before lunch. Maybe... this happy little incident convinces them there's probably a better way to do things next year! XD
I'm feeling perfectly fine now, but I might not be able to live this down for a while around my bosses and coworkers. Ah well, I'll try to deal with it. XD
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