Insert Foot

Honestly, I don't know what gets into me sometimes. I'm usually a very nice person. At least, I try. But every now and then, a devilish little thought pops into my head and out my mouth before I can shoot it through my "nice-ness" filter.

Case in point: The other day the Dear Husband and I were coming out of Aldi's grocery. In case you don't have one of these stores near you, part of the "fun" of saving money on your food is slipping a quarter into a little slot and jiggling the heck out of it until the latch gives before you can take a cart out of the line and into the store. As a result, most shoppers watch for others to come out of the store. After the first shoppers unload their cart, the new shopper hands them a quarter and takes the cart off their hands so they don't have to fiddle with the latch.

So on this particular day, a lady came up to us after we unloaded and handed my DH a quarter.

"I figure he makes all the money anyway," she said to me.

"Oh, no," I quipped. "I'm the wildly successful one. He's just my boy toy."

She blinked hard and turned a horrific shade of puce. The DH nearly swallowed his tongue trying not to bust out in a loud guffaw. He was kind enough to wait on his laugh fest until we got into the van.

I'm glad he enjoys my twisted sense of humor. My claim was utterly untrue, of course. He's always brought home the lion's share of the bacon. I have no idea what possessed me to say what I did. I guess I thought it would be funny--and it was to my DH--but I embarrassed that lady.

The whole thing reminded me of a little poem I learned when I was a kid. It was in an old book of verse called The Cheerful Cherub.

I'm often more clever and catty than kind

It's such a temptation to show off my mind.

But if to gain laughter I hurt a good friend

It's plain that the laugh is on me in the end.

Of course that lady wasn't a friend, but the sentiment probably still applies.

How about you? Have you ever said something you wished you could take back?