As you may or may not be aware, I could possibly be the least graceful person you have ever encountered. If I had a dime for each time I heard a family member mutter "way to go, Grace" I could pay off all my student loans and still have enough money left over for a trip to Disney World. My mother coined the term probably near twenty-two years ago, about the time I learned to walk, which is when I also learned to trip over things. Take today for example.

A few weeks ago I set up a fish tank in my classroom (currently teaching pre-K at a community center). I finally went out and bought fish for the kids today, and was putting the finishing touches on the tank. Now, let me explain the situation in the room. Packed into a room the size of a shoe box, are over twenty children sound asleep on their beds. As graceful as Grace can be I was carrying a large bowl (it held more liquid than I thought it did much to my dismay) of water from the tank. Of course, I ended up spilling some on the floor.

Now as we all know, wet floors and sneakers don't mix. The funny thing is, as I'm walking across the room to empty the water into the sink, I think to myself, 'Now Amy, be careful. The floor is very slippery.' and no sooner had this thought crossed my mind, than I felt the pain of my knees hitting the floor, the bowl slamming against the tile, and the surprise of a wave of fish tank water drench my shirt, and a rush of water cascade down the wall. If those children hadn't been there, I would have had a few choice words to mutter myself. The fish are still alive... does that count?

Oh the madness doesn't end there!

Later in the day I ended up dropping a small milk carton (the ones the children drink at lunch) onto a student's head... he's fine, no worries. 4-year-old boys are tough. And to top it all off, I knocked at least 4 boxes of cereal onto the floor during my grocery shopping excursion. I honestly don't know how I have managed to come this far in life with no broken bones.

I made it a point to stay away from the dishes tonight. Welcome to my world. You can stop laughing now.