Some kids grapple with stage fright. Others faint at the sight of blood. My Achilles heel occurs at any moment, for any reason. I am crippled by blushing.
I’ve always been an easily embarrassed person. For example, when my mom pulls over to ask for directions or to talk to a stranger, I cower in the backseat, mortified. When my dad is himself around my friends, I want to run into the other room and hide beneath the pillows. However, it wasn’t until last year when my embarrassment became visible — literally.
I had known for a while that when I was the center of attention, my face would start to burn. However, I never realized the sensation was visible in the form of blushing. Last year, after receiving a compliment about an Echo story I wrote in front of the entire class, my face actually felt like it was on fire.
“Lani’s blushing,” the class teased.
Was I? That was the first time I learned others could see my embarrassment, and I hated it. The more I thought about it, the worse it got. I ended up just putting my head on my desk, tears in my eyes because I couldn’t stand it anymore. I wanted to dunk my face in the nearest sink.

Now that I know I blush, it’s all I can think about. It invades my everyday thoughts. It even affects how I act. I no longer enjoy public speaking. I avoid talking to strangers. I cringe in anticipation of a compliment or reprimand. Sometimes, I will even place my water bottle on my cheeks to keep the heat from starting.

As time went on and my flushing became more evident, I begged my mom to send me to a psychologist, a doctor or even a veterinarian. When she ignored my pleading, I learned to deal with the situation the only way I knew how, by laughing.
Part of high school is learning how to deal with problems that may be present throughout life. High school is probably one of the most embarrassing parts  of life we will ever go through. If we can get through it with all of our awkwardness and troubles, we can get through just about anything.
We all have something wrong with ourselves, even if it’s not visible. What we worry about now will be trivial in five years. Embrace your eccentricities because they are what you will be remembered by. Looking back on my high school days in 20 years, I won’t cry over my red face, but laugh because I was able to get through it with a large dose of humor.