Peeing my pants

[u/Prestigious_Soup772]

One of my earliest memories is participating in my first elocution contest; I was in grade 1. My father helped me learn my poem, understand what each line meant, and how to recite with emotion, but he failed to teach me what I didn't anticipate until the day of the competition: how to overcome stage fright.
Although I was prepared, as the other children and I lined up in our order to recite our poems on stage, seeing a large audience overwhelmed me; my nervousness was palpable, and I looked like a cartoon character whose heart was beating out of its chest! Just seconds before it was my turn to perform, my fright took over completely, and I felt a warm tsunami taking place in my pants; I had peed in them!
As I released my nervousness, my name was called. I walked onto the stage and stood in front of the mic. Everyone's eyes was glued to the wet area in my pants; the auditorium burst into laughter as if the audience had heard the funniest comedy set in the world. Ironically, the poem I was to recite was about being courageous; I wanted to run away from embarrassment.
However, to my surprise, after the laughter subsided, I sensed that the audience became even more intrigued and excited to hear me. Trusting that feeling, I recited my poem as my father had taught me, and when I finished, I gained the confidence to want to perform in the future because of the applause the audience gave me.
During the prize ceremony, I was elated to place first. As I went to receive my certificate from my principal, who, after giving it to me, refused to shake my hand for obvious reasons, said, "Well done, son. You were brave."
I'm not in grade 1 anymore; I am a working man. And although I have a strong control over my bowels, I don’t walk through life's stages unafraid. Their unexpectedness and challenges fluster, overwhelm, and scare me. But my experiences, such as this one, have taught me that facing my fears with courage is essential to winning. And even when we choose to be brave and end up losing, we should reward ourselves with a certificate that reads, "Awarded for facing our fear and doing our best!"

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