No / Know

I am a reformed know-it-all. I'll admit it. Once upon a time, when I was a wee slip of a girl, I was a shameless know-it-all. One of those intolerable little snots that you just want to pinch real hard. You know who I mean. I wasn't aware of this personality malfunction until 8th grade, when I ran into someone from elementary school.

Irwin was in class with me at St. Anthony's Catholic School from kindergarten to second grade. He saw me in our eighth-grade French class and said "I remember you. I don't like you." Wow. Naturally, I wanted to know why, and he told me a story of how I unwittingly scarred him and made myself look completely obnoxious at the tender age of 7.

"We were in Mrs. Slack's class and we were in a circle on the floor doing spelling words. She was asking us how to spell 'Easter' and I spelled it exactly right and she said I was wrong. Then you raised your hand and said 'It's CAPITAL E-a-s-t-e-r. Up till then, I kind of liked you, but you were a mean little know-it-all." Wow, again. Talk about an eye-opener. It made me flash back to other times I was an irritating little butthead. (I wish I could think of a better word, but butthead is, unfortunately, accurate.) I'd done it to teachers, to friends, to my mom, but never realized how unappealing I was making myself.

Since then, I've tempered that temptation a lot. I've been heartily thumped on the nose for my own mistakes, and have become more sensitive in the process. An oversized ego is a good thing to lose.