all of us have gone through situations when we have been the butt of a joke on account of some gaffe we've made, and to hide the embarrassment, have joined in the general laugh with an apologetic 'that's me,' or 'well, what else,' or some such deprecating thing.......quite as if it is terribly unnatural to make a mistake, or say something 'different.'
While I know it is a terribly embarrassing situation, I also feel that we need to train ourselves not to put ourselves down. It comes very easy to want to blend into the wall, or disappear into the ground - but that doesn't help because what they said and what you said and how you felt will always come back to haunt. The best would be not to join into the general laughter, and to maintain a distanced silence, while boosting your own inner self and morale - simply because they would have forgotten it in the next 5 minutes, and if you are not to suffer, and to also forget it, then it is important not to let it damage you. Just tell yourself it's okay to make a gaffe.....absolutely okay.....
As to how many gaffes?....................................any number. You are a wonderful person.
We all admire the confidence some people have - confidence of dress, of attitude, of whatever they do, everything.....that hasn't just happened - it has been carefully cultivated - and to my mind (and I too am working on this) it comes from constantly telling myself.............I matter....