I was 17 and about to go on a first date with my first boyfriend. I was so desperate for my mum not to meet him that I was trying to get to the door before she did. I ran down the stairs as she opened it, and slid down the last five steps on my arse.
Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
A verbatim recurring question in The Guardian's Q&A series.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
The Q&A, The Guardian, 28 October 2023 source ↗
Others on this question
View all 122 →Leaving the stage from a panic attack in my 20s. Hearing the audience angry.
I have a deep-rooted fear of being in trouble. I once tried to sneak into the back of a photography exhibition with my husband when one of our kids was in a pushchair. We’d arrived late and he suggested we go in through the gift shop and see the last room. As we poked our heads round the door, the security guard noticed us. I shouted, “That man’s trying to get in!”, then ran away.
I don’t embarrass easily: I’m kinda shameless.
More from Dervla Kirwan
View profile →Procrastination.
A few weeks ago, walking on the beach in Anglesey with my dogs and my husband.
About five years ago, I was in a play that was an unmitigated disaster. I had to rally the troops and go out every night.
To know thyself, as Shakespeare said.
Ironically, it’s talking to hundreds of people in a room.
Pain and loneliness.
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