I was minding my own business, floating blissfully in the shallow end of a wave pool. The artificial current was supposed to be a gentle "lazy river" vibe. What I didn't account for was the industrial-grade intake vent for the filtration system, hidden behind a decorative rock.

While often played for laughs, this scenario taps into a deep-seated human anxiety: public exposure. Hilarious Prank: Disintegrating Swim Trunks Hilarious Prank: Disintegrating Swim Trunks

Misadventures like that teach you, in small, persistent ways, the generosity of absurdity. The world can be officiated and serious and dignified, but it can also surprise you into humility. Sometimes that humility is public and bracing. Sometimes it leaves a line of salt on your skin and a good joke to tell at dinner parties. Either way, there is a bright, irreducible honesty in being caught off guard.