I can feel the warmth creeping up my neck. It enters my cheeks and immediately they flush with color, taking my hue from pale ghost to circus clown nose in less than a second.

My eyes start to water just a bit, not enough to overflow their cisterns but hovering dangerously close. I remind myself to breathe. One breathe, halfway down my lungs. Do better. Another. Deep, slow, not counting but ensuring the oxygen reaches my diaphragm. Exhale. Slowly.

Eyes searching for other eyes, staring. But shockingly, there aren’t any. I’ve had this entire moment of panic in a crowded space….alone. Instantly I’m relieved as I find no other eyeballs searching for me. Maybe they didn’t hear my plate hit the ground. Excellent.

And then the second feeling comes quickly and takes hold - no one even noticed me? I’m here in the middle of all these people and yet I’ve never felt so alone. So invisible.

Cool. A great start to the day.