I had the most humiliating experience of my life today at work.

[DFW]

169. I had that in spades happen to me at the worst possible age. Done to me by my peers, and in print

I was 17, at a new high school as a one-year senior. During the first fall dance, someone took a very unflattering picture of me without my knowledge. Unfortunately, that was not exactly a challenging task for any photographer.

Next week an article came out in the student newspaper saying the girls in our class said that most of the guys in our class were "freaks, jocks, or zeroes." That quote was repeated prominently under the photo of me.

Needless to say, I had a pretty miserable year at that school.

If it gives you any hope, at age 22, I was introduced to an absolutely stunning woman who had no clue how beautiful she was, and therefore it never occurred to her to use her looks for any kind of advantage. She was from a remote rural area in another country, and I was the first American she had ever met that spoke her language. My first reaction was my pre-conditioned "sure, like you have even a ghost of a chance with a woman like that." But then it occurred to me--why SHOULDN'T I have a ghost of a chance with a woman like that?

That was 40 years ago, and we are still together. Even for us who will never resemble George Clooney or Brad Pitt, there are chances life will toss our way. Keep looking for them.

By the way--that school that pictured me under "freaks, jocks and zeroes?" They have promised me they have changed completely, and keep asking for alumni contributions. I keep telling them they humiliated me way too deeply to consider it, and if they want contributions from alumni, they should consider not humiliating their "nerds" while they are still students. Some of us will become successful later on in life despite their low expectations of us.