Transcript of Thought For the World's thought for the day

Arthur Smith

11th February 2008

Mrs Logan taught us PE in the school hall on the first floor. We didn't have any special kit, but for some reason we boys were required to remove our shorts, with their stains and comforting marbles, in order to do the excercises in our underpants. By the age of eleven this had become extremely embarrassing. We felt sheepish and vulnerable in front of the girls, who had no such humiliating requirement. As we gingerly stripped off one day Geoff Simpson got his shorts caught on the end of his foot. He kicked them off with such alacrity that they flew through the air and straight out of an open window and fell to the playground below.

There was a moment while everyone took in this stupendous occurrence. Then, of course, came shrieks of laughter. Geoff Simpson, stricken with shame, began to cry. All the embarrassment we other boys felt had suddenly rushed from us to him. The girls were laughing hard too. Everyone except Mrs Logan and Simpson was screaming in hilarity. Poor old Geoff

Eventually Mrs Logan regained a silence despite some stifled giggles.. The lesson was in disarray until, in a moment of inspiration she surely never surpassed in her teaching career, Mrs Logan shouted. "RIGHT! ALL you boys. THROW YOUR SHORTS OUT THE WINDOW."

What a fantastic invitation! Geoff's emasculation was forgotten; he stopped sobbing as we queued up to launch our shorts through the window. Now it was funny in a good way and even Mrs Logan and Geoff were enjoying themselves. Geoff now looked like a trail-blazing hero. The children in the class below must also surely have relished the strange sight of the sky raining boys' shorts. As we trouped down to retrieve them chortling and tittering we learnt the truth that one man in public in his pants is pitiable but ten is a possee of fun.

I wonder if anyone else who was there that day remembers this incident? Geoff Simpson may well do and possibly Mrs Logan too if she is still alive, but I doubt the others do. The images of youth that stay with us into adulthood often seem to others arbitrary and without apparent significance. Or maybe it was for the rest of the class the astounding event that lives in my mind. At any rate ever since that PE lesson the phrase has periodically returned to me, acting as a call to arms, a bold plan in a tricky situation, an invitation to creative mayhem. Boys throw your shorts out the window.

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