Why Every First Date Needs a Moment of Humiliation

Last month, I went on what seemed like the perfect first date. Wine bar down the street, dim lighting, not a single awkward silence. Then I snorted a $14 Cabernet out my nose mid-sip.

That snort changed everything. Suddenly, Cailen and I weren't two people trying to impress each other – we were just two humans trying our best.

The thing about minor embarrassments is that they're like relationship catalysts. They fast-track you past the "I'm totally cool and collected" phase and straight into "This is who I actually am" territory. And isn't that where we're all trying to get to anyway?

Think about your favorite couples' origin stories. I bet at least half of them involve something going hilariously wrong. My parents' first date? My dad got food poisoning. My best friend Jared? He accidentally set his sleeve on fire at the restaurant. Him and his wife still argue about whether it was the candle's fault (it wasn’t).

Here's why minor embarrassments are actually first date superpowers:

• They're instant ice breakers. Nothing dissolves tension like literally dissolving your coffee all over your shirt.

• They're character reveals. How someone handles minor chaos is way more telling than their practiced answers about their five-year plan.

• They're memorable. "We had a nice dinner" is boring. "I accidentally called them by my dog's name" is a story.

So next time you're on a first date and something slightly embarrassing happens, don't cringe. Consider it a gift from the dating gods. A perfect little moment of imperfection that says, "Hey, we're both human here."

And if nothing embarrassing happens? Don't worry – that's what second dates are for.