When I was in 7th grade, my class went to Skate U, the coolest and only roller skating rink in town. I was feeling extra confident in my roller skating skills and I wanted to impress my crush, so I participated in the competitive game of Red Light Green Light. Ready to win the love of my crush and the respect of my fellow classmates, I lined up against the end of the rink with my competitors. The underpaid high school-aged referee blew his whistle, put on a classic Smash Mouth song, and yelled “greenlight!” This was an especially odd game of Red Light Green Light because “red light” was never called. I confidently rushed to the end of the rink, feeling like a winner, and then it happened. I slammed into the wall, and fell down. First, I laughed, knowing I still won, then, as the referee shouted the name of someone else who was NOT the first person to touch the wall, I looked down at my arm. My wrist was broken and my pride was gone. Although the embarrassment was almost as painful as the broken wrist and I never want to experience any of that again, I now know that A.) roller skating rinks are outdated and stupid, but also B.) I should never put my life in danger just to impress someone I like; this is my NAM.

What is a NAM? Hamline students Charlie Metcalf and Deric Moffitt, have coined this term, “Have you ever had one of those moments that is so unbelievable—because it is so embarrassing, foolish, tragic, risky, or regrettable—that it ended up changing your life somehow? Not that you’d ever want to do it again, but in a way you’re glad you did, because it taught you something about yourself? We call these Never Again Moments, or NAM…”

Never Again Moments are important moments of being human; they are stories that aren’t only important to ourselves but they can allow for others to learn from them as well. Sometimes Never Again Moments can be terrible at the moment, but it is important to know that you can look back at these moments sometimes, and laugh.

Metcalf and Moffitt sought out to create a movement. “Until now,” they point out “there hasn’t been an organized platform to share these stories.” They point out that our generation utilizes all forms of social media to share random and sometimes pointless experiences, and they wanted to take advantage of that. They created Never Again Moments so students and other millennials could share these intimate stories in a safe and supportive space.

With social media, sharing NAMs can be fun. They could not only let you feel better about sharing but they can help teach other people facing similar life situations. We are all human and share common “mistakes.” The shared NAMs can even make other people feel better about their own mistakes; hopefully my very early 2000s sounding NAM can make you feel better about yourself. My wrist still cracks.

“It isn’t all about great accomplishments and extraordinary achievements. Sometimes, it’s about those all-too-human moments in life when things didn’t go your way—when you experienced something you’d rather not repeat, but need desperately to tell someone about”

Would you like to share your NAM or learn more about them? They are on the internet!

Twitter: NAMNeveragain

YouTube: NevsTV

Email them at Nevsmoments@gmail.com