By JARRAD HEDES

jmhedes@tnonline.comThere are times you can embellish, or just flat-out lie, and get away with it.People almost expect it out of you from time to time.Go to any kind of reunion where one person hasn't seen another for a long period of time and watch the fabrications fly.There is just a certain draw to adding some type of drama to your life.Brian Williams did something we all have likely done at some point in stretching the truth.Williams said he was aboard a helicopter hit by grenade fire in Iraq on March 24, 2003.As it turns out, Williams' chopper was actually a half-hour behind the one hit by the grenade."I made a mistake in recalling the events of 12 years ago," Williams said.As a reporter, you quickly learn that any exaggeration will be uncovered quicker than a dirt pile rumored to be Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place.Poor Brian is far from the only "celebrity" to tell a tale.There was Hillary Clinton's dash from sniper fire in Bosnia, which in reality was more of a calm walk after video of the incident was released.Washington Post writer Janet Cooke lost a Pulitzer Prize after it was discovered her article was centered on a fictional 8-year-old heroin addict.Before I got into the business, I could get away with the occasional white lie.For example, I never actually took those Shamu chewables that were supposed to give me my daily fill of Vitamins A, C and D.What I would do is put it in my hand, walk into the bathroom and drop it in our baseboard heater.I know that isn't safe, but I was 5 or 6 and honestly, I probably didn't care at the time.Every day, I came out of the bathroom smiling like I had all the energy in the world after supposedly eating that fruity, colored whale.I'm not sure when that one caught up with me, but I don't think the repercussions were too harsh.I'd really like to say that was my only blemish, but I would again be lying through my teeth.How many times as youth did we tell our parents we were too sick to go to school and then magically recover in time to do a fun activity?Yes, I did that a few times and no, you can't have the diploma back.My point is that it's OK and maybe even a little bit cute to stretch the truth when you're young.By the time you're a working professional, the gig is up.We live in a technological age, making it much easier for people to do their own research and call you out on the slightest of inaccuracies.It's not always advantageous to tell the truth, but sometimes it's just easier.