Monday, July 16, 2018

Clowning Around


I love the 4th of July - a day to celebrate the birth of our great country, a day of fireworks and a day to feel patriotic.  And for me, most importantly, it means that my annual gig as a clown has come again! 

That is right – you read that correctly, my annual clown gig!  You see, I have two friends, Juggles and Glitter (yes, that is their names) who several years ago asked if I would be interested in marching in a 4th of July parade as a clown.  No, they were not just clowning around with me.  It was something that I had never done before, so I said yes (I am generally open to trying new experiences). 

This was not just slap on some makeup and go.  THIS WAS SERIOUS BUSINESS.  I had to learn how to be a clown.  I had to learn how to put on clown-face makeup.  I had to learn the clown garb, most of which I borrowed from Juggles.  And, I had to learn how to act like a clown.  A good clown is fun, exciting and can make you smile.  For me to join Miles of Smiles, I had to be worthy!  Since then, I have marched in cold weather, extreme heat and humidity (this year) and torrential downpours.  To use the words of Agent 86, Maxwell Smart, “And loving it!”

The best part, is making children smile.  Some of them sit along the parade route, obvious in their bored expressions as their parents have dragged them out to watch a long parade in hot weather.  However, when they see me, as the clown, coming up to them to give them some attention, the big smiles appear.  Now, this is true of children of all ages, young and old alike.  Not everyone, however, is excited to see me coming.  I walked up to a brother and sister that were all smiles and excited I was coming up to them.  The boy saw his mother stand up and said to me, “My mother is going to take our picture.”  The mom finished standing up, turn to her right (away from us) and proceeded to walk down the block into a crowd and out of sight.  “Oh, yeah,” said the boy, “she’s afraid of clowns.”  Yes, coulrophobia (fear of clowns) is real. 

After the long parade in the extremely hot weather was over, I had one more stop to make.  At my synagogue, they were having a 4th of July BBQ.  In I walked, arms waving overhead, yelling happy 4th of July.  The smiles were just as big when I went from table to table.  These people know me and were thrilled.  Many had fun (at my expense).  Someone even said, “I have a serious question to ask you, but I can’t because you are a clown!”

In both cases, being a clown is about giving a moment of joy and happiness to someone else.  I guess the old adage is true, happiness did come from making others happy.
Photo by Glitter

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