Independence 2019

As the second half of the year begins, as Americans, we take one day, July 4^th, to step back and celebrate the birth of our great nation.  In many nations across the globe, there are many countries where the population is nationalistic, proud of their place of birth / origin and celebrate similarly every year.  For me, this is a day to celebrate the birth of our nation, parades take place and we spend time together as a family.  OK, in truth, this is really more than just a one-day celebration – there are celebrations on the weekends and fireworks presented by the neighboring towns over a bunch of nights.

For this year, as for the past many years, one of the ways that I look forward to celebrating our Independence Day is as clown in a local parade.  For about an hour and a half, I had one simple goal, spread happiness!  The group that I work with, Miles of Smiles, takes an interactive approach to parades – we do not march in the parade down the middle of the street, but walk along the sides, interacting with the people and high-fiving children of all ages.  It is about making them feel good, giving them a memory and adding to a positive experience.  For me, it is really a chance to live in the moment - I was able to not have to worry about making decisions, no thoughts regarding the issues of the day and no crises to avert.  That time in the parade was a series of small slices of time and watching a smile appear on someone else’s face.  Needless to say, by the end of the parade, I was tired.  Onto the next two events, in costume, of course. 

As we celebrated the 4^th, it really was a celebration about a nation that broke away from being a colony.  A country striking forward with new thoughts and new ideas for that time period.  We were to be a country without a king, but representative leadership selected by the population.  In a relatively small amount of time, aside from becoming a world power, we were able to lead in multiple areas of development, technology and thought.  We have many good, positive reasons to celebrate.  I hope that you all had a great 4^th of July.

Clowning Around

I love the 4^th 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 4^th 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 4^th of July BBQ.  In I walked, arms waving overhead, yelling happy 4^th 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

Notes from the Being a Clown Journal

“Hey, Clownie, over here,” an excited youth yelled out.

“Hey, who you calling Clownie?” I asked.

“You, Clownie!”

And there were smiles all around.

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“Happy 4^th,” I yelled out. 

An elderly gentleman reached his hand out.  “A happy after 84 years, as well,” he said as he excited shook hands with me.

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Every 4^th of July, I apply the face paints, don the clothing and derby that transforms me from normal human Wayne to the clown G-Clef.  For a few hours, I have the privilege of bringing smiles to children, both young and old, that line the streets for the annual Independence Day Parade in Ridgewood, NJ.  Walking up to a young child and watching their grin appear from the excitement of a clown walking over to them for a few seconds, to high five, or take a picture, brings a wonderful feeling to the child and to me.  Sometimes, you see a teenager, or a young adult, begin to grin, and then look sheepish, as if they have outgrown the “clown thing.”  But, when you go up to them and “call them out,” their hand jumps to the high-five ready position and the big smile appears.

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“Can you take a picture with her?” someone asks with a smirk.

“I would be happy to,” and as I looked over I recognize the pasty looking facial tones, the beads of sweat starting to collect above the brow and ask, “How about I stand behind you like I am photo-bombing.”

“That’s OK, as long as I cannot see you.”  A very honest answer.

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“High Five?” I asked.

“I am usually afraid of clowns, but you look OK,” the lady responded as she prepared to high five.

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I do not recall if I was ever afraid of clowns.  I had more problems with costumed characters, and only one I can remember vividly.  We were in, I think, Atlantic City, walking on the boardwalk.  Chances are this was the latter half of the 60’s, in a time where “AC” still had some life before the decline into the 70’s.  We were walking on the boardwalk and there he was…Mister Peanuts.  Like some cartoon character, my hair stood straight up.  My brother Jeff seized the opportunity and went up to Mr. P. to say hello, while I cowered behind my parents (Brian was asleep in the stroller).  “Jeff can go up to Mister Peanuts, why can’t you?” my mom asked.  My dad?  He was too busy laughing to try to get me over there.  When I walk up to a kid and they start to cry…I understand; I am their Mister Peanuts.

Is being a clown easy?  It takes time to prepare and then to participate.  I could walk and wave, like a live float.  I add the extra effort of being interactive with the crowd, which takes attention and focus.  I work hard not to miss children on the side of the road I am walking.  Wherever the Miles of Smiles clowns start at the beginning of the parade, by the end of the parade, I am one of the last people to finish.  In fact, this was the first year I past the grandstand where the “fans” have not already left (starting in an earlier slot helped).  While the first year, I have to confess, I did this as a bit of a goof, I have come to look forward this parade.  There is no better feeling than to bring a smile to someone’s face.

I Got a Promotion This Week!

Even at 52 year old, something as simple as promotion can really get me going!  You know, you work hard at something, you do it consistently, and you remain persistent towards your goals, all the time wondering if someone notices.  One day you hear, “I have a little speech to give you,” and the first thought is “What did I do?” Yes, even optimists have these thoughts.  I was pleased to hear the good news, but as with such things, there is a higher level of responsibility.  That is where I hope not to disappoint.

As a parent, we constantly strive to provide a good example.  Our children are like sponges, they see what we do, they imitate the things that they see, and then it becomes a part of who they will be.  I have always believed in leading by example, I work hard, strive for the things that have meaning to me, enjoy taking care of my family, etc. It kind of follows the old catch phrase, “Monkey see, Monkey do.”  It is important to show that with hard work and being diligent in our efforts, we can take the steps to move ahead.  I continue striving to set a positive example, even as my children are transitioning to the young adult stages of their lives. 

Even as adults, the “Monkey see, Monkey do” philosophy works.  If you find someone that is tops in their field, watch what they do and learn from  them, you can strive for better things.  I happened to be in the right place at the right time to watch and learn from one of the best in the business, so when he delivered his speech to me, I was so excited that it included the word “boss”.  There he was, standing in front of me, a giant in his field, Juggles, the clown, who due to a recent injury asked me to step up and to be the Boss Clown for the July 4^th Parade.  What an honor and a privilege.  He informed my fellow clowns, “Laff a Lot” and “Frumpy”, that I was going to be the Boss Clown.  OK, so there was some horn honking, attempts at high fives and the other things that clowns do, and at the parade, we did the things we always do – bring joy and happiness to the parade goers.  Juggles, and his wife Glitter, as a clown group, have the name the states what clowns do, we bring “Miles of Smiles” to children, both young and old.  At the end of the day, I was still just a clown, but the recognition did mean a lot to me, and the one day I get to be “G Clef”, is a day I look forward to every year.

Hope that you had a great July 4^th weekend, enjoying the independence that was hard fought and ours to cherish!