One of the places I find my mind drifting during this horrible chapter in the United States is clowning. Which might seem a little weird but hear me out. Clowns has been around forever in one form or another and they try to use humor to shine light on society. Emmett Kelly’s Weary Willy was a great example of using a clown to highlight the hobo lifestyle. It was a formally successful business man who lost everything and was trying to make his way in a new world. The hobo clown was about seeing the world in a new and different light. Or that is how I always viewed it.
For me, my favorite clowns are the Auguste clowns. These clowns are not as prim and proper as a whiteface clown nor are they as down on their luck as a tramp clown. Auguste clowns are the person trying to succeed and failing but never giving up. Eventually they succeed in what they are trying to do, usually at the expense of the more proper whiteface clown.
To me the Auguste clown is what we should all strive to be. Never give up, always try new things, and approach the world with a childlike wonder. My clown is an Auguste clown and I miss seeing the world through those eyes. Which means it is time to start trying to see the world as a clown rather then a middle aged dude who is scared of what is happening in the world. It won’t make the world less terrible but it will allow me to choose how I view the world and what my reaction will be.
One of the many parts of clowning that drew me to it when I was 16 is the ability to play. I (thanks in part to my ADHD) love having fun and trying out new things. I have tried to not grow out of this playfulness but life is hard and being an adult sucks. But it is time to find time to play. Time to get out the juggling equipment and balloons and start playing. Not sure if I am going to go back into clowning but am going to try and add it back into my life.