Why People Like the Clown

This is a story I have shared in the past, but felt like resharing it in case some of you have not heard it. Or in case you just wanted to hear it again :0). It is 100% true and happened to dear old me.

 

A friend of mine in England stumbled upon a short story/poem in her local library. And when I say stumbled, I mean literally... she was walking down an aisle of books when one fell off the shelf and landed on the ground in front of her opened. She decided to look at the page before putting the book back and below is the story that was opened to her. She knows I am a clown and found it interesting, so she sent it to me via email. Little did she know that I had an AMAZING clown experience just a week earlier that makes the story that much better!

 

Why People Like the Clown

 

“Why do people like me?” asks the clown, “Is it because I make them laugh?”

“They enjoy laughing, certainly,” says his friend.

“Or is it my colourful clothes, large shoes and big smile?”

“They enjoy those too.”

“But you don't think they’re the real reason?”

His friend pauses- and then speaks.

“The real reason why people like you is this: you always get up.”

“How do you mean?”

“Whatever crisis has occurred, however hard you’ve been knocked over or sent tumbling, you always get up! With you the story’s never over. Whatever the disaster, the story gets up and goes on.”

“I suppose that’s right-”

“More than the funny man, you’re the resurrection man. And if it’s true for you, it might be true for me as well. That’s why we like the clown.”

From One Minute Mystic by Simon Parke

  This is a young orphan in Russia who laughed at me while I threw snow on myself. Not exactly the same as getting back up after falling, but it seemed a little appropriate since this child has surely been knocked down his life a few times and he got up and laughed in spite of it all :0).

In the infamous words of Paul Harvey, and NOW for the rest of the story... The short version of my coinciding clown experience is... A GI doc, who I had started to develop a bond with at work, died in a car crash.  A crash that his wife and kids were in, but survived. I went to visit his family and two sons ages 6 and 8 just to say hi and let them know how much their dad meant to me. The 8 year old was born with Cerebral Palsy. With my connections to Easter Seals and knowing other kids with this infliction, I felt a bond with him immediately. His 6 year old brother was adorable as well!  I had brought clown noses and balloons just in case :0)... well, I sensed these kids were ready to play and oh was I right. We played and laughed and giggled for almost two hours. At one point, the 8 year old kicked a big red ball at me and knocked me over... AND he LAUGHED AND LAUGHED! So, I got back up.. a few seconds later he kicked the ball again and knocked me over again AND he LAUGHED AND LAUGHED... so, I got back up... this went on for about 5 rounds of knocking over and laughing... So, clowns do get back up :0)... and kids get back up too!!           Now Get Up and Go Out and Hug Someone Today