This clown was in a hotel breakfast area making balloon animals for childern while they ate their breakfast. Is that a great job or what!?! This guy is all fun and joy and excitement for his audience, at a time when they are just getting their day started. Underneath all that make up he could be a failry normal, bland, run of the mill human being…but I doubt it.
How could run of the mill want to put on a clown face and entertain people at the start of their day? Who has that kind of energy and vitality? I’ll tell you who – someone with the heart of a clown…happy, joyful and willing to give it all to make a stranger smile.
For the naysayers amoungst my readers, no – children did not scream when he approached their tables…he gave them space and allowed them to invite him into their breakfast world before he started making balloon animals. For those little ones who were shy or leary, he simply waved, smiled and kept moving on to the next group. But he kept moving. He didn’t let someone else’s fear or hesitation keep him from fulfilling his mission as a clown…he kept going until he found the ones that valued his gift. He was mindful of the situation before he made a step forward.
So as I watched him work the room, I thought about the wisdom of knowing when to approach and give the gift, and when to walk by and wave. People will give you clues as to how open they are to what you have to contribute – feedback, thoughts, ideas, friendship, love, or even a simple wave – people will let you know. You just need to pay attention. And you need to be sure enough in your gift to know that when all that little kid wants is a wave, somewhere around the corner is another kid who wants a balloon animal to make their breakfast complete! The true gift is knowing the difference…
Ann Art Gallery Blog 