I am told that I have been preparing for my actual clowning role most of my adult life.
I recently retired from my special education teaching career after 35 years “in the saddle.” It was a career that I loved because it allowed me the opportunity to engage, entertain, guide and empower our teenage population who were ‘at risk’ for making bad choices in life. My heart and soul was poured into creating alternative means of reaching and teaching this population.
As I neared my retirement date, I wondered how I would fill that creative need for continuing to work with children and families. Yet, I did not really want to continue in the educational setting.
One night while watching the evening show, Chronicle, I saw a segment in which the work of the Hearts & Noses Hospital Clown Troupe was featured. It grabbed me by the heart and I knew that was the direction I would take. After contacting Cheryl, the executive director, I applied, attended their two-day training workshop, auditioned and in June of 2017, I joined the Troupe as “Giddy Yup”, their new cowgirl clown.
This character was my choice because I have always felt that she suited my personality as an encouraging, “we-can-do-this,” fun-loving kind of “get-your-hands-dirty” and “go-with-it” kind of woman. She likes to belt out a song and dance to it, even if her vocals and dance moves don’t always hit the mark. I realized I have been embodying this character for the last several years in the classroom, while getting my students to laugh and to love learning. The only difference is that I now wear a red nose and do my singing in hospitals at children’s bedside.
I love having a partner, Dr. Bumble, whom I met on the weekend of our audition, and creating joy and laughter for children and families who are in need of feeling some happiness while dealing with difficult life situations at Boston Medical Center. The staff, patients and their families usually respond with smiles, laughter and an appreciation for being taken outside the seriousness they are encountering in the hospital setting.
I have always believed that finding joy in the smallest moments in life can refresh a person’s energy and willingness to venture forward regardless of the struggle life throws at them. Clowning is my way of creating this pathway.