It’s the night before I do a clown turn at the Red Nose Cabaret.  I’ve been fretting about it for the last couple of days.  Will I be funny?  Will I be focused?  Will I be open to failure?

Clowning is like riding a unicycle.  You have to flirt with losing your balance and falling down, but you catch yourself and teeter on the edge.  You have a plan, but you are ready to riff on something interesting if an opportunity happens with the audience.  You are open and vulnerable.  And for a newbie clown like me, it’s damn scary.

I went to yoga with Deb and Keaton tonight.  At the end of the practice when I was doing “Shavasana” (corpse pose – basically lying flat on your back with all your muscles relaxed), some thoughts about tomorrow’s performance percolated into my thoughts.  Each teacher is different and has their own way of delivering the practice.  Tonight, during the tail end of Shavasana, Claudia recited some words of wisdom and ended with “You are exactly where you are meant to be.”

It was just the right thing I needed to hear.

© 2018 Peter Gruner