There is a serious reason why we always wait for the Circus to come to town, and that’s because towns rarely decide to come to the Circus.
You may or may not be afraid of the clowns at the Circus, but we’ll bet there are a number of clowns in ‘real life’ (whatever and wherever that might be) who are more frightening, and don’t even have the courtesy of wearing distinctive costumes to let you know.
It might be the Circus’ job to entertain you, but that’s also its passion. That is part of why the Circus entrances us; how many of us can say we get to participate in our passions as part of our daily lives.
And the circuses inside our minds are not helpful. If there’s a Ringmaster, too often that person is drowned out by the roar of the crowd, which seems more interested in hoping a lion or two will have a keeper-related ‘accident’ than in participating in their own joy.
…but we misspoke. We said the circus in your mind isn’t helpful; we meant to say that it’s seldom helpful, and more than that, we’re seldom taught how to make it helpful.
A Circus isn’t madness or chaos; it’s a bunch of motion, perhaps entirely orchestrated, perhaps in whole or in part choreographed, but regardless, it’s skilled professionals taking actions in which they’re trained and have become expert.
We can’t teach you every Circus trick, even if we knew them all. It would violate the secret rules of the Circus, and besides, if we stretch the metaphor too far, we might tear a hole in the tent.
So let me tell you the first trick, the basic trick for when you’re about to walk the tightrope, or do a trick, or even address the audience: let them roar, let them scream, let them applaud. But don’t let them distract you. If it’s your job to interact with them, you’ll do it better with a calm mind; if it isn’t, you’ll do your own job better for you (and thus better for them) if you forget them and simply do what you meant to do.
That’s not an outer moment. That’s an inner moment you might choose to share with the outside world.
Give yourself the choice, friend. It makes all the difference.
