Monday, February 25, 2008

Circus of life

What is it about a circus that gets me all dreamy with memory? I think it’s the trapeze artists or perhaps the acrobats, who knows? Like magic shows they are just one of those things which for me, have transcended time. So, it was with the idea of conferring a treat, that I asked my little daughter when she would like to go to the circus. I was completely gobsmacked when she said, “ I don’t want to go.” “Why”, I asked desperate for enlightenment ( oh no, I thought, a child of this generation, she’s lost all sense of wonder). “Will there be clowns?” “ Ah, she’s getting interested, all smiles, yes I answer.
“Then I don’t want to go”. “Why don’t you like them?” I’m mystified. “They make people laugh but don’t laugh themselves.” I was completely speechless- out of the mouths indeed. I tried to distract her, there would be trapeze artists, people flying through the air- no animals, as I knew she doesn’t like animals getting hurt- it came back to the same thing- no clowns? So, like the idiotic adult that I am, I came up with economics- clowns are paid only if we go- they smile when they get their money, etc economics vs sentiment. The child gave me a grave look- Ok she shrugged, but I knew in her heart, sentiment had won.Because she trusted me to be right always, she had agreed- talk of Pyrrhic victories!