Three Ring Circus Time

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that went something like, “Elect a Clown, Get a Circus.” But really, this is not at all fair to anybody — a good friend of ours comes to mind — who is involved in the wonderful and aesthetically rich field of the circus arts. And besides, how about the rest of us who regularly feel that our lives consist of much juggling, a fair amount of running in circles, some leaping, an occasional high wire act, and a bunch of different tents whose flaps we keep dashing through to get to the next show?

Over this September, I’ve experienced a very particular “three ring” feeling. But mine was characterized by an irrational urge to be in three places at once; actually more like befuddlement about where I really belonged on a given afternoon.

Since starting my new and very absorbing teaching job, this is the place– not yet decorated with energizing posters; I’ll get there– which claims big hunks of my time. I can’t even begin to tell you how fascinating the teenagers are who sit in these chairs; just take my word for it.

After-school time poses a regular dilemma, though: there is so much to do, I could easily stay another couple of hours, grading and planning and emailing. And I do stay for a good while. But then I remember this other place, and the big dog who enjoys forays back here as much as I do. And now, of course, the colors are spicing right up.

OK, so far so good. I go home, like a normal person after work, trying to get some invigorating outdoor time.

Obviously, with this daily back and forth, there has been no room for a third place to wedge itself in. But when my husband went off on a trip—slight correction, a bishops’ conference– that I might have tagged along on, wearing my spouse hat, I felt a slight pang of something or other. Was it really a missing out feeling? I’m not sure. Maybe I imagined myself walking in to the airport, stylishly and smilingly, like she is…

In any case, I couldn’t possibly go to Minneapolis; I needed to stay home and do my job, plus care for our dog.

I felt oddly buoyed a few days later, when Rob sent me a picture of this statue.

Look at how she still lights up the city with her smile! And wasn’t she a career woman, dealing gamely with a gruff boss, walking with that long purposeful stride across city streets, trying always to “make it after all”? Sadly, Valerie Harper, her perfect sidekick Rhoda on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, just died a month ago. But the vitality of that hit from the 70’s lives on, especially for those of us who sometimes teeter in our confidence about our professional abilities and why they matter.

Here, take a listen to the theme song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNKOt2k7Pm4

So no, I didn’t get to see a great Midwestern city (two, if you count St. Paul) or the mighty Mississippi River this September, but two out of three ain’t bad. And besides, The Adventures of Huckeberry Finn is still a definite possibility.