On clown doctor rounds this week . . .
Met a girl with a broken leg. She was flat on her back in her bed waving good-bye to her aunt and uncle, who were at the door of her room heading out. I jumped in and wave bombed the scene. Suddenly she was waving good-bye to three of us instead of two -- waving looked like fun, so I thought I'd join in -- and that brought a big smile to her face, and a big laugh from a surprised aunt and uncle and mom, who was in the room next to the bed.
Made sure she hadn't broken the humerus (humorous) -- the funny bone in Clown Anatomy 101 -- but I could do an adjustment anyway if she wanted. Dr. Fowlbreath showed off a couple of rubber chicken acrobatics she should NOT try at home -- hospital was OK, because if something went wrong, well, you can figure that out.
By the end of our visit, her smile lit up the room. As I was leaving, mom stepped out and thanked me for helping her smile.
As I was about to leave PEDS, I ran into one of my favorite volunteers at the hospital, one of the spiritual advisors working out of the hospital chaplain's office. I see him virtually every week during rounds, and our encounters always remind me that this hospital clown mission is for the staff and volunteers just as much as it's for the patients, families, and visitors.
We chatted about some spiritual things, and that led into talking about comic strips. (OK, you've got to appreciate how a clown's mind works.) Every morning, right after checking in on my two favorite spiritual inspiration apps, I then go straight to GoComics.com to read the nine comic strips I follow. We commissurated on the pathetic nature of the local paper's Sunday funnies, deciding how much we missed The Far Side.
Then he told me -- actually, acted out, which was fun to see this retired minister do -- his all-time favorite Far Side strip, When Clowns Go Bad.
We had a good laugh together.
You just never know at which childlike playground you're going to be invited to play as a clown.
Met a girl with a broken leg. She was flat on her back in her bed waving good-bye to her aunt and uncle, who were at the door of her room heading out. I jumped in and wave bombed the scene. Suddenly she was waving good-bye to three of us instead of two -- waving looked like fun, so I thought I'd join in -- and that brought a big smile to her face, and a big laugh from a surprised aunt and uncle and mom, who was in the room next to the bed.
Made sure she hadn't broken the humerus (humorous) -- the funny bone in Clown Anatomy 101 -- but I could do an adjustment anyway if she wanted. Dr. Fowlbreath showed off a couple of rubber chicken acrobatics she should NOT try at home -- hospital was OK, because if something went wrong, well, you can figure that out.
By the end of our visit, her smile lit up the room. As I was leaving, mom stepped out and thanked me for helping her smile.
As I was about to leave PEDS, I ran into one of my favorite volunteers at the hospital, one of the spiritual advisors working out of the hospital chaplain's office. I see him virtually every week during rounds, and our encounters always remind me that this hospital clown mission is for the staff and volunteers just as much as it's for the patients, families, and visitors.
We chatted about some spiritual things, and that led into talking about comic strips. (OK, you've got to appreciate how a clown's mind works.) Every morning, right after checking in on my two favorite spiritual inspiration apps, I then go straight to GoComics.com to read the nine comic strips I follow. We commissurated on the pathetic nature of the local paper's Sunday funnies, deciding how much we missed The Far Side.
Then he told me -- actually, acted out, which was fun to see this retired minister do -- his all-time favorite Far Side strip, When Clowns Go Bad.
We had a good laugh together.
You just never know at which childlike playground you're going to be invited to play as a clown.
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