Clowning Around

Most professionals transition between work and non-work activities without drawing much attention to themselves. For example, if you saw me at the post office during my lunch break, it wouldn't be obvious to you that I'm a social worker. And you likely can't match all those people in line at Starbucks every morning to their chosen professions. Sometimes a person's attire will offer a clue about her profession. If you saw a woman wearing scrubs at the grocery store, you might assume she was a doctor, but it would not seem odd that she was at the grocery store. Everyone has to eat, right?

So why is it that I am so perplexed every time I see clowns out to lunch? There is a group of professional clowns who frequently have lunch at a local establishment, and I have seen them on several occasions. They are always in full clown attire -- wide neckties, red noses, bright colored face makeup, floppy shoes, funny hats -- the whole enchilada (except sometimes they remove their red noses to eat). These guys sit and have normal lunchtime conversations like the rest of us, but I still can't wrap my head around it. I mean, seriously... clowns eating lunch? What is that about?!