‘Clown heart’ more important than costume, makeup
“It was my 50th birthday, and family had gathered at my son’s house. They asked, ‘Hey, mom, where do you want to go for dinner?’ And I’m like, ‘Why do we have to go eat dinner somewhere? I’m 50 years old, and I’ve never had a clown or a pony for my birthday.’ So they got me a clown.
“Her name was Sally. She came to the house, and she painted my face and my mom’s face. We really got into it. Then I watched her with my little grandsons. She was doing magic tricks, read them a story, and told them some jokes. Their faces just lit up. That’s when I thought, you know what? When I retire, I’m going to be a clown, too.”
Her husband of 27 years suffered a heart attack and died in 2011. She retired in 2012 and graduated clown school through Cheerful Clown Alley in 2014.
“Anybody can buy a costume, makeup and a nose. But if you don’t have that clown heart, you won’t last long. I think it’s the ability to look into somebody’s eyes and know that they would appreciate your humor. I clown all the time. I find it hard to be serious sometimes. I plan to keep doing this until I can’t.
“I don’t want to lose my clown heart. Because I kind of feel like whatever life throws at me, I want to be bright. I want to see the good in things. I love our little clown prayer. Part of it goes, ‘Never let me fail to see the wonder in the eyes of a child or the twinkle in the eyes of the aged.’ I want to hold onto that. I think it’s really gotten me through some tough times. While I’ve brought joy to a lot of people, being a clown has also given me a strength.”
— Linda “Noodles” Cooper
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