Somewhat of a journal…
Thursday night: In a clown school presentation, I wound up being the stagehand. The job was simple and straightforward. Put things on the stage. Takes things off the stage. Do it seriously. I followed these instructions, but of course… my first entrance, which caught me off guard, caused a bit of unintentional laughter (what I would call: clown laughter). My second entrance, caused a bit more, and on my last entrance, I really got in a muddle, but decided to play with this muddle, trying to set up a whiteboard on a foldable frame. I let the laughter guide me, rather than the occasion (which was a space for many clowns to perform for the first time). My improvisation was praised by the audience and the other students; however, I was severely criticized by the school´s director afterwards for occupying the stage without a costume, a red nose or a prepared routine. His words certainly shook me up and left me with many questions…
Friday night: Friday night, I stayed in Santiago… I needed to meet up with a friend to discuss a show we are creating, and ended up sleeping on his floor.
Saturday night: Saturday night, it was my friend’s birthday. She had organised a “sleep over party” or a “slumber party”, just like the parties I remember from primary school. Build a big cubby house with bed sheets and furniture, eat junk food, and fall asleep watching a movie. Again, without giving it any thought, I ended up sleeping on the floor.
Sunday night: Sunday I returned home, however our friend who spends the weekends in our home, had her return ticket for Monday morning, so Renata and I let her sleep in the big bed, and we slept in the living room, not exactly on the floor, but on the couch (a slight upgrade, but nevertheless, not far from the floor.)
Monday night: Monday I travelled out to a friend’s house in the countryside. We had a show on Tuesday which we needed to discuss beforehand. Up in her cabin, she too was without a bed, and again, the third time in four nights, I ended up sleeping on the floor. It was at this point, that I came to consider this series of sleeps on the floor, as a gentle reminder from the grand old universe, to stay close to the earth. Down to earth. Grounded.
