Thought of the Day: The circus is always in town. Learn to enjoy the clowns.

November 30, 2025

There are days when life feels wonderfully still, like you finally found the right rhythm. You pour your coffee without spilling it. The kids put on their shoes the first time you ask. Your inbox stays quiet long enough to make you suspicious. You start to believe that maybe, just maybe, the universe is letting you have a gentle one.

And then, without warning, the circus rolls back into town.

Not the cute, charming circus with elephants wearing sequins. No. This is the louder, messier, slightly unhinged circus that always seems to set up shop right in the middle of your living room. And if you are breathing, you are already a member of the audience.

The clowns are part of the deal. Some clowns are lovable. They make you laugh. They remind you not to take yourself so seriously. Other clowns? They show up at the wrong time, say the wrong thing, knock over the one thing you were trying to keep together, and leave you wondering who let them into your tent in the first place.

And here is the thing I am finally starting to accept. The circus is not seasonal. It is not a traveling act that stops by once a year. It is permanent. It is built into the structure of being alive. There is always some act going on. Someone is juggling. Something is on fire. Someone is walking a tightrope they probably should not be on. And the clowns are always, always nearby.

For years I tried to control the show. I tried to get the performers to cooperate. I tried to rewrite the script. I tried to ban the clowns altogether. It never worked. The more I tried to control the chaos, the more it controlled me. The more I resisted the circus, the bigger it seemed to grow.

Eventually I learned to stop trying to shut it down and start trying to understand it. Life is not trying to embarrass you. Life is not trying to trip you. Life is not trying to trick you with slapstick humor. Life is simply happening, and sometimes it looks like a circus because everything is happening all at once.

Learning to enjoy the clowns is not about pretending everything is fine. It is about choosing how you want to move through the chaos. You can grit your teeth through every mishap, or you can decide to laugh along with the ridiculousness of it all. You can judge yourself every time you drop a ball, or you can acknowledge that juggling is hard and you are doing the best you can.

There is freedom in acceptance. There is peace in letting the circus be the circus. And there is joy in letting yourself laugh even when the situation is absurd, stressful, or completely unexpected.

If anything, this Thought of the Day is a reminder that chaos does not need your permission. But joy does need your participation. The circus is unavoidable, but the laughter is optional. Some days that laughter is the thing that keeps you sane. Some days it is the only thing that keeps you moving forward.

The circus is here. The clowns are already warming up. You do not have to fight it today. Just watch the show. Let yourself smile. Let yourself breathe. And if someone hands you popcorn, take it.

🧠 Read the full blog post where I explore this Thought of the Day and the Question of the Day

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