How To Run Away And Join The Circus In 10 Easy Steps

Discussion in 'Happy Talk' started by Joe Riley, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    "First spend months bumming around on the beach, then get serious and go to circus school.

    "With both BuskerFest and Cirque du Soleil in town, it’s hard not to let the mind wander back to the carefree days of cotton candy, twinkling lights and acrobats performing to the sweet strains of The Final Countdown".
    But while tempting, running away to join the circus may not be as easy as it seems. Just because you’re fed up with authority, have tattoos and love elephants, doesn’t mean you can hack it in the modern circus world. Can you do a one-handed handstand on top of a stability ball?
    Didn’t think so".

    "But if you’re game to try (or just really can’t stand your boss), here are 10 steps in a suggested career path:
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  2. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    Joining the Circus, Leaving the Circus!
    [​IMG]
    http://www.pbs.org/opb/circus/circus-life/joining-circus-leaving-circus/

    I definitely have no regrets about joining the circus. I think that if I ever do, it will be that I didn't stay in the circus long enough. There were, of course, times when it was difficult. We sacrificed a great deal when we were developing our act as teenagers, and we had conflicts with each other, our parents and our coach. We also suffered our fair share of injuries. And then there's the stress that comes with traveling and living on the road. I miss performing with the circus every day.

    My year with the Big Apple Circus was such a vivid one that I imagine it'll take a lifetime to digest everything that happened and all the experiences I had. In terms of what I miss the most, it's difficult to pinpoint an exact thing, but I think I've always enjoyed the practice and rehearsal that goes on behind-the-scenes more than anything else. My brother and I both had a lot going on during our year with the Big Apple Circus. For me, it was the rather extensive process of applying to and selecting a medical school. So we were not as focused on practice and on developing new material as we had always been before. Nonetheless, it was those moments when we were practicing or warming up backstage that stick with me the most. Paradoxically, I'd also say that some of my worst experiences have been during practice and rehearsal when Marty and I were stuck on a particular element, the act was not working smoothly, and we got angry with ourselves and with one another.

    I also have no regrets about leaving the circus to become a surgeon, though it was not an easy decision to go to medical school. I imagine I would have found happiness in either path, but I'm very satisfied with the new challenge that the practice of medicine has presented to me. The program I'm in now is one of the best and my peers are all very enthusiastic and talented, so I'm learning a lot just by virtue of being here at the University of California-San Francisco. I've always lived a non-traditional life, and, occasionally, I worry that the path I've chosen is a bit too traditional for me, but I'm sure I'll find a way to stake out my own individual and unique corner in the field of medicine.
     
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