Henry and I went to the circus on Saturday. I have a few videos I might share someday...but, for now just a few memories. The theme this year was less circus-y than last year and more magic show-y, so I am not sure how much Henry understood about the woman in the box disappearing or the man turning into a tiger, but he seemed to like it all the same. It's funny to hear his impressions, because the things he seemed to remember were very ancillary to the overall show...usually happening on the side while the main event was setting up. He loved the "clown with the brown hair who was funny" and the clown who jumped through the brick wall. At one point he wanted to know where the animals were when things got a little too Vegas show-ish and performer-heavy for his liking. My favorite memory this time is from the first five seconds of the show when the emcee was getting the crowd pumped up. Henry looked at me with great concern and asked, "Is he mad at us?" (because anything loud equals angry in his mind.) "No, Henry....he's just getting us ready for the show." He spent the first ten minutes covering his ears, just in case.
There were a couple moments this year where I wasn't all that comfortable with the animal treatment, whereas last year it didn't seem to be an issue. Maybe Henry's excitement last year blinded me a little, but I cringed a few times this year....like watching the zebras with constant head twitches run in circles or the tigers that justifiably wanted a piece of their heavy handed trainer. They were very similar moments to how I felt during my one experience watching a bullfight in person. I couldn't help but cheer for the bull silently to myself....or the tigers, in this instance. Granted, I wouldn't want this animal vengeance to happen during the live performance with Henry and thousands of other children watching. But, next time I read the "tiger attacks trainer" story, I will probably get that same sense of satisfaction that the "matador gored by bull" story brings to my face. I am not proud of this, just honest.
This might be our last "greatest show on Earth." We'll see.
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