to be a clown

a few weeks ago i went in our room to cover up isaac after he had gone to bed. usually before we go to bed i have to check to see what isaac has gotten into, rearranged, or hidden during the covert moments before he actually goes off to sleep. this particular evening isaac was asleep on his stomach and as i bent down to pull the covers over him i was surprised to find a coathanger wedged horizontally in his pajama bottoms, poking out on both sides of his body as he lay on top of it, out to the world. i called geoff in and we laughed and laughed and then wondered what in the world the boy had been doing before bed that resulted in his being prostrate on a hanger. the next morning geoff had some time with him and asked him what he'd been up to the night before. isaac simply replied, with seemingly well-considered conviction, that he wanted to be a clown. he said, "i've always wanted to dream about being a clown and making people laugh."