The September 30, 2013 issue of the New Yorker had an interesting piece, John Lahr’s “Varieties of Disturbance” about actor Claire Danes.
Though I’ve never watched My So-Called Life (yes, I know this is unacceptable, and it’s on my to-do list), I do love Homeland, so I was interested to read the profile.
Danes was quoted saying something that really caught my attention.
“One of the lessons of her adulthood, Danes has said, was ‘that there is real honor in being a total goofball.’”
This struck me, because I’ve really worked hard, myself, to embrace my inner goofball. Not to worry about seeming dignified or sophisticated or knowledgeable, but to be Gretchen.
In this respect, one of my patron saints is Julia Child, and of all the posts I’ve ever written, one of my favorites is my encomium to her. She was goofy yet masterly, light-hearted yet authoritative.
Enthusiasm is a form of social courage.
Realizing this was part of my embrace of my love for children’s literature. And, therefore, it’s especially appropriate for me to quote, in this context, a great master of children’s literature. In his brilliant essay, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children,” C. S. Lewis wrote:
“When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty, I read them openly. When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
Yes, there is real honor in being a total goofball.
Agree, disagree? In what way do you allow yourself to be a total goofball?
Gretchen Rubin is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Happiness Project—an account of the year she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier—and the recently released Happier at Home. On her popular blog, The Happiness Project, she reports on her daily adventures in the pursuit of happiness. For more doses of happiness and other happenings, follow Gretchen on Facebook and Twitter.
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*Image courtesy of Potatojunkie.
