Looking back, 2019 was a roller-coaster of a year.
It was a year in which I started to really create and form my own clowning essence -- meshing what I had learned with who I am and who I meet.
It was a year of living by Oshi’s rules – and forming what they are.
A year of active listening and communication.
Hearing. Understanding. Seeing. Acknowledging. Feeling.
It was a thought-provoking year of clowning.
At times it was joyful. It was also testing.
A year of breaking out-of-my-box.
A year of promising dreams and perplexing actuality.
A year of new friendships and broken ones.
It was a year of creativity, naivety, simplicity, silliness, love and goodness. A year of trepidation, hesitation, heartache, disappointment and failure.
And a year in which I could use my inner clown to explore and develop my reactions to all these sentiments.
A year in which I examined how my clowning impacts education, parenting, communication, health and everyday settings.
And a year of being a clown blogger.
Here is a list of my most memorable moments of 2019:
* Making new friends. I met a plethora of people this year and many became my friends: teachers, pupils and other clowns. Aristotle’s philosophy on friendships definitely resonated this year.
* Seeing the real impact positive language can have in different situations. Drama games like ‘Yes, And’ reinforce acceptance and let people feel heard.
* Clowning on the fly in a Budapest Christmas Market.
* Clowning in schools.
* Empowering kids to accept who they are.
* Hearing from people who have read my clown blog. I am humbled to know that my thoughts have reached Hong Kong, the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, India, Belgium, Spain, South Africa, Kenya, Peru, Ecuador, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the UK and beyond. Thank you all for reading.
* Speaking about education innovation on a podcast.
* Hacking education.
* Being part of the conversation and being present during the emotionally crazy parts of the year. Unforgettable parts of the year, even if not joyful. Especially during shiva.
* Taping a 2-shekel banana to an art room’s white board to prompt kids to talk about art.
* Deciphering clown fashion.
* Juggling my worlds as a speaker, journalist and clown.
* Parenting with clowning techniques. And sharing valuable tips with other parents.
* Writing and dedicating an ode to teachers. They deserve it.
* Taking part in a Hong Kong documentary on education. Thanks to a blog by my alter ego, Viva, on how Israelis view failure, Oshi was given the opportunity to share her voice in a TV documentary series. The result was a mash-up of Viva and Oshi speaking about the definition and culture of failure and how a clown uses failure to move forward to the next moment.
* And finally, setting out on Oshi’s Journey. More to come in 2020!
“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”- George Bernard Shaw
Thank you for reading this blog. Wishing you a New Year full of personal achievements!
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