Ride the Chicken

I love dressing up – nope, I don’t mean “dressing up” in the adult sense like fancy dress, high heels, nylons (torture!), along with makeup and jewelry. I mean “dressing up” kid-style. You know how you did it when you were a kid - you became a superhero by tying a “cape” (also known as a towel, or a sheet) around your neck, wearing your underwear over some tights, thermals, or pajama bottoms. Or you put on a Halloween costume just for play, dressed up as your favorite TV or movie character, as an animal or something. My kids even had a big trunk full of costume pieces – left over Halloween costumes or their parts, capes, hats, masks, . . . the list just goes on and on. Kids know how to have fun. We grow up, become “responsible, mature adults”, and somehow lose that part of ourselves. Or do we? Maybe we don’t lose it. Maybe we just hide it away for most of the year. When October rolls around, out comes that love of dressing up and we go all out for Halloween parties.

Here’s the thing though, I love dressing up so much, I don’t want to just do it just once a year at Halloween. I look for opportunities to dress up and be someone else for awhile. Don’t be making a face like I’m the only one. There’s a bunch of us out there.

I know this one guy who got himself a full-body chicken suit – bright yellow feathers, mask, red wings, and rubber chicken feet. Very fun. One day (not in October) he put the thing on and just wandered around and hung out in downtown Santa Barbara in it. He got looks, he got comments, he had a blast. He even went into a restaurant – didn’t say a word, just picked up the menu and looked it over. Everyone turned their heads and waited to see what was going to happen. What was this 6 foot chicken going to do? Apparently the chicken was in a fowl mood, didn’t like what he saw on the menu, or maybe he felt he was over-dressed - and turned to leave without a word. Someone stopped him, saying, “What are you doing? You can’t just come in here and then leave without saying anything at all.” The chicken just turned and looked and said, in his most dignified voice, “Cluck, cluck,” and walked out. If you ask me, this guy has got it. He knows how to have fun. He got even more creative when he moved off to Boston.

He brought that chicken suit with him and one night there was a party going on in his building. Lot’s of college age folks having a party. Into the chicken suit he went and off to the party. Here’s where he got really innovative. He started offering the party-goers a chance to ride the chicken for a buck. Yup, he had those inebriated people paying him a dollar to jump on his back and go for a ride. I wonder what people thought when they drove past, seeing people riding big yellow chicken? My friend had fun and made a few bucks in the most creative way I’ve heard about in awhile.

I look for times to dress up and have some fun in a weird way. It makes me laugh and feel young and sort of wild and crazy. Other people get a kick out of it too, just seeing me dressed up all weird. So give it a try – you can keep it at home and dress up for some bedroom fun, or take it out into public for a good time. It keeps you young and keeps life fun.