Have you ever had a great idea that wasn’t really a great idea, but you didn’t find that out until after you had already executed it? Yes, me too.
Two twenty-year-old male college students… namely, my friend, Tim, and I, were invited to be presenters at an event for kids. We didn’t know the group, but we prepared an elaborate story and presentation around making a cake. It was all based on a traditional comedy routine.
So, in a slapstick fashion, a half cup of flour was dropped on my head, two raw eggs were cracked open and poured into a my hat, and a half-can of lighter fluid was also squeezed in there, so we could ignite the whole thing into a small blazing inferno. Perfect for kids, right?
Near the climax of this ludicrous act, Tim makes an effort to put out the fire in my hat. In rehearsal, it goes like this: the fire starts, and it surprises us (nobody else is surprised). Tim, in character, panics and runs offstage to get a bucket of water. While he’s gone, I, deep in character, realize that I can extinguish the fire by covering it with a cake pan. With the fire now out, he runs and releases the bucket of water on me, full in the face. Truly, more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
Well, at this particular event, the fire breaks out in my hat, just as we had planned, and I start yelling “FIRE!” (once again, just as we had planned). Before Tim could respond, one of the kids rushed to the sink, grabbed a container, and was filling it with water to put the fire out. Tim spent a little extra time consoling the vigilant child before he returned to dowse me.
It was a fun routine, with a lot of laughter, and a big mess to clean up.
Wow, that’s actually a slightly great outcome for a not-so-great idea. Have fun, laugh, and clean up the mess.