2 minute read
ORDINARY PEOPLE LIVING
Ordinary People Living Extraordinary Lives®
Banks Helfrich
LANDING THE ROLE OF A LIFETIME
Banks Helfrich has always tried to find himself by becoming someone else. He became a clown after attending Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College. He portrayed Harpo Marx at Universal Studios Florida. He enchanted crowds with his self-made character, Jiggleman, appearing on “Late Night with David Letterman.” He wrote, directed and acted in nine feature films. But Helfrich says his most fulfilling role came when he finally found himself.
To the outside world, Helfrich had seemed to live life to the fullest. His calendar stayed filled with social and professional engagements around the Orlando community. Keeping busy was his way of hiding from his thoughts, he says. It wasn’t until he turned 50 that Banks says he made a major change to truly find himself. He left city life and moved to a seven-acre farm in Clermont, Florida. It led him to an inner peace he wasn’t sure he would ever find. And when the pandemic hit, the year-long lockdown pushed solitude even further. "I was all alone like I had really never been before,” Banks said. "And I felt how painful it was to be lonely. I had to teach myself how to overcome loneliness. And that was a lot of work on myself, but what a great result. I have learned to be comfortable with myself and with being alone.”
Helfrich says he experienced a sense of freedom that he hadn’t felt for years.
“It's total freedom,” he said. “I am free to do whatever, meander around, get lost on my farm, or just get lost in my head. I take a walk every morning and literally talk with myself about creating the day before me. I take time to appreciate the lake, the plants, the sky, and the breeze. It allows me to push away the worry and the feeling that, ‘I’ve got to do something,’ that overwhelms us all, and simply experience gratitude for what is around me, and be intentional on whatever I decide to do.”
Often that decision results in discovering ways to live off the land. He has solar panels for electricity, rain barrels for water, and he eats what he grows.
“I am motivated by curiosity, by trying to figure out things like how to warm the water in my outdoor shower,” Helfrich said. "It is such a satisfying feeling when it works. I think it comes from childhood, because ultimately it is like playing.”
Helfrich believes change is important to unlock a fresh perspective.
“Remember as a kid when you walked right out to the end of that diving board and wondered, ‘Can I really do this?’” he said. “It’s so scary but wonderful at the same time — that feeling of putting yourself out there, right on the edge. That's what it feels like to truly be alive.”
Now 58, Helfrich says he feels more alive than ever. He is not only comfortable with himself, he also no longer fears being alone. His experiences have led him to no longer fear change but to embrace it.
Change is not always easy or fun. But as Helfrich discovered, there is nothing more fulfilling or worthwhile than finding our authentic selves. It is truly the role of a lifetime.
