Michael and Danielle Gawronski stand with their mom Teri Le Sharp (middle). The trio spreads cheer across La Center while dressed up as three little pigs.
Three not-so-little piggies were spotted alongside the Pacific Highway in La Center Saturday. While out on a walk, Teri Le Sharp and her son and daughter, Michael and Danielle Gawronski, huffed, puffed and spread cheer across La Center.
“The costumes are our hazmat suits,” Sharp joked. “We have to be safe.”
Sharp and her son and daughter will spend part of their day walking around town dressed up in inflatable pig suits.
“We go for walks every day because you got to get your exercise,” Sharp said.
She said they’ve received requests to walk in certain parts of town, even stopping by the home of an at-risk 14-year-old for her birthday.
“Even in the darkest times you can find a light and we wanted to be that light,” she said.
According to Sharp, she and her daughter and son decided to get outfits to start spreading joy around town. After choosing the cohesive pig costumes from a list that included Pokemon, Stay Puft Marshmallows and a dinosaur skeleton, the trio hit the streets of La Center for a good time.
“The reception was that it was immediately hilarious,” she said. “Cars slowed down, people were taking pictures and honking their horns. Some people were confused but that was what we wanted, something to distract them from everything.”
Sharp has lived in La Center for about nine years and said she loves the community and how cohesive it is.
“People are so quick to help out,” she said.
The costumes are a way to give back.
“It’s hard for the little kids that don't get it and don’t understand,” she said. “It’s a scary world and (this is) hard because it’s not tangible. We wanted to be positive and show joy.”
Sharp said her family will continue to spread joy as long as they can, both as a way to cheer up the community and to have a laugh for themselves.
“I really don’t believe in taking life too seriously,” she said. “You can still be serious about things but find laughter and joy. We want to treat what’s going on seriously but still find the joy and positive stuff in life. Because there’s so many good things in life.”
Sharp said she spent part of her life not enjoying the little things and finding happiness. She hopes that her small bursts of positivity can bring out joy for everyone.
“Everyone should just find what makes them happy,” she said. “And find an authentic way to spread love and joy. This is really a time that’s really changing the way we live, it’s really shaking up a lot of our norms, and we have to keep thinking outside of the box.”
As for the Big Bad Wolf, Sharp said she and her son and daughter weren’t too scared of running into him because even he knows to keep a 6-foot distance from others.
However, she hopes someone dresses up as the evil wolf in the future.
