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Health & Fitness

My Pugsley Park Encounter - 100 Reasons I Love Peekskill - Post 90

My Pugsley Park Encounter. Earlier today, on this gorgeous Sunday, I went to hoop for a while in Pugsley Park, two blocks from my loft. For hula hoop practice, Pugsley Park has a distinct advantage over Riverfront Green - no Canada Geese. (I can pick up a dropped hoop without going eeeeuuuuw!)

I'm getting better with my hooping, and my isolations, weaves and spins often attract attention. Today I looked up, and there were four kids watching me - two boys (ages 11 & 10) and two girls (ages 10 and 6) - siblings and cousins. The older girl was wearing a head scarf and didn't speak much English.

I offered to let them try, and soon they were excitedly playing with my hoops. I asked the older boy what language they were speaking. "Pashtun," he said. I told him he was lucky that he could speak two languages. "I speak SIX languages," he said proudly, and counted them off on his fingers - Pashtun, Urdu, Arabic, Hindi, Spanish and English. I was very impressed and told him so.

I told them that I was a magician, which condemned me to 15 minutes of tricks with the only thing I had with me - a quarter. One of the kids found a wine cork on the ground, so I did tricks with that, too.

I had to leave, and as I walked down the Main Street I had a four-kid entourage, jumping around me, chattering and laughing.

In my year of entertaining children, I've learned that no matter their culture or background, kids are kids. These kids were fun and bright. I wish them well, living here in Peekskill.

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