I really am not a morning person. So I woke up on Saturday, March 23, trying to blink the wakefulness in to my eyes while I brewed coffee.
My girlfriend and I left for the McHenry Park District, frost still clinging to my car late in March. We arrived with plenty of time to set up in the corner, next to a few other arts and crafts the park district had set up. Kids could make an easter bunny and a carrot with paper and glue. They could also make decorative bracelets or, of course, draw pictures at our drawing booth.
The McHenry Park District had two batches of kids at two separate times. The first batch arrived at 9am, little kids and parents sitting down to breakfast before the easter egg hunt began. The kids were delighted when the Easter Bunny walked in the room, and ran out of the room to find eggs. Several of them drew pictures of easter bunnies, or some of their favorite animals.
I would try to coax the kids into drawing, but I also got to practice my juggling! I’ve been getting better, bit by bit, and I’ve graduated to juggling with our dry erase board erasers. If you’ve been to a workshop, you’ll know that Jerry’s named them This, That, and The Other Thing. I’ve been practicing with regular juggling balls–spherical bean bags designed to fit comfortably in the hand, perfect for juggling. This, That, and the Other Thing, by contrast, are more lightweight, and have a tendency to flit wherever they please, following the usual juggling pattern for a cycle or two only to bounce impishly out of my hand just when I think they’ve finally learned to behave.
“Look at the juggler!” Two parents, with their two small children. The younger one, with a charming Easter Bunny sweater, chuckled as I flung The Other Thing behind me on purpose. When juggling, it’s best to combine your accidental mistakes with deliberate acts of juggling sabotage. Best to let audiences think that your “incompetence” is only an act. I’d never been called a “juggler” before, and felt like I’d been promoted. The little boy drew an Easter Bunny, using the carrot craft he’d made as a reference. His brother drew a tiger from the banner of cartoon animals we brought to the workshop. I tried to show them how to juggle, telling them to throw the ball in the air with one hand and catch it in the other.
The photographer, who got a short video of me juggling, said that she’d always wanted to learn to juggle but had never figured out how. I told her what Jerry told me–take 18 minutes a day and practice. Keep doing that and you’ll figure it out in no time. She was particularly delightful as a photographer, getting kids to laugh and smile for the brief moments their parents could corral their kids in front of the Easter backdrop for a picture.
All the while, I kept getting pictures from our OTHER drawing booth in Pleasant Dale! Jerry’s mom and aunts were busy at the park district, where his mom and I had hosted a drawing booth earlier in the year. They kept sending me pictures of themselves and wacky drawings from the kids.
After the drawing booth was done, my girlfriend and I headed back. My parents were coming with my niece and nephews, and we were both excited to see them. Jerry’s family, meanwhile, visited several libraries, park districts, and other places on their way back. They even stopped at a sushi and burger restaurant in Geneva, IL, where Matt joined them for lunch.
In the meantime, I played with my niece and nephew, who were visiting from St Louis on spring break. We drew wacky art on the whiteboard, the kids inventing whole imaginary countries with fantastical names like “doodle island.” My niece (10 years old) was impressed that I’d learned to juggle. I told her: take 18 minutes every day, and you’ll get it in no time.
