A quiet man sits at the front of the ferry on his way to work. He always has a big smile, and is almost always juggling something or other attracting and engaging kids of all ages from all corners of the ferry.
When I first met Paul Stewart we were still summer visitors to the island, and my family would always look forward to a chance encounter with “the juggler.” Little did I know at that time the impact that Paul and his juggling has on Bowen Island as a community.
I have always been fascinated by the generosity of people living on Bowen, and Paul adds a whole new dimension. He gives his time, patience, expertise, and shares a lot of cool juggling toys he has collected along the way. Paul visited BICS on Wednesday and the Bowen Island Montessori School last Thursday, and I was lucky enough be there to observe him in action at the Montessori School.
The moment he arrived, the kids were engaged and excited to see what he brought. Like a magician, Paul kept pulling new things out of his bag to the amazement of the children. The kids were ages 2.5 to 5 years old, and Paul kept them mesmerized for quite a long time. When one thing fizzled out, he quickly moved on, from balls to scarves, to spinning plates, to devil sticks, and finally the pinnacle of the experience for the kids - the peacock feathers.
From balancing the exotic feathers on their fingers, they quickly moved to trying to balance feathers on their noses, thanks to a great tutorial from Paul. Throughout, he includes all the kids and makes sure they are all having fun. I am not sure how he does it, but his gentle, guiding nature and patience draws kids in.
Paul’s passion for juggling has taken him all over the world to attend juggling conferences, and he started the Bowen Island juggling club with his kids, which has since dissolved due to lack of time and regular attendees. Occasionally he teaches adults to juggle balls in seminars designed to free their inner children and play for fun. Luckily he still offers free juggling instruction and playtime at Bowfest, and will also be once again volunteering/teaching in the juggling tent at the Granville Children’s Festival in a couple of weeks.
We are all so lucky to have this quiet, gentle man amongst us. His juggling helps build the strong sense of community that we are so blessed with here on Bowen Island.
