hooping with the locals

When I go over to the sea to hoop, I will often bring a few more hoola hoops with me, in case some of the locals walk by and want to try. I am used to their usual resistance together with fascination. I know that by approaching them directly I will not get them hooping. So I just kind of let them oogle from afar, and invite them with a hand pantomime, and they nod their heads no. then take a few more steps closer, and again I offer them the hoops, and they refuse. And then I see them starting to mimic my hip movements as if they too are hooping, and again I invite them, and again no.

But a few moments later one of the gang is daring to touch one of the ones on the ground, and they tease each other a bit, and I invite them again, and there usually is one brave one that will play the clown and try and hoop and purposely fail. That's my chance to start to encourage them. And sure enough, slowly slowly they are hooping and pros within minutes. ןi begin to show them a few more advanced moves too and we are all busy giggling and having fun. Once they know the basics, they themselves usually start inventing all kinds of new movements that I don't even think of.

Next, usually one of their parents will show up and I then tell the kids that they are now the "guru" (teacher) and they go through the same back and forth game of their parents saying no but actually dying to try it, and soon we are all hooping and laughing. It's fun hooping with them, since they are really all like a bunch of kids, parents and child alike, just enjoying a good time and playing in life.