We have all had to find creative outlets to relieve stress and stay healthy during the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place orders. Annibal “Junior” Peixoto, Arbor Terrace Morris Plains’ Housekeeping and Maintenance director, has found a unique way to stay active, let off steam, and spread joy and laughter in his Springfield, N.J., community.
Junior discovered electric skateboarding over a year ago before joining the Arbor team. For him, initially it was a mode of transportation in addition to a way to get out and do something fun. Little did he know that his hobby would take him miles through his community and evoke smiles at every turn, which is especially welcomed after months of fear and isolation for many choosing to continue to self-quarantine.
What makes his rides through neighborhoods so eye-catching and delightful for spectators starts with what he is wearing as he rolls by. It all began when Junior, feeling like he and the community needed a lift in spirits, purchased a special fabric helmet cover for the motorcycle helmet he wears when skateboarding.
“It looks like a character or costume and just draws attention immediately,” Junior said. “I have named the alter ego ‘Samuel, the hairy e-skater.’ I feel like a different person when I wear it and find myself smiling the whole time. And people have taken such a liking to Samuel that they smile with me.”
Although the helmet is aesthetically interesting and fun, it is the thumbs ups, waves and smiles, impromptu push scooter races with kids and skateboarding tricks that have gained him local attention. Not to mention the little funny shockers he gives when stopping to fix Samuel’s hair in someone’s rearview mirror or posing for photos during his excursions.
Junior also has connected with a small group of other e-skaters, and they are being requested to show up for socially distanced gatherings or at times of the day when neighborhood residents are most likely to be out in their yards or on their porches.
“The local appreciation is an honor, but I am super proud of my team at [Arbor Terrace] Morris Plains and the way they’ve kept residents safe and how they’re finding ways to keep themselves healthy,” Junior said. “We have all found ways to spread joy inside and outside the community. Sticking together, we can get through anything.”
Junior describes Samuel as the goofier and more fun-loving version of himself, and says inhabiting the character has been a great way to step outside of the challenges of life and just smile. He hopes that for the few minutes he cruises through a neighborhood, he’s freeing someone else to do the same.
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