Finger Paints and Philosophy

The daycare was slow, and the students were less in number than usual. As a result of such a warm lazy day in the summer, the teacher decided today would be a great day to finger paint. With the bottles of rainbow assorted colors they set out for the classroom. The girls were giggly with excitement as they trudged down the hall. They felt important as they each helped the teacher carry the bottles. ponytails and braids swayed from side to side as they moved down the hall, as excitement filled the air.

Once they reached the class, construction paper of many colors were pulled out, t-shirts to get messy in were put on, and paints were poured on paper plates. The teacher said, in the most game show host tone like voice possible, "let the painting begin!" Loud giggles, screeching, talking and playing began as the shirts darkened with use and hands became slaves to the thick paints. Butterflies, hand prints, bugs, and plants were painted out on the paper! imaginations were set free, as what was in the children's heads were set free through their imaginations! It truly was a beautiful time!

"You can go to extremes with impossible schemes

 You can laugh when your dreams fall apart at the seams

 and life gets more exciting with each passing day

 and love is either in your heart, or on its way."

-Frank Sinatra

That is when I entered the classroom! I saw all the fun and excitement, the girlish giggles from the three five year old girls and my best friend (the teacher) painting her mom. I laughed as I watched her try to make brown out of the glittery paints (that looked like a shade of poo) and laughed even more as the girls told me to sit at the child size table and make butterflies. As i tried to position myself in a sturdy kids chair at the table, I grabbed a white piece of paper and began my masterpiece. With hot pink, blue, orange, and purples i created butterflies, and with green made a flower and grass! 

However, as I was sitting there with the children, enjoying the moment, I realized a profound truth. When you are young, life seems so much simpler. Many things that are deemed as important outside the four walls of the intensely decorated classroom are no longer prevalent. Because, when you are sitting in a miniature chair, next to little girls asking you to draw butterflies, and your fingers are messy from the grit of the paints, you realize that life is so much more beautiful and fun when you are young at heart!

"Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth

to be young at heart

For as rich as you are, it's much better by far

to be young at heart."

-Frank Sinatra