3 x 5″ watercolor and ink on paper

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Yesterday we had the pleasure of hanging out with my two and a half year old niece. The day was fun filled – lots of pretending and playing. Toward the end of the day we asked her if she wanted to go on a run with us. She excitedly answered yes, proceeded to find everyone’s running shoes and we were quickly out the door. We took a stroller along, but my niece opted to run quite a bit and seemed to enjoy the entire thing. It got me wondering, at what point do we decide that running is work instead of play? At what age do we become so tightly wound that a once fun activity is a chore rather than a reward?

As I watched her enjoy herself, stopping as she became tired or distracted I realized we could probably learn a lot from a kid. Kids don’t seem to care how much distance they cover, calories they burn, or time it takes to complete an activity; they simply get out and move – enjoying the fresh air and world around them.