Yesterday was a beautiful day of painting in the park with children.

It begin with a day off for my daughter, some large canvas, paint, and tarp set up on the green space in front of our house.

Some beloved neighborhood children came by and saw what me and my daughter were doing. We realized we only had one large canvas, and my daughter without thinking twice invited the older two girls to paint with her. (how beautiful to witness this moment to share!)



I made a request that we do this in silence so we could connect with the artwork that was emerging with us. They were intrigued and ready to try it out. I played some nice music for us. This was the only condition set for the day.

The children figured out quickly they would have to collaborate without words through the colors of the art.

I immediately felt so relaxed. I very consciously was aware of the shift I felt when I didn't feel the need to be in control. In this day and life of constant going and constant management of kids, it is a radical and conscious stance to say you will not be in control.

They painted and painted their hearts out with all of the colors merging and beautiful images of rainbows, flowers, trees all beginning to merge.

Another mom lovingly brought over some lunch for us. As we were eating, we began talking a little. One of the older girls said "Why can't school feel like this? Like we can have classrooms with no walls?" I said "Why not? We should!" :) We also started talking about Standing Rock youth after learning they had some Native American blood in them! All these teachable moments and connection to our identity emerged so naturally.

After lunch, it was time to revisit our version 1.0. The children took all of the paint and squeezed into their hands and mixed it all up and had total GLEE on their faces. With their hands and pure delight on their faces, they went over to the art work and just like that combined all of the paint to make a whole new version. That was intense because I was still attached to the first version! Just like that the kids modeled what it is like to not be attached to outcomes.



4 hours went by on that tarp. 4 hours! I can't remember the last time I spent 4 hours with a bunch of kids and did no management or controlling of what they were doing, yet felt so connected with them.

The structure was set up for them to be free.

It was emergent and unplanned. No need for a structured playdate.

It was collaborative because we were in a common green space, not in our isolated backyards.

All I had to do as a parent was back off and let it be. Let go of them being dirty. Let go of being in control. Let go of concern, and I found it pretty easy to do yesterday in the midst of that beautiful sunshine and because of practicing to let go. My experiments going to Forest School, hanging out at with my dear mom friend Kasia (who so beautifully models this to me all the time), going to kindness in the park regularly, all allowed me to very naturally create this emergent opportunity.

We may have found a thing: Painting in the Park! It was freedom, joyful, collaborative, calming, and loving and the way the world should feel--what Gandhi meant when he talked about constructive program (new structures, organizations, situations anchored in the values for the kind of world we want to live in). I hope to do it more with more kids this summer if the opportunity feels right or maybe something new will emerge. I'm grateful for any opportunity to connect with this feeling! I'm grateful I can reflect on it and share it here. And I'm grateful for these beautiful children and what they keep teaching me!

May we all keep painting and keep playing!