The Beauty of Improv

I was sitting on the couch earlier this afternoon, trying to finish up a book, while I encouraged some independent play time. Suddenly, I heard a loud rip. I glanced down in the floor where Drew had been coloring and flipping through the current Pottery Barn Kids catalog. His fascination with those things always amazes me; so after I finish flipping through and daydreaming, I pass them on to him. Anyway, back to the rip. Apparently his all-boyness had kicked in and he was demolishing said catalog piece by piece. I shrugged my shoulders, reminded him that it would have to be cleaned up before bedtime and went back to reading. It was just going to get thrown away and in the meantime, he was playing on his own.

15 minutes later, I surveyed the damage. The entire front half of the living room floor was covered in PBK scraps. I probably should have been slightly annoyed but much like the tissue box incidents the summer before his 1st birthday, it amused me. What had formerly been a mere PBK magazine was now a potential art project. Armed with some construction paper, scissors and glue, I settled down in the floor. My little artist ran around grabbing his favorite scraps, telling me what he wanted cut out more and an hour of fun later...we have our masterpiece. Drew, of course, finds himself utterly brilliant and is delighted that his new work will be displayed in the gallery (i.e. the refrigerator). That my friends, is the beauty of improv... seizing the moment, running with what you have and in the end, entertainment for all.