There are times when I see something and simply have a flash of inspiration. The inspiration usually starts from some object I come across…in this case a little wooden trailer with plastic wheels which clearly used to belong behind a toy tractor. There was no tractor to be found, and the trailer was in pretty poor shape. Knowing that little James was just on the verge of walking, and probably aided by my own childhood memories of little red wagons, I started to re-imagine what this wagon could be.
I found a wooden shelf support which would work beautifully as a handle for pulling. I grabbed a can of old primer and some sand paper. While at the store, I had slipped in a can of red spray paint without saying what it was for. Then, I let the other WorkAwayers in on the secret. Being young women, they were thrilled to be making a gift for James. They took care of the sanding and priming bit. Finally, I reassembled all the pieces and gave everything a few coats of red paint.
Nothing is more satisfying than to see people truly and pleasantly surprised. Little James obviously couldn’t understand all the commotion, but he certainly took an instant liking to the cart. When I left, he had only just taken a few wobbly steps, but I imagine him now running through the long grass while the little red cart bumps along behind him.
