Growing up sucks. We get to school, and what we thought was fun at home is no longer fun, because it just isn’t cool.
Competition starts early, and so does conformity. No longer can we color a dog purple and heaven forbid we color outside the lines. We begin our day hearing the teacher say “Good Morning Class” and we give are trained to respond in unison “Good Morning Ms. Smith”. Blech!
How does this prepare you for life? Okay…so there are rules we have to follow. Order is necessary in society and a stop sign does mean stop, however, did you ever stop to consider what would have happened if William Shakespeare or Benjamin Franklin followed all the rules all the time? Can’t you just picture old Ben’s mom screaming “Get in out of the lightening!” What if Plato had remained silent in the interest of decorum?
Just for today perhaps we should break the rules. I don’t mean run a red light, or steal something from the local grocer and for heaven’s sake don’t say “Abby gave me permission to not file my taxes this year”. What I am saying is follow your heart. .
Think not only with intellect and factor heart and instinct into your decisions. Perhaps showing compassion for the three elderly people walking at a snail’s pace side by side in the supermarket who are blocking you from passing by deserve compassion rather than disdain or contempt because they are blocking you and throwing your schedule off by three precious minutes. God willing, you will be that old someday.
Just for today, when the class says “Good Morning Ms. Smith” say “Hey girl Hey” – evoke laughter, smile and show a little compassion. You will surprise those you come in contact with, and more importantly…you just might find yourself pleasantly surprised with the promise of who you can become. Think outside the box!
