With each wave
She’s knocked off her seat
Of comfort and the status quo
Invited by baptism to open
To the notion that all things
Don’t have rules
Or perhaps if they do
She’s here to break them
©Ashley Castle Barnes
I’m not historically a rule-breaker.
I’m the one who pulls out the instructions for the board game, reads them thoroughly, and insists everyone abide by them. Even children.
Because my brain is often scattered and creative and floating all over the place with ideas, the rest of me craves the structure that rules can provide.
And yet, my inner nature, the one that I’ve pushed away for most of my adult life, is defiant.
It rails against rules.
It argues with the idea of anything or anyone telling me what to do or how to do it.
That inner nature is of course at odds with my outer rule-following, need for structure.
And what I’m finding lately is that more and more often I’m being challenged with opportunities to leave my comfort zone behind and dare to do something – gasp – unruly.
Which feels scary and unsettled and inappropriate, a word I’m growing to loathe.
I’m honestly tired of being appropriate. Professional. Doing the “right” things.
Who even defined what is appropriate, professional, or right?
My guess is people who enjoy the power, status, and comfort that comes with maintaining the status quo.
Of course, there’s a great many of us who fall into that pattern without the power or even the comfort because “it’s how we’ve always done it”.
Because someone we respect told us this is “how it’s supposed to be”.
Because no one ever gave us permission to do it any other way.
Well, I give you permission. I give myself permission.
To use our wildly creative brains to dream up things the status quo only wishes it could.
Things that solve problems. Lift people up. Create belonging. Enhance well-being. Make a better world for everyone.
Even if we feel nervous about the lack of rules. Even if we don’t necessarily know yet what’s going to happen or if we will even succeed.
Let’s do it together.