“You just parked under a no parking sign!” Mak said incredulously.
I shrugged. I was trying to be less of a goody two shoes. You know the type—follows every rule, sits in front, waves her hand to answer all the questions.
We were on our way into our Clinical Pastoral Education class. This unit was hospice internship. I was surrounded by seminarians finishing up their schooling before ordination. A group who followed the rules almost without question.
Well, except Mak. He had a slight issue with authority. But apparently that did not extend to the powers that governed parking.
So, I parked under a huge no parking sign. Big deal. What was the worst that could happen?
Ok, it was Chicago. My car could be towed by the Protective Parking Service Corporation (aka Lincoln Towing), a company that had so many complaints filed against its questionable practices that maybe I should have chosen to rebel some other way.
But I parked there week after week, defying that giant sign, taking a risk, questioning what seemed to be an arbitrary rule. I mean, it wasn’t a fire lane or anything.
How often do we blindly follow “rules”?
Don’t wear white after Labor Day.
Don’t end a sentence with a preposition.
Men, open the car door for a woman and pull out her chair for her.
Women, get rid of all your body hair.
Face forward in an elevator.
Doing otherwise can make us appear trendsetting, maybe quirky, or maybe even tone-deaf.
Doing otherwise may make us feel courageous, like risk-takers, chicks breaking out of our shell.
One of the barriers to change is rigidity about rules.
I’m not suggesting you run red lights or shoplift a five-pound ham.
I’m talking about examining the norms that were instilled in you by your parents, or teachers, or peer groups. Little things like clapping after someone blows out their birthday candles. Why? Was it that big of an accomplishment? Or maybe it’s a habit you’ve developed that, upon inspection, makes no sense.
Does following informal rules give you a sense of order and comfort? Does it make your life easier, like Steve Jobs wearing the same outfit every day?
Or does it keep you inside your shell?
When you think of the societal norms in your life, do they enlarge or limit you?
What custom can you play with or test this week?
Will the earth spin in the opposite direction if I don’t put my left shoe on first? If I set the heat to an odd number? It might. But I’m going to give it a shot, rebel that I am.