Are you ruled by rules? Are your holiday lights still up?

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a particulary structured person - someone who does a bunch of things all at the same time. I can't tell you how many times I've been asked this past year if I was ADD.  We didn't have that diagnosis when I was a kid so who knows.  If I am, I'm hopefully using it to my advantage because I like to do lots of things at the same time - sort of multi-tasking squared.  Just have to be considerate when other people are around so it doesn't drive them crazy!

I'm also not particularly rule driven.  I don't have to have things a certain way to be happy.  As long as no one is hurt in the process, I'm pretty good about having no rules about things.  For example, I have a pannini maker thanks to the generosity of Oprah.  When my brother was here visiting one time, he asked if would be ok to make sausage in the paninni maker.  Why not?  Of course!  He said others had rules that paninni makers could only be used for making those sandwiches and nothing else.  Huh?  Really?  Why?  Does the pannini genie show up taking your cheese away?  Why do people have so many rules?  Doesn't it make life more stressful?

Like the fact that all holiday lights must be down by New Year's day or January 6th.  Why can't we leave them up all winter?  Sure would brighten up the dullest time of year and the time with the least amount of daylight.  I understand that real trees become fire hazards and must come down but what about artifical indoor trees and outdoor lights?  Can't more people break the rules and leave them on?  I don't think they use up all that much energy and they are so pretty.  Even if I put mine out the day after Thanksgiving, one month is just not enough.

What else do you have rules about?  Do people have to do things your way for you to be happy?  Or can you be happy with less structure?  I'm not saying everyone has to be a free spirit or that we should have no rules  - that would be chaotic.  But how about a little less structure..and a little less stress.. I love living this way.  That way I get to save the tension, the drama, the headaches for the big things in life, the things I can't choose to be flexible about, like losing again to my cousin's daughter in Words with Friends - again!!!

Oh by the way, I'm sitting next to my pretty little sparkly tree.  I think I'l keep it up til Valentine's Day!

Marianne