2024 is for breaking the rules

consider this your permission slip

As I sit to write this, hound dog snoring at my elbow, I am breaking multiple rules.

First, and likely least offensive, I am writing while technically (read: absolutely) on the clock for my day job. But who among us has not crossed this line?

More troublingly, I let the chickens out of their coop to roam before I sat down and now I can only see 1 out of 3 from the sunroom window. This means there is a not insignificant chance they are in the neighbor’s yard now, where we have been firmly asked not to let them wander. Which brings me to…

Thirdly, my longsuffering spouse has repeatedly requested that, for the sake of neighborly relations, I not release said fowl unless I am committed to babysitting them outdoors for the duration of their romp. Reader, it is January in Iowa. I am not outside babysitting chickens. I am inside on my butt in a warm house.

Here, I suppose I should also disclose that our HOA technically (read: absolutely) has a prohibition on chicken ownership in the first place. I could write a whole essay on why this is ridiculous — we live in the country for crying out loud! — but I realize that isn’t the point here.

I wasn’t born a rule breaker. I honestly don’t remember being this way as a child at all. It wasn’t until the cusp of adolescence that I began to feel that ghostly hand around my throat, insisting on what I should do or shouldn’t say; declaring me a thing to be controlled. That was when the rage began, when I started clawing at the fist of my suffocation, baring my teeth and letting the vibration of my growl hum.

No, I wasn’t born a rule breaker; I became one when I became a woman. I became one when I realized I would have to, should I hope to hold onto myself.

If you’ve never been a rule breaker before, I hope that 2024 is the year you start experimenting. When the world demands your conformity or uniformity or agreeability, I hope you think of this post and do what you must to hold onto yourself

Love,

Shannon

P.S. - Because I know some of you are mentally screaming at me about respecting others, right after writing this I did go check on the chickens (who were pleasantly within bounds) and returned to my day job (where no one noticed I’d ducked out.) Yes, I do still own chickens despite the HOA, but most of the neighbors adore them.

action shot of me trying to write this without breaking Skye’s rules of engagement

upcoming writers workshop

Hey writers! Are you a fan of pop culture? How about spirituality? Interested in learning how to combine the two? Join My Life with the Jedi author Eric Clayton and me for a morning workshop on writing about spirituality and pop culture. We’ll talk about how to do it, why it matters—and how to get your stuff published.

Saturday, January 13
9-10:30 CST
$25 (payable through Venmo or PayPal)

Registration is good for attending the live event AND obtaining the recording.

You can sign up here.

If you’re so inclined, I would love to hear from you in the comments! What rules do you plan on breaking in 2024? Are you more naturally a rule follower or a rule breaker — and does this have anything to do with things like birth order, astrological signs, or Enneagram numbers? Nature vs. nurture? What do we think about this, people?!?!