Rules of Life
Writing - or rewriting - rules to live by
We are surrounded by instructions, rules, and regulations in our daily lives. Whether it’s the rules of the road, instructions on how to take a medication or use an appliance or device, or regulations regarding how to complete official paperwork, we are impacted by their presence and whether or not we choose to follow them. Sometimes we modify rules based on circumstances or the individuals involved.
My mother often told me that before playing a game with others, it was important to decide upon the rules of the game. We could change or modify the standard rules, as long as everyone agreed on them. A good example of this rule modification process comes up when playing the card game Uno. The original game has two different cards, Draw Two and Draw Four Wild, that instruct the next player to draw two or four cards. Were we playing by the rule that said the player who received this card had to draw two to four cards for their turn and could not discard any cards? Or were we playing by the rule that said if the player had a similar card, they could play it, and the next player had to draw the total number of cards? If we played by the latter rule, one player might wind up drawing a huge number of cards, especially if there were at least three people playing Uno. This rule of piling up the Draw Two/Draw Four cards could make for a more entertaining—or enraging—game.
This week, I invite you to write—or rewrite—the rules for living. You can do this for yourself or a character in a story you’re writing. You might even want to make a list poem of these new/old rules. Some questions to get you started:
What rules were you taught as a child that you still live by?
What institution or authority figure do you associate with most of the rules you have learned over the years? This could be a religious/spiritual leader, government office, parent/guardian, or another individual or entity.
What rules did you find unnecessary or oppressive as a child? Do you feel differently about those rules now?
What rules have you set for yourself that you’ve found to be helpful in living your best life?
Is there a particular rule that you believe would be good for everyone to follow?
Recommendation: set a timer for 25 minutes and see what comes up. You can write by hand or type it out—whatever writing method works for you.
Have fun writing!
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