Breaking the Rules

It’s Spirit Week at my daughter’s school. Each day, they get to dress up according to a theme devised by a panel of 8th graders. And while there may be those among the older kids who are feeling jaded and bored with the idea of having crazy hair today, Lily is over the moon that she has TWO PONY TAILS! ON TOP OF HER HEAD! And she’s almost mad with excitement that on Friday they get to wear pajamas. Outside! At school!

Kids love it when they get to break the rules. Things like spirit week create energy through the controlled chaos they generate. Lily generally loves school, but getting her out the door in the morning is generally a huge chore. Not today. The prospect of showing off her crazy hair was enough to send her rocketing down the sidewalk.

What rule – big or small – could you bend today to create a bit of enjoyable chaos? What’s just crazy enough to get you and your colleagues excited without upending the apple cart completely? And how can you make it happen?