Color in the Lines

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Last night, after we had pedicures, I took Iz to the local pub, her favorite spot, for dinner. She knows the place so well that within 2 minutes of sitting down, she left the table and said, "Mom, I'm going to get the crayons."

When she returned, she not only had a cup of crayolas, but she also had several holiday coloring sheets, which looked like they had been printed out for Thanksgiving. She started to color, and then after she colored a portion of the female pilgrim's apron, she asked, "Mom, would you color this part of it? I said, "Sure." And then she said sternly, "Color in the lines!"

I had to laugh. Color in the lines. I remember two years ago, she was lucky if she could color on a piece of paper or on a page in a coloring book, let alone within the lines! It must be first grade that has suddenly transformed her into the regimented coloring person she had become. First grade, unlike Kindergarten, has a strict schedule; spelling, math, and lunch were all at a certain hour, and library, gym, and art all had their own days.

In a small way, I was disappointed. She had lost her innate "whatever" attitude; however, in a huge way, I knew it was good, because she needed to learn that life was about following rules, well, for the most part. I knew that later, she would break away from the rules and interpret them for herself; however, as a child, she needed to know there were basic rules, and she had to abide by them. But, she could always take "No loitering" and "Post No Bills" with a grain of salt.

Today, I spent most of the day with one of The Lovelies, Marcia. We had seen each other on Friday night, but today, we got together just to have lunch and chat. We had a lovely three-hour lunch at a seafood place near her home. That was followed by a three-hour tea and Hershey kiss (I ate those!) afternoon at her house, in which we cyber-stalked people we grew up with and went to college with on http://www.classmates.com/ and Facebook. I had so much fun! Yeah, well, being unemployed, neither Marcia or I get out much; we only get out via the Internet!

Marcia told me that that she didn't read my blog sometimes when at work, because it was too long. Hey, at least she didn't say it was too "boring", "stupid," or "lame." And, she's not the only reader who has told me that my blogs are lengthy; some even have to devote a certain amount of time during the day in which to read my tomes. (Hello, Tomas! ♥)

Anyway, I love Iz for wanting me to color in the lines; at her age, I'm glad she wants to. But, I think she'll change her rules about coloring later in life. As my Mom once said, "Much of wisdom is gained in retrospect." And, I'm sure that eventually Iz will find that too, and she will color in the lines some days and color outside of them other days.

Today, I learned that I should start coloring in the lines soon in regard to my future plans; however, I also learned that every once in a while, it's perfectly okay to color outside the lines, especially if coloring outside the lines gives you so much more than if you had stayed within the lines. Thank you, Marcia. ♥ And, you had better read freakin' all this, because I made it short for you. ♥