Breaking the Rules

This morning I broke one of my Cardinal Rules of Life and went running, outdoors, with my iPod.

I'm not morally opposed to running with headphones. In fact, I consider my iPod a necessity in the wintertime when I'm confined to the treadmill and the track. It's just that when I go outdoors, the music becomes a distraction. I'd much rather focus on my own thoughts and on what's going on around me.

But for some reason, today was the day. I saw my shuffle as I was heading out the door, thought maybe I'd give it a try, liked the song that began playing when I turned it on, and kept my headphones in for all six miles. Maybe it's because I've now spent four winters running indoors with my iPod. Maybe it's because this last winter I took to the track a little and learned how to think and listen to music at the same time. Maybe it's because I have particularly good music on my iPod right now. Whatever the reason, I nevertheless did something that before I just simply never did. I don't intend to make a habit of it, but I'm feeling more open to the idea of bringing my music along every once in awhile.

This got me thinking about other Cardinal Rules of Life that I live by. I'm not talking about the Essential-for-Survival Rules (like Drink Water When You're Thirsty, or Don't Go Outdoors in Short Sleeves When It's -10 Degrees Outside), or even the Really Important Rules (like Say Prayers before Bedtime, or Take the Dog on a Walk, or Don't Let Dirty Dishes Pile Up in the Sink). I'm talking about the things that I do (or don't do) without even really thinking about why. For example:

Amy's Cardinal Rules of Life (A Selection)

Never eat anything with raisins in it.
Always set the trip meter when driving from one location to another.
Order the #4 (easy Mayo, with onion) at Jimmy John's.
Keep the bedside clock set seven minutes fast.
Eat fruit with every breakfast and vegetables with every dinner.
Hang clothes up in the closet according to color.

Usually these Rules develop on principle or preference, but once they become habit, some of them develop a sense of arbitrariness, and under the proper circumstances, Rules that were once sacred can be broken:

Amy's Cardinal Rules of Life (Broken)

No running outdoors with an iPod.
Don't drink carbonated beverages.
Don't ask boys on one-on-one dates; wait for them to ask you.
Don't watch rated R movies.
Don't take over-the-counter medicines for anything other than pain relief.
I had reasons for all of these Rules at one time. I really don't care for most carbonated beverages (special occasion beverages, like sparkling cider, have always been an exception). Most people seem to agree with me that when a woman asks a man out, it is much less likely to lead somewhere than the other way around. There's lots of counsel about avoiding rated R movies. Most non-prescribed medicine I have taken either makes me gag just thinking about it (Nyquil, cough syrup, Pepto-Bismol) or makes me feel woozy and drugged. But in each of these cases, some event or realization eventually led me to disregard the Rule.

It's hard to say whether breaking my Cardinal Rules has been a good thing or a bad thing. I'm pretty sure breaking the Carbonated Beverages Rule, while not all that harmful to my well-being, also had no particularly positive consequences. Breaking the Dating Rule was kind of terrifying, but it had good repercussions. I still think a lot about the Rated R Rule, and how to make sure the times I break it don't involve diluting my principles. And the Medication Rule, come to think of it, isn't broken so much as it has been expanded to include Claritin with Advil in the list of permissible drugs for permissible ailments.

What are your own Cardinal Rules? What Cardinal Rules have you broken? People tend not to respond when I post a question for the comments section, but since I can't think of a good way to end this post, and since I don't want to leave this post unposted after two weeks of writer's block just because I can't think of a good way to wrap it up, I'll do it anyway. Go ahead, comment away :).