Summer Activity: Break Free of Imaginary Restrictions | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

Summer Activity: Break Free of Imaginary Restrictions

Since the normal summer itinerary has been thrown out the window, it's important we improvise

45
Summer Activity: Break Free of Imaginary Restrictions

In This Article:

It's a hot day, you've spent all afternoon doing yard work with the sun beating down on you as you scoop shovel after shovel after shovel of mulch into a wheelbarrow, bring it from flowerbed to flowerbed, and spread it. By the time you reach the last flowerbed your body has accumulated dirt, sweat, and an itchy feeling. You look forward to showering, getting clean, and cooling off. You finish up while a herd of gray clouds rolls in and unleash a downpour. You decide to try something different: stand out in the rain and enjoy it, letting go of your aversion to getting wet. You even decide to do something really unusual, you lay on the ground and make a water angel.

We all go through life with imaginary rules-- that is to say, ideas we have in our head of a certain way things are, why they are that way, and why they must be that way. However, they're only that, ideas in our head--- fantasies, fabrications, stories we tell ourselves, rather than objective, tangible, actual laws with a punishment for violation. The only punishments for these rules are the punishments we create.

For example, typically when it rains and I am outside I follow the rule of "spend as little time in the rain as possible to stay dry," but what if I let go of staying dry? What if I don't mind getting a little wet? What if I even want to? Avoiding the rain yields no gain, leaving me free to embrace and find enjoyment in what is normally an uncomfortable situation.

By becoming comfortable with the idea of being uncomfortable, the realm of experiences I am capable of having is blown wide open and I'm free to hang out with the rain and have fun in it. I was gonna shower anyways, why not cool off before I even go inside?

However, before one can break these imaginary rules, there is one rule that must first be broken to get there, that is the rule that "the opinion and approval of others is important to me." The act of letting commonly held ideas go results in the disapproval of others, as your actions become a spit in the face to the norms that they embrace day in and out. As I stood in the rain my parents looked at me like I had 5 heads. It's surely an unusual thing, I mean, willingly standing out in the rain, let alone enjoying it????? It's a violation, it's not normal!!!! And that's exactly what makes it fun.

Think all the times you've acted as though you would melt if a certain amount of rain hit you. It makes every drop feel like acid weighing you down and melting away. The second you choose to accept and embrace the rain, it's no different than a shower, except you're outside and amused by those taking it so seriously as to act like staying dry is a "rule". As Alan Watts said "Man suffers only because he takes seriously what the gods made for fun".

Try it on, find an imaginary or socially constructed rule that feels like second nature, and see what happens when you choose to let it go. Doing so allows you to be with and live in the world as it is, rather than how it "should be lived in."

Other imaginary rules include...

Don't sit in grass because you will get dirty.

Don't let your dog lick your face because it's gross.

Don't sing for your own enjoyment if people are around.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

12 Midnight NYE: Fun Ideas!

This isn't just for the single Pringles out there either, folks

14990
Friends celebrating the New Years!
StableDiffusion

When the clock strikes twelve midnight on New Year's Eve, do you ever find yourself lost regarding what to do during that big moment? It's a very important moment. It is the first moment of the New Year, doesn't it seem like you should be doing something grand, something meaningful, something spontaneous? Sure, many decide to spend the moment on the lips of another, but what good is that? Take a look at these other suggestions on how to ring in the New Year that are much more spectacular and exciting than a simple little kiss.

Keep Reading...Show less
piano
Digital Trends

I am very serious about the Christmas season. It's one of my favorite things, and I love it all from gift-giving to baking to the decorations, but I especially love Christmas music. Here are 11 songs you should consider adding to your Christmas playlists.

Keep Reading...Show less
campus
CampusExplorer

New year, new semester, not the same old thing. This semester will be a semester to redeem all the mistakes made in the previous five months.

1. I will wake up (sorta) on time for class.

Let's face it, last semester you woke up with enough time to brush your teeth and get to class and even then you were about 10 minutes late and rollin' in with some pretty unfortunate bed head. This semester we will set our alarms, wake up with time to get ready, and get to class on time!

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 5 Painfully True Stages Of Camping Out At The Library

For those long nights that turn into mornings when the struggle is real.

3026
woman reading a book while sitting on black leather 3-seat couch
Photo by Seven Shooter on Unsplash

And so it begins.

1. Walk in motivated and ready to rock

Camping out at the library is not for the faint of heart. You need to go in as a warrior. You usually have brought supplies (laptop, chargers, and textbooks) and sustenance (water, snacks, and blanket/sweatpants) since the battle will be for an undetermined length of time. Perhaps it is one assignment or perhaps it's four. You are motivated and prepared; you don’t doubt the assignment(s) will take time, but you know it couldn’t be that long.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

The 14 Stages Of The Last Week Of Class

You need sleep, but also have 13 things due in the span of 4 days.

1823
black marker on notebook

December... it's full of finals, due dates, Mariah Carey, and the holidays. It's the worst time of the year, but the best because after finals, you get to not think about classes for a month and catch up on all the sleep you lost throughout the semester. But what's worse than finals week is the last week of classes, when all the due dates you've put off can no longer be put off anymore.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments