Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Who let the pirates out?

I love kids.  They can get up any day of the year and decide they are going to be a pirate.  They'll invent an eye patch, a pirate hat and the most ridiculous pirate accent that you've ever heard.  As parents, we'll say things like, "You can't wear that to school" or "We are not going to the mall until you change."

Those words have nothing to do with the pirate outfit, but they have everything to do with our desire to fit the status quo.  To be like everyone else.  To blend into the crowd.  So much so that we want everyone that is associated with us to blend in also.

At what point did the pirate sneak its way out of us?  When did we start believing that we had to be like everyone else?  At what point did we become so concerned with fitting in that we forgot to be us?  And at what point are you going to pick up that pirate accent again, grab a pirate hat, forget about fitting in and let the pirate back out?  I hope it's today.