Re-reading my previous post about my daughter’s drawing, I am struck by my consistent use of the word, “drawing” instead of more conventional wording of “coloring inside/outside the lines.”  It points to a strong personal value I hold around creativity, especially personal expression and creation.  For me, drawing is a metaphor for that expression.  You lay the line in a drawing.  You choose where and how it goes, and what it says. 

Coloring — in the sense in which I use it, as in a child’s coloring book — is about filling in someone else’s creation.  It is rote and bounded and limited in self-expression. 

I realize that this issue with my daughter’s teachers angers me precisely because it steps on one of my most important life values.   My strong reaction is an indicator that I’m fighting for something I hold dear - in this case, double whammy:  my value and my daughter.  Can you see how this small issue can become so potent?

Challenge:  Examine the issues — big or small — that really piss you off.  What does that passion tell you about yourself?  Does it point to any strong life values that are getting stepped on?

PS:  if you, too, are inclined to be outside the lines, you may enjoy a newsletter by that name that is filled with fascinating creativity and wisdom.  I always look forward to reading it!  Find Outside the Lines on coach Michael Bungay Stanier’s website: www.BoxOfCrayons.com