I am not known for being a Rule-Follower. The Hubster is a Rule-Follower. One of my closest friends is a Rule-Follower. In fact, several people I know are Rule-Followers. They are the type that HAVE to follow the rules or else they get all freaked out or their throats close up. I've seen upper lip sweat occur at the very thought of breaking a rule. Everything for them has to be 'by the book'. For each person, it's a different book, with different chapters.

I'll give you an example: If Adrian (the aforementioned Hubster) is making pasta (a rarity in our home, as it were) and the instructions on the box say "bring six cups of water to a boil", he will measure out exactly six cups of water, because that is the rule, whereas I would simply fill the pot about halfway or so and move on. He goes 'by the book'.

So then, who is the author of this 'book'? Who decides what the acceptable rules are across-the-board? I don't mean the lawmakers, though there are still some old rules on the books that say "Humming on public streets is prohibited on Sundays" or "Bowling is forbidden", both of which are still documented as actual laws! I wonder what my Rule-Follower friends and relatives will do when they find out they've not only broken those rules, but broken the law!

There are the rules of the law, or the laws of morality, and the every-day-back-of-a-box-of-pasta kind of rules. But who gets to say what is going 'by the book' in this life, and what is not? Who is the author?

Though I am not exactly a renegade, I do believe in a more bendable point-of-view. I'm a bit more colorful in my thoughts and behavior about getting things done, though I find the black-and-white way of looking at things quite fascinating, and necessary to the life/people balance. There is room for both or else we would all be exactly the same. Can you imagine how boring THAT book would be?

I guess that means we author our behavior ourselves, whether it's exactly 'by the book' or perhaps not. And though the Book I try live by (written by the Author of my life) is not one that everyone shares a belief in, I have a confidence that we, as individuals, do share the belief that there are seasons in life that bring us emotions we must deal with; sometimes there are wonderful seasons, and sometimes there are dark or stormy seasons. And those seasons are almost never black-and-white, and there are no rules to follow, or how-to's when we deal with them. There is no 'by the book' process to our emotions.

This is one life we've been given. We have one life to live, whether we live it within the measurements of every single rule, or a tad bit outside the boundaries of the rules, how we do it creates the legacy we live and leave behind.

Though I certainly don't have all the answers, I do strive to make my legacy something that will make an impact.

I have lived a life with the wonderful seasons and the dark and stormy seasons, and my 'by the book' is finding light in the dark in order to survive, while not taking this life for granted or letting it slip by me in sorrow or self-pity. My 'by the book' is my own - one that I authored. It is called 'A Life Of Flavor', presented by Life As She Does It (me, She Gar-C!). It is a book of finding joy in life's hard times.

In the long run, whether we think in black-and-white or in color, how we deal with the peaks and the valleys is what creates our distinct flavor of who we are and how we live our lives. Do you find joy when the hard times come upon you? When a loved one gets sick, or a job is lost, do you try to see the light through the darkness? It's never too late to try. Never.

Whatever is your distinct 'by the book' - BUY THE BOOK!

Click on the photo below to purchase Life As She Does It presents: A Life of Flavor! (published by LUCID BOOKS)