Too Cool for Rules

See me coming? You can purchase one of these signs, which I'll ingnore, here.

There are particularly ironies in life that are sometimes difficult to escape, no matter how we may try, and one of them for me is that despite the fact that I'm a minister and am supposed to be all holy and stuff, it is actually my spouse, Mr. LIOLI, who usually wins the "generally being a good person" award in our household most of the time. This is because Mr. LIOLI is a really good person, he doesn't just play one on TV (and by that I mean, "On Sundays."). He is compassionate and generous, rarely judgmental or resentful, does not gossip or swear, and has a work ethic that outlasts me on my most productive and focused of days. On top of all this (and the thing which usually gets to me) is that he follows the rules.

I never thought of myself as someone who doesn't follow the rules until I got married to someone who does and who regularly calls me on my rule-breaking tendencies, by saying, in an exasperated tone, "Why don't you think any of the rules apply to you?"

But that's just it, isn't it? I really don't. When I see a sign, for instance, that says, "All dogs must be on a leash at all times." My thought process goes something (or exactly) like this: Well, they're obviously not talking about people like me and my dog. They're talking about those other irresponsible dog owners, whose dogs might, say, charge at other dogs or people or run out into the street or whatever. (Insert sound of dog leash unclicking and giant dog charging another dog in the immediate vicinity and then running out into the street, something which happens on a very regular basis but never phases me.) Or maybe I might find another equally irrational excuse such as: Well, that obviously doesn't apply "fill in excuse category here" (at night or in the winter or when it rains or if there are no other dogs in sight).  

Having been forced to think about this, I realize that this stuff happens to me all the time (think the seatbelt light on the plane, no trespassing signs, school requirements, entrance fees, no left turn signs, I could go on). However, it only seems ridiculous when I am forced to articulate my disregard for the rules to Mr. LIOLI whose inclination is to put the dog on the leash, pay the fee, stay out of forbidden areas, buckle his seatbelt when told to do so by a crew member and go around the block for Christ's sake.

All this is not to say Mr. LIOLI never breaks the rules or that I never follow them, but is simply an opportunity for self-reflection. Where did I get this subversive tendency? Is it indicative of some deeper sense of entitlement that I should investigate? Are they really talking about "people like me"? Do you think any of the rules apply to you?