Trix are not just for kids

There are too many rules in life that aren't actually rules.

When I was running at the lake yesterday morning, I saw an older-looking lady power walking and pushing a stroller as she was coming toward me in the opposite direction. I figured she was taking a grandchild out for a stroll or something, because surely she didn't have a child that young. But I was way off. There was no child in the stroller. Instead, there was a chihuahua.

I tried not to judge her.

I don't own a dog, so I'm not sure if this is standard procedure for taking such a small animal to participate in one's exercise endeavors, though I can't say I've ever seen this done before. Little dog in purse? Yes. Little dog in baby stroller? No.

But, as far as I know, there is no law against such a thing.

I think far too often people try to create these unwritten rules of things people can and cannot do, and they don't always allow us the freedom to be the people God designed us to be. Who are we to say that an elderly woman can't bring her dog with her in a baby stroller to her Sunday morning excursion around the lake? Maybe that dog is one of the only things she has precious to her in life. Maybe it's very meaningful for her to have that pet with her as often as possible. The dog sure seemed to be enjoying its little adventure.

There are some rules that obviously need to be followed: don't run by the pool, be considerate of others, don't litter, put your phone on silent during speeches and performances. But there are other "rules" that are simply ridiculous: you can't wear white pants after Labor Day (who freaking cares?); no swimming for 30 minutes after you eat (I'm pretty sure you can judge on your own how long you need, especially if you're really just hanging out in the water and not practicing your freestyle); you shouldn't wear a brown belt with black shoes (anything matches if you wear it with confidence); it's not acceptable to play Christmas music or put up your Christmas lights until the day after Thanksgiving (false—if you want the spirit of Christmas to be in your life all year long, so be it).

I'll never forget an experience I had in my last year of college. I wore sweats a lot to class, because, well, who the heck am I trying to impress in the History of the Habsburg Monarchy? If I was going to learn about things I might never use again in life (and the things that would actually be helpful to me), I sure was going to be comfortable doing it. I guess some people were a bit too observant of my choice of attire. A girl in my class approached me one day just after we'd been dismissed and told me she had recently cleaned out her closet and was planning to donate her clothes to charity but that she would like to give me some first, because she noticed I wore my sweats pretty much every day. When I told her no thanks and that I was perfectly fine with what I had, she had a disappointed and almost disdainful look on her face. Oops?

The truth is, if such standards people are expected to follow are violated, who gets hurt? No one. Instead of getting so caught up in petty things that have no real value in life, maybe we should care about things that matter: like loving people for the individuals they are and appreciating the quirks that make them unique. It's not our job to judge others. God has the ultimate judgment, and He's after the heart—not what color your pants are during certain months in the year.

So, if you want to push your dog in a stroller, go for it—and know that at least Someone will love you no matter how silly it seems to others.