Stayin' inside the lines

This morning on my way to work I thought about a coloring book we put together in the first grade. It was “My Book Of Famous People.” Ok….the only thing I can think is that my life was flashing before my eyes. Which adds up, since right after that, traffic totally stopped and I almost bought the car in front of me (and the car behind me ended up beside me on the shoulder).

Two things trace back to that damn coloring book (which I still have somewhere…packed away and never unpacked, move after move).

There is a picture I colored of Miss Shirley Temple. I apparently chose to outline her teeth with a black crayon.

The teacher’s comment was “MARK, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER TEETH?!!!!!”

Firstly, now I see why, to this day, I HATE when people use multiple exclamation marks. It’s just rude. Period. My last boss always wrote messages on post-it notes and put multi exclamation marks. I wanted to cram them right up his…..

Secondly, I don’t color outside the lines. I stay inside the lines…..and play it safe. And yet choose to use a black crayon. What’s that about? I don’t know…maybe to emphasis that I am inside the lines. Or maybe to say “Screw You, I’m inside the lines….whatchagonnadobitch?”

To answer the teacher’s question, “MARK, WHAT HAPPENED TO HER TEETH?!!!!!”

My guess would be she didn’t brush the damn things.

(and to think...it only took me 33 years to think that one up)