Walking up from the trail at Fort Mason, the woman pointed upward toward a “do not enter” sign. “Oh there used to be stairs here. But that’s the way back to the parking lot.”

The stairs ended halfway down while the rest was filled with dirt. So we climbed up. I was frustrated that the woman didn’t lead us back up the parking lot. When we got to the top, a park ranger stopped Chris.

“The do not enter and danger are here for a reason,” he scolded us as I peeked my head under the tape. “It’s dangerous and you shouldn’t have been there.”

He continued admonishing us as I shrunk while Chris explained our situation—that we were lost and other things. The ranger finally gave us directions, reminding us that we should obey signs.

I used to always stay within the lines. But bending the rules a bit, walking outside the line makes it so much richer. Not just this example, but…I haven’t bended the rules so much until this year. Making (illegal) u-turns, bringing food into places that it shouldn’t be allowed, taking the shortcut…