Breaking Boxes

What Boxes Define You? “I thought I’d figured out boxes early in life. From the anticipation of the puppet leaping out of my wind-up jack in the box to constructing castles from oversized cardboard containers, I thought I understood their boundaries. Yet, as life unfolded, I realized boxes aren’t always square, and some are cleverly designed to keep us confined.” Boxes are a part of our lives, following us wherever we venture, whether we acknowledge them or not. They provide structure, safety, and security and often help identify similarities between us. We live in boxes (houses), receive boxed gifts, and pack our belongings into boxes to move into a new “box.” We use boxes to express things: “Think outside the box,” “She’s boxed into a corner,” or “Be sure to check all the boxes.” Some people base their identity on the box they put themselves in. Boxes can also be scary. By nature, they divide and separate. Unseen, metaphorical boxes of expectations of our families, religions, communi