ANGER Managing its outburst!

Once I was walking outside on a beautiful sunny day, I had stopped to chat with my horses and was walking towards the open field, when my dog came charging joyfully. It felt precisely like a locomotive ramming into my legs at full speed, sending me flying up in the air.

Landing on my back, banging my head, I screamed <You stupid, stupid, stupid dog>, as the pain shot through my back and stars swirled around my head.

Puppy, realizing he had gotten me stirred-up, came to nuzzle my face. I was in no mood for his cajoling! I would have vaporized him on that very moment! Feeling it, I guess, he circled me quietly, his big yellow eyes full of worry.

As the pain eased, I saw the blue sky with small, white, fluffy clouds. The sun was shining brightly!

Flashbacks of Puppy’s arrival made me ponder. A few years ago, he had been abandoned near my home. My sleigh dogs, residue from my Northern endeavors, had attracted him, I guess. A good 90 pound husky, he blended in perfectly. After trying to track down his provenance without success, we adopted him. Through the years, no one had ever claimed him. He now had outlived all the others. Still at his full strength and beauty, he guarded the house well.

He must have been a sleigh dog because the only thing he knew how to do was to pull. Not particularly swift, it had taken him 2 years to learn how to sit when told. Yes, he is a little dense! Nevertheless, in his eyes, you can see that he really wants to please you and listens attentively, especially if you have a treat in your hands. If screamed at, he cowards down pitifully but as soon as the threat has passed, he runs and jumps joyfully again! There isn’t a mean bone in his body!

As I still lay in the field, I realized that the pain was gone along with the momentary anger. Moving limb after limb, I also became aware that no harm was done per se.

Puppy now lay beside me, his big yellow eyes full of love and wonder. I held out a hand and spoke to him gently, explaining how dangerous this could have been. He listened then came to nuzzle me again. Forgiven? Yes, he was. He was around 7 years old then. Now, at the age of 11 or so, he is calm when I walk with him and stays respectfully away from my legs.

Well, on that moment, I came to believe that it was better to reflect on the good memories, and then to ponder, before responding to whom or to what provoked the spontaneous anger.
So here’s my little remedy:

Step 1 Assess the situation.
Step 2 Find positive thoughts or memories to calm your ire.
Step 3 Have an inner-dialogue to see advantages and disadvantages at showing your fury at this very moment.
Step 4 Respond calmly, putting off any discussion to later.
Step 5 Establish counter-measures to avoid this from happening again.
My counter-measure was to NEVER call Puppy when he was at more than 15 feet without having my eyes on him to see if his trajectory was in alignment to intercept my stride and tackle me!
Take the time to identify your appropriate counter-measure and keep it handy so that you may resort to it anytime when it’s needed.