I can remember a time that I was angry with my dad. I have no idea what I was angry about or what either of us said. All I remember was that I was angry and that I wanted to hit something. I walked outside on the farm and found a hammer in the workshop and proceeded to hit things with it. I'm sure I was mumbling something about how unfair or unknowing my parents were, or how I never got to do the things I wanted. I hit the shop wall with the hammer, the doorways, a machine or two and a few other things. Mumbling and angry I walked up to a tractor and as hard as I could I hit the front tractor tire, raging against the world controlled by my parents.
Now, maybe that went by you too fast ... you see ... I hit a tractor tire with a hammer. A tractor tire that is made out of rubber with a metal-headed hammer. A tractor tire that is made of rubber with a metal-headed hammer that included a claw on it for pulling out nails. I wasn't too smart at that age either ...
I can remember ... as the claw came flying back at me ... for just a few brief microseconds thinking, "this was a dumb thing to do." The claw hit me in the right eyebrow and I began to bleed from two puncture wounds. I don't remember if I told my mom where the wounds came from or if I was too embarrassed to let anybody know. I know I had a headache for a long time after that.
That taught me a few valuable lessons about anger that I have never forgotten. First: never be angry when there are tools around. Second: anger will boomerang back to get you every time. Anger rarely hurts the person you are angry with but it always will come back to bite you in one form or another. Recognize anger rising in you and stop it before you swing the hammer, believe me, you will be glad you did.