Sharon Kennedy: A diet of rage and anger
When it’s 2 a.m. and -20 degrees, I can’t sleep so what do I do? Worry, of course.
I worry about the pipes freezing and bursting although the water’s been running since 10 p.m. I worry the cold will crack the windows as it’s done in the past. I worry my car won’t start and I’ll miss an early morning appointment. That’s when worry gives way to frustration that gets out of the way so my daily diet of rage and anger can take over.
My mind dredges up stuff from years ago — stuff I didn’t do, stuff done to my loved ones, stuff I’ll do when I’m fully awake and thinking clearly. People are always on diets. I think the one that does the least and causes the most aggravation is the one that has nothing to do with food. It’s the diet of rage and anger that often accompanies a sleepless night. Such a diet requires no more than the willingness to rehash things lost or stolen or broken and destroyed forever. Whether rational or not, such thoughts keep me awake during cold winter nights.
Realistically, I know the pipes won’t freeze because I let the water run until 6 a.m. when I get up. Even if the cold cracks a window, so what? The ones it cracked in the past were more than 50 years old. They stood the test of time. My car’s in the garage. It will start unless it’s -40 degrees, in which case I’ll cancel the appointment anyway and reschedule for May when my concern over temperatures below freezing has passed. So why do I let anger turn into rage and steal my peace as well as my sleep? I guess it’s something that comes with age.
When I was young, none of these concerns bothered me. It was up to my parents to worry about such things. If it was a cold night, more blankets were piled on the beds.
Sometimes the oil stove in the front room would go out. I never knew why, but I suppose it had something to do with the oil being too cold to flow. Dad would get up and fix it. We never worried about pipes freezing because we didn’t have any. The house would crack, but never the windows. I don’t remember anyone getting angry and raging about the weather or lack of heat. We expected the house to be cold, the Jungers to go out, and the windows to be thick with frost on the inside.
I’m not serious about my peculiar diet, but listening to the news for a few minutes it seems like most people are angry about something. If it’s not one political party, it’s the other. If it’s not the homeless getting too many handouts, it’s the rich getting too many tax breaks. If it’s not school attendance, it’s non-attendance. People are constantly adjusting their attitude to fit the circumstances of the day. Maybe it’s rage over another senseless mass shooting or anger over masks some folks consider the Enemy of the People.
As a population, have we always been furious about something or is this a new phenomenon? How long can earthly inhabitants chew on hate and rage before their anger pops like a ripe pimple? I’m sure lots of people are happy, well-fed, warm and content. Bully for them, but beware. Hard times may be comin’ their way.
— To contact Sharon Kennedy, send her an email at sharonkennedy1947@gmail.com. Kennedy's latest book, “The SideRoad Kids: Tales from Chippewa County,” is available from her, Amazon, or Audible.
This article originally appeared on The Sault News: Sharon Kennedy: A diet of rage and anger
