A Woman's Rage?

"You know, years ago, a magazine writer called me and asked if I used humor so much because I was a woman and therefore needed to disguise my rage under something less threatening."  - Gail Collins, NY Times columnist

When I read this statement in the NYT, it made me smile.  Only a woman would be asked this question.  Then I asked myself -  am I one of those almost raging women???

I use humor frequently to amuse myself, to make a point and just because its fun to see human reactions to it.  You might guess that my humor is sometimes, might I say, sarcastic or aggressive.  Hm...can humor be aggressive?  Yes, I think so.  I voted yes and I won.

On one of our flights on our trip I sat next to a woman I had just met.  During the flight when  things were going to you-know-where-in-a-hand-basket - where did that saying come from? - she asked me if I was always so jovial about everything.  She took me by surprise with her comment.  I mumbled something through my embarrassment.  (Why?)  My grandson had just told me that I laugh a lot.  It sounded better coming from him.  He's seven.

Well - she soon discovered that my sense of humor didn't last forever.  At some point after missed flights and being herded through the airport from one end to the other, my humor wore thin and the rage began to bubble under the surface.  It took some time for this to happen but throw in being tired and the high anxiety of travel overseas these days and you have humor losing its disguise and threatening to slip into rage.

As I've aged/matured, I think I have mellowed somewhat. I do try to contain my opinions when not asked for them - this takes lots of energy.  I guess that's why I'm so often looking for a place to nap. 

It does help that I live in the middle of no where and like it here.  So I socialize on a regular basis, keep it light and as stress free as I can.  At this point in my life, I like to choose my battles carefully and using my sense of humor helps me do that effectively - mostly.  I'm not looking for perfection in life or in others anymore so I try to lighten up on my own self criticism too.

Laughing is like love...you can give it all away and it just keeps replenishing itself if you cultivate it.

Smile all the time - it drives people crazy!!! 


Take care,
Bonnie


Comments

  1. yep, its baaaaaaad.
    thanks for feeling my pain =)
    i hope it heals quickly too.
    it hurts very muchly =(

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  2. Awesome! (I love the part about looking for a place to nap - lol) I'm known as having a bit of a snarky attitude, but I'm also pretty sweet too.

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  3. The M.F.P. - I love the word snarky! I claim it as my new adjective for the day! Thanks for visiting...its nice to have company! sweet company at that!

    Bonnie

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