Triggers

I took my son shooting for his last birthday (12th) and it was an eye opener for this post-60's peace-nick! I used to hate guns. When I was about 6 I think someone convinced me to hold the target for them. The BB hit my thumb, and I will never forget the terror of standing there holding that target. I think I was coerced!

So for the birthday, we went to an in-door shooting range. The gun of choice was a .22 which I think I'd never seen up close before.... the sales guy gave a quick gun safety class to my son and his friend. Very through. The boys were all eyes. They tried to keep their eyes on his demonstration and not on the box of bullets that were awaiting their turn to be loaded into the gun. One of the cardinal rules of gun safety is "don't put your finger on the trigger until the last minute before you pull the trigger". This was reiterated numerous times to the boys. Instead they were to put their finger along the barrel of the gun in "wait" mode until they had sighted the target. Supposedly, this would give them more accurate shots when they did pull the trigger!

So last week, as I was dealing with some anger issues, this scenario came back to my mind. I realized that I was putting my finger on the anger trigger and pulling it before I even thought about what or who I'd be shooting with my anger. Or why. In fact, come to think of it, the phrase "I was triggered" is all over the therapy world...and we are! A name calling can make us go ballistic. A sassy look can start the fuming fire. An inconsiderate sales person can send us into a rage.

I found wisdom in the Good Book the next day that says "a soft answer turns away anger (wrath)" and guess what? It works! When the angry people in my life pop off at me, choosing to respond quietly turns the skirmish in a different direction! I have a few days of practice under my belt now, and I think I'm less likely to randomly shoot off in anger. I don't want you to think that I am constantly angry, but it is nice to learn that when I am, I can control my feelings and not let them do irreparable damage. This is progress. This is safety. Hope this is the beginning of being angry but sinning not, too!