I Should Follow My Own Advice

Sitting in Tuscany again - I know there are those of you out there who believe that I'm living here, but I have to say it's quiet, it's nice, the food's okay, if not great, and the tables in the window offer a nice mix of solitude and perspective on the world passing by.

You know what I've noticed? There are a lot of bitch-ass angry people out there. I just got to witness a near-altercation between this black guy on the street and some slacker-type bike-riding kids who'd apparently hogged a little too much of the sidewalk as they'd passed him by. Luckily, a couple of cops were passing and they hopped out of their cruiser to diffuse the situation - but it didn't seem to me to be terribly unique.

The coffee shop just received a delivery of syrups and stuff, and the kid driving this delivery van was so not happy. He was beating the shit out of that van; slamming doors, throwing the dolly around.

Sometimes it seems to me that we're a country full of people about to go postal.

And then sometimes I wonder if I'm not just projecting my own current mood onto the world around me. Not, mind you, that I really expect that I'm going to go postal at any moment, but it seems to me that often the world at large mirrors my own moods back at me - or that I'm more sensitive to what I'm feeling in other people.

I'm a little angry, folks. That shouldn't be so much of a surprise, I suppose. I mean, really, why would it be unusual that I am? Most funny people are really very angry, and use humor to channel it. Most stand-up comedians are bitching about something, aren't they? Even if they're doing it in a gentle, chiding way, they're still pissed off enough about stuff to remark on it.

So I accept my anger, and I think generally I've gotten better at expressing it - though not always in the moment. A couple of things at rehearsal on Sunday made me really, really angry, and instead of saying, "Hey, you know, that made me pretty angry." I let it pass, thinking I'd find a better way to deal with it. And what did it get me, but a sleepless night and a lot of angst?

So there's our little object lesson for today: deal with your anger and let it go, rather than letting it eat at you.

I just wish I was as adept at following advice as I am at giving it.