The coming months will bring holidays for which folks and families will have opportunities to gather together. People will be able to bring a wide range of cheer and fixings to the events and tables. Most will be friendly and fun and favor the surroundings with a rich and welcome atmosphere and aromas from the oven, stove and hearth.
Likely each of those hosting these events has contemplated the likelihood of an awkward ingredient showing up (not tofu).
Rather, that bitter preparation that comes simmering, half-baked and/or boiling is anger.
Strategies to deal with this will have various degrees of success depending on the plan, participants and plate-fare.
Most popular may be to advance the suggestion for guests to adopt a "Spirit of the Season" outlook with a subtext to avoid politics. Some following thoughts can be given to a compatible seating chart. There may even be the strategic thinking that a contained flow of discussion can be had by adopting topic guardrails for more risky turns. Lastly there will be some wishful hope that the dinner will be so bountiful and of such great good flavor that it will create a delirium to diminish any disturbance.
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All of these can help, perhaps joined in tandem and presented with both humor and acknowledgement of the guests good fortune and importantly charity and compassion toward those with less.
Anger, both righteous and self-righteous, detracts from uplifting aspects of kindness and tolerance when people gather to build better bridges.
Just as it is healthy to have vacations from work, it would be healthy to have vacations from anger.
People who will not allow their heart a momentary respite from anger should perhaps respond to holiday invitations with regrets and stay home to stew in the salty sauces of their own concoction.
Philip Vaughan
Lake Edward Township
