"My problem playing alone is that I'm always getting mad at my partner," I joked to my close golfing friend, cardiologist Dr. Allen Naftilan.
When Allen misses a shot, he shouts, "Oh, Allen!," so often that another pal gave him a golf towel with "Oh Allen!" written on it.
Golf courses are serene settings. Especially when no one is playing. When busy, the air is often pockmarked with epithets from those who have forgotten the game played amid nature.
It is great to joke about self anger in golf. Not so much in our professional lives.
Self anger is natural. It can also turn into something highly toxic: self loathing. Responsible adults make the wiser choice. They take responsibility from mistakes and learn from them.
The opposite of taking responsibility occurs every time our former President speaks. His golf towel should read, "It is NEVER my fault."
Our humanness guarantees mistakes. I am way am wiser about self anger than I used to. Still, too often, I hear a voice shouting at me and realize it is my own. "Oh, Erie!"
-Erie Chapman
