In da Press: "Rain Rage" ? ;)

Doug Speirs called me on Friday in light of the weekend's bleak forecast, asking for anger management tips to help control "rain rage"...the anger that Winnipegger's may have towards all the lousy weather we've been having.  The tongue-in-cheek article was fun to talk about with him.  Doug may write humour, but he has a warm heart that can see joy...profound joy in moments that speak about deeper things in life...in the few minutes we spoke, I got the real sense that he looks at the lighter side of things being very aware of the heaviness of life as well...and that adds a richness to how one can look at both.

For the record, what he and I spoke about, as strategies to cope with irration about the weather are (DRUM ROLL PLEASE):

• Tip No. 1 -- "Take a deep breath and focus on what you can control and not on what you can't. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond and whether we have a good weekend or not."

• Tip No. 2 -- "Distract yourself -- Take a break from what frustrates you. Enjoy a laugh with your family, go to a movie, distance yourself from what makes you mad. That helps you cool down and gives you some inner resources to deal with the weather or whatever's frustrating you."

• Tip No. 3 -- "Maintain perspective by asking: How will I view this situation in three months or five years or whatever. A person may be angry about having no shoes until they see someone who has no feet."

Thanx Doug, for the chat on Friday...it was a good launch to the weekend.