Anger Management

One morning, two years ago I was angry about something. I no longer remember what caused my anger, but at the time it was strong. I took the dogs into the back yard and they ran off in many directions to do whatever and I walked across the yard until I came to a rock. Because I was angry and needed to release it, I kicked the rock.

It wasn't a big rock, about the size of a softball, but it was a rock. My anger shifted immediately as the pain shot thru my foot. Suddenly I was angry at myself for kicking a rock.

I thought the pain would subside soon but I was wrong. The pain continued for days. I had mangled the nail on my big toe. It turned black and stopped growing. The toe was also at a new and different angle than it had been.

The pain continued for weeks, then months. Putting a shoe on was torture. I went barefoot in the house and if I had to go out I wore a loose shoe or slipper.

Finally, after a year, I went to a foot doctor. He treated the damaged nail and said it would take months but should heal. That was a year ago.

Today I went back. The pain is still so bad that it keeps me awake at night. He said the nail was infected and arthritis has set into the foot around and below the toe.

So today he removed the nail. When it heals in about a month, he'll give me a steroid injection in the foot and we'll discuss surgery to repair the bone.

So take some hard earned advice, if you're angry, go into the yard and scream or swear or throw something, but don't kick a rock.