“Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.”
Most of us have heard this also expressed as “don’t go to bed angry”. We should all live by the guideline to reconcile our anger and our outbursts with others within 24 hours. If we have upset or angered others, especially our spouses, it is better to sit and think about our actions than to go to bed still angry, or have our spouses go to bed angry.
When we sit we can clear our minds and just sit, which is best. It is also good to sit and be mindful of our actions and thoughts. We do not want to live in the past or future, nor cling too much to the present. Being human, we will get upset and angry, do not suppress these feelings. We will get angry. But instead of letting these emotions take over, we should practice transforming this energy into powerful thought and compassion.
We can use patience in the heat of the moment to save years of anguish. We should use that patience to delay speaking or acting out on our anger and instead sit and be mindful of what angered us and why the other person(s) is angry. We should think about how they must feel and how our words or actions made them feel.
Apologize or reconcile within 24 hours, or sit until we are ready to do so.