One Day at a Time in Al-Anon:
There is one meaning to the phrase “forgetting myself” that admonishes me not to lose my temper. When someone says something rash or ugly, we say they are “forgetting themselves,” meaning they are forgetting their best selves in a sudden fit of uncontrolled anger.
Someone at an Al-Anon meeting spoke of this in telling how her mother helped her overcome a fiery temper when she was a little girl:
“Whenever I had a tantrum, my mother would say very quietly: ‘You’re forgetting yourself, dear; mod-u-late your voice and then it won’t hurt so much.’ That always brought me up short and made me ashamed. Once I answered, ‘All right, mother, I will remember myself,’ and finally all she had to say was: ‘Forgetting yourself? Modulate…’ and we’d both laugh.”
Today’s Reminder:
If I remember the kind of person I want to be, I won’t forget myself and yield to an angry surge of temper. I will remember to modulate my voice – quiet always sets the stage for calm.
“Forget not thyself in times of anger…”