Day 517 Freewrite — Hammer — The Man With the Fiery Temper

And so, we get to day four of the 5-minute freewrite challenge issued me by @fitinfun, which I am trying to keep up with for 30 days. So far, so good, even though I seem to be doing these late at night... so far.

If you are not familiar with them, "Five Minute Freewrites" are the brainchild of @mariannewest, who's also the founder of @freewritehouse. It's a daily writing exercise, and well worth doing if you occasionally feel "stuck" on what to post.

Signs of spring...

Day 4 — Five Minute Freewrite Experiment — topic: "Hammer"

It's strange, the things we remember from childhood — or at least the things that stand out most clearly in our memories.

I often think of being a little kid, and of my dad's hammer... which was one of the primary "symbols" of his often fiery temper. He would often be working on something in his wood shop in the basement, and whenever something went wrong it was typically the hammer that went flying in no particular direction.

It was just time to duck!

I suppose people have different ways of harnessing their frustrations. My father's primary attribute was that he never took out his fits of temper on people, he always took them out on inanimate objects. Like the hammer, which would go flying across the workshop, typically accompanied by a stream of curses that would make the most seasoned sailor blush.

My dad learned some of his best cursing while a volunteer member of the Australian Air Force during World War II. Don't ask me what he was doing in Australia — he was Danish, after all — I just knew that he was "Down Under" as a young man.

My dad's temper always scared me a little, and it's sadly one of the things I remember most about him... that, and his booming voice, when we would summon me from some far corner of the house.

I never really got to know him that well — perhaps that sounds odd — because he died when I was just 18, so I have no impressions of him, as an adult.

Just the temper... and occasional flying hammers...

(Allright, that was another one that ended before the 5-minute timer, but only by about 15 seconds. I guess I'll eventually get the "feel" for just how long 5 minutes is)

Tiny white (pink, really) diasy in the lawn...

Reflection on Today's Freewrite...

The topic was a bit unexpected... and this odd memory was the first thing that came to mind. I actually liked my dad very much... but somehow his anger was the thing that has stuck with me the most, after all these year.

Short tempered people — in general — have always made me nervous; anxious. It feels a bit like being around a grenade with the pin pulled... you just don't know what's going to happen next.

Thanks for reading!

Comments, feedback and other interaction is invited and welcomed! Because — after all — SOCIAL content is about interacting, right? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 190321 23:27 PST
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