Mild Wild

(This little inquisition was mailed to a tight group of my friends and mentors. Knowing that helps the writing make sense)

Yo! If you’re receiving this, you’re a man I know with a wild side. My question to you is: What do you do with your wildness? 

Wildness (n): the character of being uncultivated, undomesticated, or inhospitable.

The way I see it, I have very few places my wildness seems welcome. Take ANGER for example. Daughter Annie throws my computer on the floor in spite. What do I do about it? Mostly, I completely suppress my most natural reaction of anger and physicality. Or how about DOMINANCE? The pickup basketball here in Fredericksburg is so friendly that if you win twice in a row, YOU’RE OFF and the losers get to come back on. HUH?! Last one, SADNESS. Some days I’m running low on serotonin. When asked how I’m doing, I’m trapped between a polite lie and an inconveniently honest reply. 

Despite my best efforts at domesticity, wildness is bubbling up. Sometimes it splits the caulk and comes out sideways. 

I’ll find myself driving aggressively for no reason, having a drink that I actually don’t even want, crying spontaneously near the end of a run.  

I know I’m in a tender season of young kids but “this too shall pass” feels unhelpful. Do you feel this too? What do you do with it?