For many, the new year brings with it a mix of complex emotions, desires, speculations, hopes, and plans. For Rick Bechtel, interim police chief at the Cheney PD, new years doesn’t herald any particularly rigorous self-reflection, mostly because he already has a system of discipline that keeps him on track and thankful.
“Gosh,” Rick says with a laugh and a smile, “I guess I want to lose a few pounds and be a little better than I was last year.” Rick and I talked for a while about what happiness means and what it takes to maintain. “For me, happiness is a choice I have to make every day. I choose to be happy, or to be thankful, and it’s working out so far.” Rick says.
Holidays give us a chance to take a moment and reflect on the elements embodied in a particular tradition, whether that be the spirit of giving, thankfulness, patriotism, or something more personal and familial. But, in essence, they remind us to make room for principles that may otherwise have become lost in the fray and stress of our day-to-day lives. Of course, we should always be thankful, but a celebration of thanksgiving emphasizes the idea and brings us together to share the joy of a common bond.
Happiness, such as it is, can be best maintained by communicating it to others. The choice to be happy might look like a smile, or it might look like an acknowledgment that your friend made you laugh today. Like the new years holiday tradition, the choice reminds us to make room for the state of being that is happiness, and to radiate it to our community.
“It’s really changed my life for the better.” Rick Says. “It’ s not always easy, but it is worth the effort.” This brings up another good point on the topic of positivity or happiness. Which is, you can’t always feel the same way all the time, and you shouldn’t try. Alan Watts once said that “Joy is something that many people hope to find and hold hostage. Well, you can’t do that with joy!”
Acknowledging our feelings as they arise is a good first step in training our minds to accept change as the norm, not the exception. It’s not always going to be easy, or fun, or comfortable, but that doesn’t have to prevent you from enjoying happiness when you’re in the midst of it, or from accepting your sorrow when it comes. It’s all part of the same patchwork, the same blend of colors which make up the tapestry of life, and choosing not to be a “casual passenger” as T.S. Eliot wrote, can make all the difference.
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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