happiness and the law

part of my reason for re-starting my blog is because when i think back to things over the past 10 years or so that have made me happy, i realize that the time i spent blogging, both on my tour and after, was filled with a lot of joy. this year, i decided to focus on being happier in my life (which i think you will see is a common theme going forward.) that's not to say i'm unhappy now - i've had my ups and downs (and 2011 was rife was both), but all things considered, i'm happy and always have been. but i want to take the chance this year to harvest even more happiness in my day to day life.

this idea of happiness has been on my mind a lot this week because i was explaining this 'new outlook on being happy in 2012' to a friend last week and they asked, very honestly, "why is this so important for YOU personally? right now?" and at the time i didn't have the exact answer, but i found the answer earlier this week in the strangest of places.

i was on jury duty monday and tuesday at dc superior courts. now, if you live in washington dc, you know that it's not uncommon to get called to jury duty every 2 years or so. since moving into the city 8 years ago, this was my 4th time being called...but the previous three times, during jury selection, i was released and didn't have to serve. but my luck changed this time...and i was selected to sit on what turned out to be, as far as serving on a jury goes, a pretty light and easy case.

the issue at hand was one count of possession of an illegal substance (for those of you wondering....it was PCP....which does not stand for 'primary care physician' in this case.) the judge in the case was very specific when it came time for us to deliberate and laid out guidelines we were to follow when deciding the defendant's fate. the biggest thing he gave us was the definition of what 'possession' is, according to our legal system. breaking it down, there were 2 possible types of possession: either 'physical possession' which means the drugs are on your actual, physical person (in a pocket, in your hands, on your lap, etc.) at the time of arrest, OR 'constructive possession' which means the drugs are in your immediate area and you have demonstrated the power and intent to USE them at some point.

as we engaged in a rather spirited discussion about this case, i started to realize that in this legal definition of 'possession', i just might have found my answer for my friend. you see, i think that happiness is out there for all of us. we are all going to find it different ways, and it is going to mean different things to each of us, but i have a firm belief that it is one of the most basic, simple reasons we are here. to be happy. we have a father in heaven who loves us unconditionally, and has given us a life full of happiness all around us. the only thing we have to do to cash in on that happiness is to (excuse me for the borrow, nike) just do it. find that happiness in our day to day life and share it with others. it's a pretty basic tenet of living. and it's not a matter of 'physical possession' of happiness - you're not going to leave it in your pocket at night or have to water it to grow it so you can actually pick it - but it's more a case of 'constructive possession.'

to my friend who was wondering: it's important to me right here, right now in my life because i'm finally realizing in my mid-thirties that i can decide each day if i want to be happy, no matter what is going on in the world around me. it is my choice...i have the power and intent and i just have to decide to utilize what is there. and by doing that, by choosing constructive possession, i feel like i am strengthening my relationship with my father in heaven, in a very simple way that i was missing for 37 years. like the days in idaho falls, idaho when i was little, and my dad sat around our living room playing his guitar and singing and sharing his music with me, bringing me closer to him and making me want to be like him (and now having a career for the past 7 years where i have used that gift of music he gave me). music wasn't anything that i could physically possess, but it was around me, and the power of it has always made me think of my dad, and has made me want to be the kind of man he is. so it is with the power of happiness - i want to be happier because i want to be better. i want to be more like my father in heaven. when the time comes for me to return to live with him, i want to be found guilty of unfathomable counts of constructive possession of happiness.

so i am going to turn my mind more to the good. i want to explore more of what makes me happy and focus on sharing my happiness more with those around me. i want to love more, laugh longer, take more pictures, see more cities, catch up with more old friends, make new friends, write more things down, sing louder, dance more often, eat delicious things, and the list goes on and on and on.

in 2012, i want each of us have the power and intent to possess as much happiness as possible.

January 11, 2012
a pin...up close and personal.

ps - we found the dude in the PCP case not guilty. he got lucky the prosecution's case was so weak. he had the power and intent to possess that PCP, but the silly prosecutor couldn't prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.