Personally, I think a lot of problems arise when people don't allow themselves to feel whatever emotion they are compelled, by thoughts or circumstances, to feel. I think often as children we are told "Cheer up." or "Smile" or "So-and-so has it worse than you, so you should feel lucky." That right there, the "you should feel..." It gets ingrained into our heads and then as situations arise, we might feel a certain way about it, but the ever-present authoritative voices of our youths are whispering in our minds, "but you shouldn't feel this way." So we pretend we don't.

Then we start to have real problems. I think you should feel however it is you feel. Feel it fully at that moment. If you lose someone you love. Feel it. If you stubbed your toe and you are hurt and irritated, feel it. If you receive a kind, surprise note from someone in the mail, then relish that bit of happiness. If you watch a red leaf fall from a maple in the fall and you feel sad because winter is coming, that's okay. And alternately, when the bees start buzzing around the maple buds in early spring and you feel anticipation; that too is good.

I think if we all allowed our feelings to flow and change as naturally as the seasons and our lives do, we would all be a lot better off.

If someone else wants you to "be happy," then too bad for them. It's probably because they want to feed off your emotions. If you're sad, then they don't get the meal they want. They need to take charge of their own emotions and stop putting expectations on yours. Yours are none of their business, unless you choose to share.

Everybody seems to want everybody else to feel good, positive, happy. That's a nice notion, but completely unrealistic. And when we are all forcing smiles, but feel like our heart is crumbling to pieces inside, but we have to pretend to be happy so someone else feels better. Then not one person is actually being honest. They are all wearing masks. It happens all the time, and it is not healthy, IMO.

So if you feel sad today, feel sad. But when you see something that makes you, even for a moment ,feel a little happy, try to let that emotion in. Don't fight it. Feel happy about it. That's when you start throwing off the masks and living your life for you, not anybody else.