There’s one of those Biblical things that says to count it all joy, yet that can be a tough assignment under many conditions.

Like most elements of this thing we call life, we can suffer mightily and feel sorry for ourselves when things get tough or exercise free will and gain abject pleasure from the small things like sunshine, wind, flowers, and cheerful birds.

We truly have options.

Yet, whenever one’s overall health wavers, the odds of being cheerful seem to head south accordingly.

A wise man once said “ignorance is bliss,” and too often it’s more convenient to remain in ignorance than respond to warning signs that hint that one’s health might be suspect.

A perfect example is the society we live in. That the United States leads the world in obesity is an example of sticking our heads under the sand and seeking “pleasure” ahead of common sense in regard to family health. You have to be of preschool mentality to believe that being overweight promotes quality health, yet repeated warnings by doctors and nutritionists to consume more fruits and vegetables and exercise more commonly go on deaf ears.

It’s as if we, the general population, agree we want to live healthier, longer, more productive lives but, by cracky, aren’t willing to give up anything of pleasure to attain such things.

If it truly is ignorance, there has to be a giant assist given to our stubborn unwillingness to learn and apply what we don’t want to know. It’s hard to even assume that mothers, who love their children worldwide, conceivably cannot grasp the unhealthy link between their hefty kids and grocery baskets full of soda.

Whether you know it or not, there’s a bit of an oxymoron currently ongoing in regard to Wallowa County’s standard food fare and the Complete Health Improvement Program (CHIP) that Wallowa Memorial Hospital is midway in bringing to a total of 150 county residents.

Meat, preferably beef, and potatoes, plus eggs have been gracing the plates of Wallowa County residents for as long as anyone can remember. In contrast, Dr. Hans Diehl’s 27-year-old CHIP lifestyle program that’s graduated and tracked the success of more than 65,000 participants places health priorities on fruits, vegetables, legumes, and nuts. Exclusivity away from all meat is not Dr. Diehl’s thing, but the message definitely conflicts with Wallowa County’s beef industry.

My wife and I are participating in the second of three waves of the CHIP program now, and the benefits are surprising. Personally, I’ve lost a total of 23 pounds I didn’t need and, at my wife’s insistence, am exercising more. My blood pressure has dropped so far in a healthy direction that my primary care provider has suggested I visit my cardiologist to determine if a medication change should be made.

I’m far from a poster child as I’d guess all participants are gaining in different ways. Even the scientific video clips shown during the 18-class course can be life-changing. Just recently the amount of measurable “bad” a healthy man ingested during one solid foray with ice cream was staggering.

But all things in moderation, right?

While attending the Hospital Foundation’s biggest fundraiser of the year recently, I sat next to a veteran Wallowa County rancher who, along with his wife, was attending round No. 1 of the CHIP program and singing its praises. Too, he — like me — blissfully was enjoying a rare prime rib.

Taste cannot be overlooked, yet were mothers to toss in one or three fewer Snickers into the shopping cart might be a positive for their kids.

Jabberwock II columnist Rocky Wilson is a reporter for the Chieftain.