Clearing Obstacles, Revealing Joy

     The concept of mental clutter is not brand new, but I am thinking about it in a new way today. For a long time I have been struggling just like so many others to be more productive, more satisfied. I work my way through long lists of tasks hoping to feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of the day. Instead, I feel drained and less alive. Kind of like a zombie.
     Inspite of this misfortune, I am fully aware of the certain truth that my life is full of joy and blessings. I see it reflected in the face of my financé and the wagging tail of our puppy. I see proof of joy in the sunlight streaming through yellow leaves into our breakfast room.
This joy is always there, but it’s not always clear to me. When bills come in the mail that I hadn’t planned for, when tea spills on my computer (again), when I’m sick, or someone tells me about a recent tragedy, I cannot see the joy that surrounds me. The sun still rises and the leaves are still golden and Ben still smiles and Luta still wags her tail, but I don’t feel it.
     These obstacles need to be sorted and cleared, just like clutter. Some of them may require an annoying phone call or $750 or a few seconds of grief, but they must be addressed and sorted.
     The easy ones will be first. Sometimes with just a conscious resolve not to worry about that anymore the joy is already shining through the cracks, seeping back in. Today I cleared the obstacles. I let them go, and to my surprise I was left with only one that demanded more from me. I was face-to-face with my own dissatisfaction, with images of the person I want to be and the life I want to live, and the images did not look like the present moment at all. Suddenly it was very simple.
     Clearing the other obstacles had reminded me that in fact, things are pretty great. I have satisfying work. My business is growing. I am gloriously comfortable. I am healthy and excited about things to come. There was just one missing piece. In my case it was expression. So I came straight home to write, amazed that I hadn’t seen it before. It wasn’t that I didn’t know I needed this - I just hadn’t seen the power of this one action to put everything back in alignment and reveal the full and glorious abundance of joy everywhere I look.
     When you sort through the obstacles, letting go of anxiety, unnecessary worries, and solving the problems that need solving, what is left over? What is at the root of it all? Let me know in the comments below.