To help me make this list I went to website of Bill Ferguson, a divorce lawyer who specializes in trying to help divorcing couples part as friends. His book, Miracles Are Guaranteed describes process. You can see basic idea of his concept here. He’s also produced an audio course outlining same strategies to help people clean up their spiritual houses. It’s worth it to give his website a look too. Most of ideas found in his book and audio course can be found there: http://www.masteryoflife.com

3.Be Thorough: I had to be honest with myself; did it really matter if I left an unwashed plate in my room? Do I really have to pick up after myself? Rats have amazingly resilient digestive systems (i.e. if you don’t clean your plate, a rat will clean it for you and rat saliva is neither appetizing nor sanitizing), and I myself have found evidence of rats living in one of my junk drawers. That’s right, more raisins.

In same vein, I had to be honest and thorough when examining my life; resentments I carried, anger that seems to dominate my life. All these things are frightening and hard to look at, but they are all evidence that I had spiritual rodents running around gnawing at joy I was seeking.

4.Start Cleaning: Once I had my list, I could see exactly what needed to be done. Floor dirty? Sweep it! Cobwebs in corners? Knock ‘em down! In life I had to do same thing: Holding a grudge? Forgive person, not for them, but for my own well being and peace of mind. I found out how to do that at Bill Ferguson’s website too.

5.Maintain Cleanliness: In life as well as in my house I had to maintain habits that would keep me in a clean, rodent free house. Put clothes in hamper. Wash dirty dishes daily. Keep on lookout for any negativity in my life and take steps to avoid it. Sure I get lazy sometimes, but if I don’t do what needs to be done, I’ll just wind up with more vermin.

Basically, those are steps I’ve taken and am still taking to keep my house and my life free of rats. I’m not perfect at it, and I don’t always do it to my own satisfaction, but what has been done so far has made me a much happier person.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go wash my plate.

“As we walked to fruit stand at twilight, I was overcome with ecstasy. Each house had a new charm and a story to tell. Colors seemed to have been applied with a brush. At stand each orange demanded a caress. . . “

Do you see how an everyday walk to store became a sensory delight? All because writer began to alter her perception of experience.

To begin your Joy Journal, we suggest a Rainer-inspired technique called a List of Joys. Use this technique to collect joyful moments of your life. You can list things that make you happy on a routine basis (like watching a sunset), or extraordinary events that put a smile on your face. Your list might look something like this:

1. I really, really, really felt grass between my toes and it made me feel like one living creature (me) was intimately communicating with another (the grass).

2. Listening to of Lorena McKinnett’s Dante’s Prayer filled my body with an intense rush of love. How could anyone write something so unearthly beautiful?

3. I rode my bicycle today and feeling of breeze rushing through my hair made me feel like I was 10 years old. What joy!

Help balance those serious, difficult days by re-reading your Joy Journal, and remembering that life IS filled with moments of pure happiness.