Who among us has not sifted through a cloudy, confusing situation only to finally, and after great trial, see the truth of things? That feeling deserves its own unique word, I believe. The sense of profound relief when the truth has finally, gracefully and undeniably risen up.

This is the rare and still-sweet form of relief I am thinking on today… Not the pleasant discovery that instantly lifts you to new heights. Not the calm, sobering drop of concluding, “Oh, I knew that all along”. I want to give a moment to that unique sense of calm at truth’s arrival - even when the truth itself is not sweet - where we are suddenly aware of being in a new and better place.

It would have to be a word like ‘stepping stone at the top of a long ladder from a dark tunnel’ or ‘the different color the grass has after the smog blows away from the sun’. Maybe it comes down to this: Truth is always a relief. An ugly truth is always better than a pretty deception. Truth gives us something to stand on, once it arises, that somehow makes difficult realities somehow more bearable.

I see it almost as cycles of clarity. Fear or jealousy or resentment often distorts and deceives. By their nature, they are concealing and diminishing. Once they are aired, though, a flood of clarity and fresh air surround them to suddenly make health possible. We don’t have to like what we see. But, we always on some level, like the fresh, invigorating vitality that truth brings.

Here’s to wishing all of you great clarity and a solid footing, like the fresh air of reaching the top of that ladder where the smog is fully cleared, when your Truth Rises Up.