Soulshine

“It’s the only way you’ll ever be a free happy soul. I know. I had to go through the same thing. Sure it’s tough to break away from your family, your background and be yourself. They had it all fixed for me to settle down in Papa’s footsteps, to be a banker and a statesman, but I wanted to paint. It was the battle of the century, but I won.” Michael (Melvyn Douglas), Theodora Goes Wild The story behind the 1936 film Theodora Goes Wild revolves around two young adults who are at the mercy of their families. Michael and Theodora are from two different worlds: Big New York, New York and small-town Lynnfield , Connecticut , respectively. Michael’s father is a wealthy businessman and the Lt. Governor of New York . Theodora lives with her two elderly and highly Puritan aunts in the small town that was founded by her ancestors. So both Michael and Theodora have the eyes of their respective worlds upon them—and their behavior. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Lynnfi...

“Woke up this morning Closed in on all sides Nothing doing I feel resistance As I open my eyes Someone's fooling I've found a way to break Through this cellophane line Cause I know what's going on In my own mind. Am I living in a box Am I living in a cardboard box Am I living in a box Am I living in a cardboard box Am I living in a box?” Living In a Box by Living In a Box (1987) I’ve spent most of my life living in a box. As a child, I began constructing cardboard walls. Each and every passing year led me to reinforce these walls. During grade school and high school the walls were so well reinforced that they were practically indestructible. And by the time I reached college, I had closed the top on the box so tight that I could barely breathe inside of it. In many ways the box was an invisible shield around me. It protected me any time I needed to leave my room—my only place of safe-refuge within our house or the world for that matter. So t...

Rainy day—no problem. Snowy day—no problem. Simply a grey day—no problem. Your sunshine is inside of you. Many people are totally unaware that the weather cannot make them happy. They live for sunny days and choose to be gloomy when the sky fills with clouds. If you’re living for a sunny day, you’re giving your power away. And if you give your power away to the weather, you most likely give your power away to everything and everyone. As long as you are happy inside yourself, as long as you turn inside yourself for spiritual and emotional nourishment, you will provide internal-eternal sunshine to your life. Of course, sometimes we have to allow it to rain inside our souls. We have to throw open the shutters and allow healing tears to wash over us and renew us as a means of regenerating sunshine from within. But this is OK. It’s all in our hands and the hands of our Higher Power, who will always help us find inner-balance and joy. What’s really important here, is that we are hol...