Soulshine

Everyone we encounter is a teacher. Everyone has something to teach us about ourselves or about life. And last week, I learned a new lesson about myself from an Ebay seller. I collect old movie posters/lobby cards. I had won a beautiful one on Ebay and it arrived damaged last week. As soon as I saw the packaging, I knew there was a problem. The lobby card had been mailed in a manila envelope and only had one ill-fitting piece of cardboard inside. The cardboard was behind the card so there was nothing protecting the front side (the image on the card) aside from the manila envelope, which had been torn in two places during shipping. Sure enough, when I opened the package the lobby card was damaged in those two spots. I immediately contacted the seller expressing my disappointment about the poor packaging and damaged card, and included photos of the damage. I felt justified in registering my complaint. I had paid for a near mint lobby card, not a damaged one. In addressing the i...

“Too many times I let my feelings hide. I act like it's all alright. You don't know how I feel inside. I act like nothing's on my mind, I act like nothing's on my mind But there's something on my mind. It's easier to hide.” Maya Jane Coles, Easier to Hide I grew-up believing I didn’t have the right to have wants or needs, thoughts or feelings. As a child, I had received the message many times that my wants and needs, thoughts and feelings didn’t count. So I learned to hold them tightly inside of me, or to outright dismiss them as invalid. When I was small, it worked for me to deny expressing myself. I was simply labeled the “shy” child and people thought it was cute. But as I grew into a young adult, being the “shy” child became a problem for me. I found that when I wanted to express myself, I couldn’t. Either I didn’t really know what I wanted or needed, or thought or felt; or I didn’t have the self-esteem to open up and express my...