When I was young, every Saturday morning I would watch Soul Train on TV. Gladys Knight, The Main Ingredient, and so many other artists just sent me… My favorite part of the show was the Soul Train Line. (If you don’t know about the Line, YouTube has clips for you to enjoy.) Don Cornelius invited me to the stage set where I’d boogie down; my family room teemed with Motown, Disco, and P-Funk. Doing “the bump” was easy and doing “the robot” wasn’t. What was extremely clear to me was my belief that ONE day I would be on Soul Train going down that line. Partner or no partner, I’d be there. Yep!
Well, I didn’t make it to the set. The show, which aired in 1971 closed in 2006. I had ample time to buy platform shoes, a fringe belt, and a hair pick that could be glued to my fine straight hair. However, my soul went off the track. Today, I am still a bit dazed thinking about the idea that I didn’t have that experience with my brothers and sisters who partied in front of cameras in California.
Upon reflection, I realize that I experienced many bumps in my life. At times, I was like a robot — numb and automated — skidding across my life path. Had I boarded the wrong Soul Train? Maybe I had taken the midnight train to Georgia… (I actually did move to Georgia for a short time and returned home.)
Somewhere in my heart and mind, I always felt the need to feel happy and as free as the dancers I admired. I worked through issues and got down and dirty with healing. It took years of exploration to challenge all I had set aside due to avoidance of feeling pain and discomfort. I began to experience Joy and Bliss as I awakened spiritually.
What was this Soul Train that was so alluring to me? Why did I want to climb aboard it and feel it go “chug! chug!”? Don and the guests knew the secret and I was just dance steps away from learning it. Then it hit me like a locomotive! The train was never 3,000 miles away from my Long Island home. I had always been a passenger but didn’t know it because I wasn’t happy and couldn’t feel the Love. Once I realized that this beloved vehicle was mine and always had been, I smiled and soft shoed over to my loveseat…
The Soul Train is everyone’s vehicle of transportation. It is available to us all. No ticket required. Ample seating. Standing and dancing room for all travelers. The view is perfect. The ride will take you where you need to go. What is required is the desire to join with other souls who also want to feel Joy and Bliss. Unity of Spirit is the common dance theme. When one makes the decision to put on their dancing shoes, climb aboard, and take the ride of a lifetime they will understand that they have always had the choice to be free, unite with fellow brothers and sisters, and feel the Love.
So, I invite you to c’mon ‘board the Soul Train. Bring a friend or two.
Blessings,
Joanie
