The Screen Door Slams

I like to think of my soul as a lover longing for me, inviting me, wanting me.  Every time I hear Bruce Springsteen's "Thunder Road", its my soul calling out to me....

The screen door slams, Mary's dress waves
Like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays
Roy Orbison singing for the lonely
Hey, that's me and I want you only
Don't turn me home again, I just can't face myself alone again
Don't run back inside, darling, you know just what I'm here for
So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore
Show a little faith, there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but, hey, you're alright
Oh, and that's alright with me

"So you're scared and you're thinking that maybe we ain't that young anymore"  I need to know it's not too late and yes I'm scared.  "Show a little faith, there's magic in the night"  All of who I am is alright with my soul.  So do I stay on that front porch?

You can hide 'neath your covers and study your pain
Make crosses from your lovers, throw roses in the rain
Waste your summer praying in vain
For a savior to rise from these streets

How often have I stayed stuck or looked to be rescued by a relationship, or by getting the right job or buying the right gadget?  Have I wasted the summer of my life ignoring my very self?

Well now, I ain't no hero, that's understood
All the redemption I can offer, girl, is beneath this dirty hood
With a chance to make it good somehow
Hey, what else can we do now?

This culture is all about heroes, especially for men.  Rise up, be heroic.  Our redemption lies in the gritty, the dirty, the real.

​Our souls invite us, the door is open:

And my car's out back if you're ready to take that long walk
From your front porch to my front seat
The door's open but the ride ain't free

"The ride ain't free."  It takes effort and persistence, to walk away from the comfort of our addictions, the seduction of our pain.  We can stay in our misery, hoping to be saved, or we can check out our soul's invitation.  Maybe we'll "roll down the window and let the wind blow back [y]our hair" 

So Mary, climb in
It's a town full of losers, I'm pulling out of here to win