SOAPBOX of the week: Go green or be gone

    “To cherish what remains of the Earth and to foster its renewal is our only legitimate hope of survival.”     – Wendell Berry, philosopher, novelist and social activist

It’s about time we stopped snickering at Al Gore, the forewarning NPR folks and tree-hugging, hybrid hippies…because they might be onto something!  It’s about time we stopped being so selfish and purposefully merged as Humankind for the simple Darwinian hopes of perpetuating our existence by strengthening our collective homebase – we call Earth!  For, not seeing is believing.  When a species of animal disappears, we must rescue braver.  When a strain of plant disappears, we must think greener.  When snowcaps are melting, swallowing up islands and life, we must conserve stricter. Amidst the chatter of economics, religion and war, don’t miss the underconversation of environment, culture and interdependent community.  My fellow EARTH-lings, we must research cleaner, protect fiercer, commit firmer, explore broader, spend wiser, educate brighter.  May we all look back after long, fulfilling lives to proclaim that we are survivors and all did our part.  It’s our time to think globally…and act globally.  

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman 

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: The cleanse begets clarity

 “The cure for anything is salt water-     sweat, tears or the sea.”     – Isak Dinesen, author

The proverbial curve balls in life can knock the breath right out of you.  With the good cometh the bad and that effervescent high wears off quicker than cheap champagne and you’re left scrambling for safety and stability.  But when the clouds finally part, the connection between mind and body spells out one simple solution… as just that: a solution…  of salt-water!  Whether you choose to flush it out with a jog …cross-country, sob it out with a great chick flick,  or soak yourself in it, a la the Caribbean,  the cure is in the cleanse.  And so, I say, drench yourself, and towel off a radiant and revitalized new you.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman 

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: Pleasure in the pilgrimage

“To live only for some future goal is shallow.  It’s the sides of the mountain that sustain life, not the top.”     – Robert M. Pirsig, writer & philosopher

On “the journey of life”, we aspire to reach countless goals, marked by flashy finish lines.  Strapped in, we hit cruise-control, determined to follow our self-made map.  En route, though, we must stop for fuel, get caught in speed traps, miss street signs, and sometimes end up entirely lost!  Our course?  Looks more like an Etch-a-Sketch drawing!  But, folks, it always will.  The beauty is found in the scribble, not the spreadsheet.  Finish lines get blurred and even replaced by the surprise successes that pop up.  Sometimes we’ll forget where we were heading in the first place!  How fabulous is that?!  So, go on: pull over for gorgeous sunsets.  Chat with the locals.  Get distracted by the luscious landscape and pack a camera for a wonderfully unmappable journey!

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online, where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: Spirit of survival

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.”     – Gospel of Thomas

Our entire lives, we’re consumed with acquiring “the right gear” to survive “the game of life.”  We prepare for rough terrain, erratic weather, restless natives, and, of course, limited supplies!  Then we create safe havens in which to hide and hoard our gear.  It’s always all about “the stuff’ you can “stuff” around you.  Yet, when it comes down to brass tacks, the toys and tools aren’t your saving grace.  What is…is the “stuff” within you.  Gut instincts, a sense of humor, personal faith, the drive to succeed, integrity and the ability to love.  Trust that it’s exactly what you need to navigate safely, and your abundant stash will never run out.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online, where books are sold.

SOAPBOX of the week: Fabulously flawed you

“When you love yourself, you forgive your own imperfections.”    – Marilyn vos Savant, magazine columnist

There’ll come a day when you stop agonizing over your love handles, crow’s feet and crooked tooth.  When you embrace your obsession with a clean car and dressing–on-the-side.  And when you can tell both your boss and your in-laws that they’re darn lucky they’ve got you!  That’s the day when you shift your own paradigm –finally accepting 100% of the YOU you’ve become…wrinkles, weird habits and all.  It’s perhaps one of the most powerful perspective changes, for it opens the door to the 2nd part of your life…where you realize the value of your perfectly imperfect self and can now focus outward on all the good stuff that’s been waiting to include you.  So, learn to love and you’ll love to live.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox  now available!   Nationwide 07.22.08

SOAPBOX of the week: Unharness your heart

“The heart has the ability to experience so much –and we don’t have much time.”     – Jack Gilbert, poet
   
There’s always tomorrow, right?  At least that’s what we always ignorantly say.  And we’ve allowed our analytical, compartmentalized minds to brainwash our hearts to run on the same autopilot.  Think of all those times you stopped just short of saying or doing something that would’ve delighted your heart.  Delayed gratification ain’t all it’s cracked up to be; because while you’re holding out for the “perfect one” or the “right moment”, your heart loses out on the experiences that would grow it exponentially.  Funny, how you’ll neglect your emotions for the sake of your thoughts.  Isn’t it time to find a balance?  After all, you don’t know how much time you’ve got left.  Folks, the mind is a terrible thing to waste – and so is the heart.  So relinquish the reigns and relish the results.

Copyright 2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman

Pure Soapbox  now available!   Nationwide 07.22.08