Category Archives: empty-nester

SOAPBOX of the week: a humble request from Kimberlie Dykeman

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Ok, folks.  What if I turned the tables on you and asked YOU to get on your proverbial soapbox?  Not because I have run out of quotes.  Not because it’s a contest to get your ditty into my next book.  Not because I felt lazy today.  But, honestly, because I need a cleansing jolt of motivation from you.  Yes, even the SOAPBOX Queen has off-days, let alone weeks and months, that throw a wrench in her life and upset her seemingly untiring positive attitude.  (Remember: Every doctor becomes a patient now and again.)  And in paradigm-shifting times like these, I believe it’s absolutely paramount to be honest, if not radically transparent, about these human-nature occurrences.  After all, covering up the truth only allows for it to rear its ugly head later…and we all know it ain’t pretty!  So, I am volleying the ball into your collective courts, friends; asking for your timeless and timely words of wisdom, mantras, and uplifting mementos for a needed boost of hope, excitement and unyielding belief that anything’s possible.  Thank you!

– KD 

 

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

CHECK OUT NEW SOAPBOX inc offerings 

SOAPBOX of the week: Get it in gear

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“You can’t push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb himself.”     – Andrew Carnegie, businessman

Picture this: it’s mealtime and Little Jimmy isn’t convinced that the spoonful of veggies is good for him, let alone not a mouthful of poison.  Determined to have him swallow it so he will grow into a healthy, well-rounded adult, the coercion, negotiating, begging and, perhaps, voice-raising, begins. A stalemate is reached, accompanied by kicking, fussing and perhaps food-splattered wallpaper.  Why doesn’t he just trust that this is what’s best for him?!  Well, just like children, many folks you attempt to “help” aren’t prepared nor willing to accept your advice, ideas, or cheering.  Now.  But just as change is inevitable, their agenda, fears, curiosities, and preferences will eventually surrender a breakthrough.  So stay tuned, close and true and be ready to dole out a healthy serving of encouragement.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

CHECK OUT NEW SOAPBOX inc offerings 

SOAPBOX of the week: America, the HUMAN dream takes hope, honesty, hard work

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“The capacity for hope is the most significant fact of life. It gives human beings a sense of destination and the energy to get started.”  – Norman Cousins, political journalist & world peace advocate

Ponder the tragedies and tough times you’ve witnessed and weathered.  For some, it’s pocked with divorce, disease, joblessness, legal drama and family battles.  For all, though, it includes the fall-out of 9-11, the epidemic of cancer, the corrosion of our environments, the collapse of our economy.  The far-reaching emissions of these evils nearly suffocate us to helplessness, leaving an impossible-to-fix aftermath.  Ah, but up from the rubble comes a survivor, proving yet again the human spirit is indefinitely indefinable, unyielding and awe-inspiring!  But with the unifying power of hope cometh the echoing call for hard work to rebuild, reboot and reclaim.  It takes discipline to lean down wants and buckle-down for the battle of needs.  It means being radically transparent in communication, which takes asking, sharing, voicing for the greater good.  It means preparing for new ideas, alternatives and eventual growth, which takes resourcefulness of all our surroundings.  And it means trusting that seeds already planted will net positive change… and that takes courage.  Know that generations have done this for us countless times; now it’s our time, folks, to dig ourselves out, and return the favor.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

CHECK OUT NEW SOAPBOX inc offerings 

SOAPBOX of the week: waste not, whine not

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“That which you resist, persists.”     – Anonymous

So, what are you staring at?  And why?  If you don’t want that which is causing upset, is tempting you with unwise choices, or leading you to poor judgment …don’t think about it.  Energy flows where attention goes, and perpetual avoidance or procrastination only fuel the emotionally charged lure to that bad habit or decision.  The result?  Dissatisfaction, disappointment and a greater distance from that which you do want.  The solution?  Stop trying to stare down your “created competition.”  Instead turn away and toward a chosen creation.  What manifests will multiply your joy and hold your gaze indefinitely.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

CHECK OUT NEW SOAPBOX inc offerings 

SOAPBOX of the week: til death do us part

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“It’s not that I’m afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.”     – Woody Allen, actor and director

Death and taxes.  The only two surefire things in life. Though some Vegas regulars and sports fanatics may preach differently.  And while Uncle Sam keeps us whining and strategizing about the latter, our fear-filled culture grants only mumbled tones of “passing-on”, in private settings and intimate moments.  Funny thing, though, is that unlike taxes, we cannot evade death.  At some point reality face-jams us with the irrefutable fact that we’re all immortal.  And the more fear the passing of time, it seems to tick even faster, scooping away youth and presumed opportunity.  Be it old age, a fluke accident, or valiant yet failed fight, we’ll all exit stage left at some time and in some fashion.  Of course, you can choose to personify its coming via the grip of the Grim Reaper or the loving embrace of the grace of God.  Of course, you can avoid the topic in the safety of blissful ignorance.  Or you can invite the comedy, celebration and conversation about the, literally, life-changing event of death.  It might just add more humor, appreciation, understanding, and life to your life.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

CHECK OUT NEW SOAPBOX inc offerings

SOAPBOX of the week: reflection resurrection

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 “Hindsight is 20/20.”     – Anonymous

No doubt, someone’s Mom coined this phrase…and she deserves to wear “The Crown of Common Sense”!  But whoever first shared this golden nugget of wisdom with you probably saw you stomp on it in youthful rebellion.  And yet a jillion times you’ve caught yourself shaking your foolish head, wishing you’d listened to your gut, screaming “Yes”, “No”, or “RUN!”  Well, that which doesn’t kill ya, only makes you stronger.  So, review your past, rethink your future, and refresh your promise to finding and following the truth within.  Tough to swallow?  Well, probably.  But remember, Mom’s always right.

Copyright 2000-2009 by Kimberlie Dykeman
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.