SOAPBOX of the week: stand tall and cheer

Posted on February 2, 2009 by admin

“Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.” – Hubert H. Humphrey, political leader

Now, I’m rather certain the brightest achievers of our times didn’t willingly surrounded themselves with critics, cynics, and judgmental busybodies. Heck – neither did your own little hometown hero. No invitations were handed out to engage audiences to readily toss rotten remark and rotten tomato alike …for added mockery and witless banter. Nope, the doubters and diggers simply showed up as a rule, for they’re the wishers and wasters who hate to love to watch the dreamers and doers…like moths to a flame. And even as you yourself may strive for the lead role, the key lesson in irony is that you may have your own time in the sideline seat. Either way, folks, your surge of opinions can prove supportive or sabotaging. So be watchful of your own judging tongue, ‘cause there’s always an audience. And no matter if it’s full of family, friend or foe…you want to be on their good side, just as you’ll want them on yours.

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.

SOAPBOX of the week: the dessert of life

Posted on January 5, 2009 by admin

“Having a dream that you don’t pursue, is like buying an ice cream cone
and watching it melt all over your hand!” – Anon

So, what’ll be, folks? Chocolate or vanilla? Or a stack of napkins?

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.

SOAPBOX of the week: new year, old wisdom

Posted on December 29, 2008 by admin

“Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” – John Quincy Adams, US President

Gooooooood morning, race fans! How’s the ride so far? Let me guess. As soon as the second hand strikes and Dick Clark alarmclocks the world onto a clean slate, you set to full throttle and take off like a mid-life-crisis man in a new Corvette.

With heart pounding and champagne in your eyes, you decide that you will take the wheel and make things go your way this year, come hell or high water. Righting the wrongs. Shaking the systems. Cutting the fat. Testing the waters. Revolutionizing the resolutions. Painting a free-wheeling, forward thinking phantasmagoric mural of all that is, was, and ever will be the real future perfect you deserve. All in the name of an unyielding loyalty to the natural selection of self, at least until about mid-February.

I must confess, I too burn a rouge of rubber just as eagerly each year. Even ponder the thought that the heavens will magically open up and confetti my little field of dreams with all the blessing and adornments that I’ve kept cooped up for the past twelve months. Sound familiar? Well, I have both good and bad news for you.

Bad news first: A supercharged vehicle won’t get you through the roadblocks any faster. No matter how much shifting and strategizing you perform, the course will dictate your life’s journey. Not the other way around. And if you’re thinking you can brainstorm your agenda-ed TripTik into an immediate reality, think again. Enough with the red line, race fans, you’re libel to blow the whole engine again.

Now for the good news: You’ve already done the work. You’ve got the ride, the route, and reason for success in all pillars of your future. So, recline with the resonating truth that patience remains the worthwhile virtue that will never fail to fuel your expedition. Coast over your holographic horizon to discover another bountifully balanced year ahead, in body, mind, and spirit. And embrace the magical open road.

Copyright 2000-2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman.
This vignette is an excerpt from Pure Soapbox… a cleansing jolt of perspective, motivation, and humor (July 2008)
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

SOAPBOX of the week: a wish for tireless thankfulness

Posted on November 24, 2008 by admin

A special feast from the book “Pure Soapbox”… SOAPBOX vignette #57

thanks•giv•ing – n. an act of giving thanks; an expression of gratitude

Hope you’re hungry, because this timely concoction of culinary soapboxing doles out not one, but two servings of epicurean delight to drive home a notion that so very many of us have overlooked, and continue to pass over.

In black and white, the operative word here is giving. Needless to say, the actual form of the thanks takes on as much importance as the act itself. Some slaps on the back are best soft-served with a smile. Still, this world-renowned date for thanks-giving has been anchored in time by our forefathers in an unyielding attempt to showcase its kinetic nature. And so, I ask that you humor me with this two-for-one homage to the aromatic brilliance of a few of connoisseurs of the Canon.

1st Course
“Let us remember that, as much has been given us, much will be expected from us, and that true homage comes from the heart
as well as from the lips, and shows itself in deeds.” – Theodore Roosevelt, U.S. President

You are the main ingredient and you’re alive and kicking! You may even have all your fingers and toes, as well as a college education, and the luxury of pushing pause to digest this meal of literary morsels. Burrow in and bear- hugbearhug the irrefutable fact that you are truly blessed, and, in turn, equally limitless in opportunities to show appreciation for the gifts you’ve received.

2nd Course
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John Fitzgerald Kennedy, U.S. president

Go ahead and dish ‘em out however you choose, stuffed between hors d’oeuvres or piled high atop Mom’s fabulous pecan pie. Fifty bucks says your belly-full sensation of satisfaction comes not from the feast of fruitcake, but from your dynamic expression of thanks for the boundless bounties before you. Fill your Tupperware with these leftovers…and season the rest of your days with provisions that’ll never spoil…regardless of the cook!

Copyright 2000-2008 by Kimberlie Dykeman. Excerpt from Pure Soapbox… a cleansing jolt of perspective, motivation, and humor, published July 2008.
Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.
A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

SOAPBOX of the week: freedom in forgiveness

Posted on November 3, 2008 by admin

“To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by a bee.” – Anon.

So the story goes: somebody did you wrong and you’re ticked and keeping score. To err may be human, you think, but this one’s inexcusable. Revenge is in order…or at least the silent treatment! And in one fell swoop, spite invades your body and distracts your mind with anger, resentment and ego and an unyielding agenda for self-preservation. Your choice to neither forgive nor forget fills your spirit with funk and erases years from your very lifeline. When you aim to crucify another for wrongdoing, ironically, the bigger wrong is done by you. Folks, drop the grudge and wipe the scoreboard, ‘cause it’s only time until the show is on the other foot. Lessons learned in absolution now will save both face and friendship.

Pure Soapbox available nationwide online and where books are sold.

A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

SOAPBOX of the week: the beauty of painted bewilderment

Posted on October 27, 2008 by admin

“The world doesn’t make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do.” – Pablo Picasso

Left brain vs. right. The creatives vs. the techies. Realists vs. dreamers. Subjectivity allows for ambiguity and confuses both sides when it comes to art. And isn’t it funny how we magnify our opinions of painting and performance –spouting judgment, dismissing importance and demanding explanation. As if we expect mathematical equation to give us a “why”. Yet, without rhyme or reason we accept reality TV, love at first sight, dogs wearing clothing, people driving the speed limit, and Hostess Twinkies as “normal” and without question. Point being, art reflects life, folks. So embrace the confusion…each of us helps create it!