Category Archives: parents

SOAPBOX of the week: exchanging hope

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“Have a penny, leave a penny.  Need a penny, take a penny.”     –  7-11 penny dish

A nudging notion saturated with the simplest of wisdoms, right up there with the Golden Rule, that whole lemon-lemonade adage, and probably a slew of Newton’s discoveries.  Ironically, Lincoln’s loose change symbolizes all the basic needs to survive life –even in this 21st century.  But most of us limit the concept of “needs” to the Salvation Army scope of money, food, shelter, clothing, pots and pans, books…whatever.  Well, wouldn’t life be a string of struggles without other things like family, friendship, transportation, education, activity, or music?  And it’d be downright unbearable without conversation, love, laughter, prayer, fellowship, celebration, and charity.  Tell me I am not off base, folks!   For every single one of us, life is a roller coaster of times of having and needing all of these glorious symbols of sustenance.  But moreso, each day presents an opportunity of choice to ask for the sake of our own survival or to offer for the sake of another’s.  See, the world is full of abundance and so are you!   And I ain’t just talkin’ currency, folks.   When you have it… give it.  When you need it… take it.  Yup, it’s that simple.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: life’s luscious roulette

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“Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get.”     –  Forrest Gump, shrimp boating captain

Hollywood may have etched these lines of script in their Canon, but I think many of you need it tattooed in your mind’s mainframe.  So, mull with me and let the sweetness of its monumental meaning melt in your mouth.  Life is  like a box of chocolates –each day offers up a square to devour whose core confection may impact us for a flash or forever.  Indeed, some are truffles of petty delays or divorces; pralines of pitfalls or pink slips; and caramels of hangnails or heart attacks.  Oh, but do not forget that time’s beautiful gift box also offers up manna in the making …of breakthroughs, best friends, birthdays, big raises, new babies and blessings beyond words.   Deemed “good” or “bad”, they all offer the sustenance to challenge, change, and ultimately define us.  Point being, even the crappy ones ain’t so terrible.  And when given a choice between a chocolate of mysterious midsection or none at all… fifty bucks says you’ll take the treat, and probably find the surprise inside  worthwhile for the future of your family, faith, career, relationships and place in this timeline we call life.   And that, my friends, is the meat of the sweet.  

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: memorial for motivation

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“All the same, we take our chances, laughed at by time, tricked by circumstances. Plus ca change, plus c’est la meme chose.  The more that things change, the more they stay the same.”      – Geddy Lee, musician, & Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, journalist and critic

Stumble through this quote, and you’ll swear Yogi Berra concocted yet another puzzler. And though the labyrinth of lyrics wax ironic, the message nails the undercurrent of life in one fell swoop, regardless the language.  Change and her relentless rhythm unashamedly convicts and collectively connects us as we stand in awe of the seeming bombardment of negative events that the past decade has delivered: The tragedy of 9-11, the failing markets, the additional violence throughout America, the war in the Middle East.  You name it and it’s more than just front page worthy. And as the media cumulatively frightens the bejeezus out of us, many of us find ourselves re-evaluating, re-booting, and re-promising to re-unite and make this world a better place.  Geez, what’s the scurry all about, now?  Why are we feverishly trying to concoct our own band-aid therapy, while still fearing that the worst has yet to come down on us?

Folks, whether it’s  the 21st century or the 1930s, the barefaced backdrop may have changed along with the countless events of devastation, but we as a nation remain the same. We’re all still just a bunch of folks living on a big plot of land called America.  That said, there has never been a right time to share fellowship, take care of each other, go to church, invest in ourselves, our families, and our businesses; respect our elders, donate to charities, take time off, question our value system, show our emotions, pray for one another, or stand together.  Every day is the right time. So, fling open the doors, settle down and keep the home fires burning.  Change your perspective and, believe me, you’ll see how it doesn’t really matter where your assigned seat is.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman. This article contains a copyrighted excerpt from Kimberlie Dykeman’s book PURE SOAPBOX.

SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG.

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your peeps! info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: I swear we’re related!

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“This is a big f**king deal.”     – Joe Biden, US Vice President

Well, there you have it. Indeed the chaos has settled, and what has been revealed is probably even less surprising and news-worthy than one man’s use of profanity.  Profanity whose purpose and placement was spot on, in response to an event that ranks right up there in significance with one certain black president being elected.  Yup, Vice President Biden is just another guy.  Just like a jillion other Americans, he puts his pants on one leg at a time, played football in college, carries a lucky charm, has failed at getting elected for something, used to stutter, and indeed can swear like a sailor.  Yup, the man knows history-in-the-making when he sees it…and can’t hold his lips.  Big friggin’ deal, folks. 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: set free the animosity

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“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”     – Malachy McCourt, writer and politician

Some wise person once enlightened me with the deflatingly realistic truth that people can and will let us all down.  Weaved amidst the plethora of people, places and things you see, go and do, are situations that arise to tangle your plans, stomp your expectations, and defeat your hopes.  In virtually every place you and someone else cross paths, that somebody has the ability to let you down.  Be it with benign backfiring or malicious intent, their actions will cause nuisance and nuclear blast alike, leaving your spirit with wounds of hurt, anger, loss, and regret.  Left to fester, they poison your heart and mind, while the wrong-doer simply moves on.  But regardless the impact, it’s ultimately your choice -if and when- to forgive.  Electing absolution allows for your healing and rebuilding with a mere memory of the mistake left to fade.  Learn to let go, and you’ll learn to hold on to what matters –living a fearless life still chock full of positive plans, expectations, and hopes.

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide & audiobook available on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE  your peeps!  info@puresoapbox.com / 310- 500- 9587

SOAPBOX of the week: ain’t no mystery to prosperity

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    “The man who rolls up his sleeves seldom loses his shirt.”     – Thomas Cowan, mystery man

Hustle, kid!  Don’t stop until you’re finished!  You got time to lean, you got time to clean.  You gotta earn your dinner tonight.  Hard work never hurt anyone!  Yup, and there’s a jillion more … to match the jillion people who regularly need a fire lit under their collective arses to simply do some work!  Whether in recession-rough times or “Reagan Eras”, there will always be a dichotomy of the loyal doers and the lazy divas… ever at odds!   And as damaging as it rings in many a slow-go-ers’ ears, if you find yourself wearing the title right now, perhaps you’re perpetuating your own poverty…one that spreads from your brain to beyond your business card and billfold.  Folks, it’s common sense that surviving and thriving are of your own choice.  Digging in creates passages to powerful people and wells of your own wealth; and the respect you earn rallies a safety net of resources you can never drain.  So, if you find yourself complaining about Wall Street if you’re not even busting a gut on Main Street, you’re closer to clenching your last belongings than you think!  Remember, there’s solution in the solving not the sitting…and you’ve got to believe that deep inside you still is the little engine that could …and it still can! 

Copyright 2000-2010 by Kimberlie Dykeman.        SUBSCRIBE to FREE feed/email  HERE!
“Pure Soapbox“ available nationwide online and where books are sold.   AUDIOBOOK NOW OUT on iTUNES & Audible.com!  A portion of the proceeds of all book sales is donated to LIVESTRONG. 

BOOK KIMBERLIE TO MOTIVATE your company!  310- 500- 9587