2003 Soap Box Archives

The New Year 12/19/03

2004 is almost upon us, can you believe it, where did 2003 go? It seems that time just flashes by and if you blink your eyes it’s nothing more than a memory.

When I was a kid it seemed that the school year would never end
and that it was eons between Christmases. Now the time between the longest day and the first frost goes by like an express freight train on a straight track.

I’ve decided that the only thing to do is to live every minute of every hour of every day. Just slow it down and live in the immediate present and let tomorrow take care of itself, and be thankful for it all.

Shakespeare said that life is but a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more, a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing.

Now i have the utmost respect for the way Mr. Shakespeare handled the English language but I can’t say much for his description of what life is.
Let me share a few things i’ve learned about life in my 67 years.

Life is a wonderful gift from God, an untravelled road, an unpainted canvas, an unmolded piece of clay, a great and wonderful adventure full of surprises and delights.

I know there are disappointments and troubles but they’re only temporary bumps in the road if we’ll only look at them in that way. As the old song says, we need to accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative.

I know sometimes that’s hard to do but we can do it if we set our minds to it.

Don’t hang on to yesterday, its troubles or its triumphs. Yesterday is gone and if we live there we never get to see what’s over the next hill.

Don’t hang on to old hard feelings and grudges. Forgiveness is
one of the greatest medicines there is. If someone has done you wrong you are only hurting yourself by dragging that old bitter memory around with you. You don’t have to agree with what they’ve done, but if we want any real peace in this life we have to learn to forgive.

A true friend is a special thing, and a job, no matter how grandiose or humble is worth doing well...honesty is a true and practical virtue and charity is an obligation. Marriage is a sacred covenant and children are a gift from God. Wholesome ambition is good and builds fires in the belly. Never compare yourself with someone else. God made us all differently and gave each of us different talents. Let your life unfold in your own good time, not measured by someone else’s accomplishments.

Never deceive yourself about your abilities and follow your heart and conscience wherever they lead you.

Now about New Year’s resolutions. I don’t know about you, but if I make New Year’s resolutions I most always break them. For instance, if I resolve to go on a diet, I can find myself in breech of the resolution at the first good Mexican restaurant heading West.

So this year I resolve not to make any resolutions.

Hey Anita, is that a resolution?

From all The CDB family we hope that 2004 is a happy, healthy and prosperous year for you and yours.

Pray for our troops.

What do you think?

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels