New Year's Resolution

On the 1^st day of each year many of us make a New Year’s Resolution.  This practice dates back centuries.  The ancient Babylonians promised to return borrowed objects and/or pay old debts.  During Medieval times the knights of legend took the “peacock vow” which was a statement to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry.  Our current day resolutions often center on self improvement.  I have heard that new gym memberships are at their highest around the first of the year.  I suspect that has something to do with some well meaning resolution.

Sadly, with many of us, the well meaning resolution often lives a very short life.  Our level of dedication to our resolution meets an obstacle and the obstacle wins.  More often than not we are our own obstacle.  I’ve made resolutions every year for more years than I can remember; I don’t recall living up to many of them with any level of accomplishment.  The only person I can blame for that failure is me.  To succeed takes total commitment.  Total commitment, much like the Hoka Hey Challenge, is a difficult thing; not at all easy.

We all seek self-improvement, but I think our “annual” focus on our resolution may be a mistake.  A commitment to improve ourselves, whether it is in the area of finances, health or a better outlook on life is not a onetime or "annual" thing; it must be re-affirmed each and every day.  I would submit that some resolutions require a re-commitment every hour of each day.

I ask that you join me in my New Year’s Resolution; actually, there are two of them which are going to take a significant commitment from us all.  The first resolution is to commit to the Hoka Hey philosophy and second to compel at least one other to join you in the 2014 Hoka Hey Challenge.   Join me in this endeavor; to ride safe and to ride with integrity with an attitude toward applying yourself to the betterment of our fellow brothers and sisters; that, in a nutshell, is the Hoka Hey philosophy.

The betterment of mankind often starts with the actions of one person.

Happy New Year to my Hoka Hey Brothers and Sisters; ride safe and ride with integrity.

The Perfect Gift

What with everything else going on in the world today there are some of you who may have missed the flash message that Christmas is coming.  I recently got the memo and have been wondering what to get my wonderful wife for Christmas.  Every man wants to get his wife the perfect gift.  My wife asked for a specific gift a month or so ago and that gift has been acquired, but that gift does not count.  The gift I have acquired is one she asked for and apparently the “perfect gift” must be something I thought of all by myself while listening to things she said throughout the year (go figure).  Beware of the comment, “Don’t worry about getting me anything, you do so many wonderful things all year long… you do not need to get me any Christmas presents.”  That comment is a trap that far too many men have fallen into; you see their faces on milk cartons at every breakfast table.

So, I search for the very elusive “perfect gift” that is as hard to find as King Solomon’s Mine.  Come to think of it, Solomon’s Mine would be a pretty phenomenal gift, but it is too late in the season to work the logistics on that so maybe next year.

I went on line last week to find the perfect gift.  I went to Google and typed in, “the perfect Christmas gift for wife” and anxiously awaited the results.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered Google may not be as useful as people think.

I found the “Kiss Me Goodnight Personalized Pillowcase” which made no sense, my wife reminds me every night to kiss her goodnight; she does not need a pillowcase to remind her to remind me.

I found the “Woman’s NFL Replica Jersey” which is another oddity.  I have never sat and watched a single game on TV my whole life; sorry, not into televised sports at all.  Getting this would not only make my wife wonder where her real husband was, but I think any gift that has the word “replica” in the title may be asking for trouble.  How can it be perfect if it’s a replica?

I found the “Personalized Photo Mosaic Collage” which I guess would be OK, but I never went to collage so that would be like hanging a fake diploma on the wall.

A “Picnic Backpack” was provided as a potential candidate for the perfect gift.  What?  Not only will she be cooking the food, but I’m going to make her carry it herself to a park… that’s just dumb.  The chances of me never leaving the park alive would be staggering.

The “WineRack Sports Bra” is something I will not try to describe… I will tell you it came with its own straw.  Let your imagination run wild and whatever you come up with might come close.  I actually thought about this for a while, but then felt it unfair to put my wife in a situation where she would have to explain to the homicide detective how this thing got shoved down my throat.

The “Bathing Beauty Pin-Up Personalized Art Print” was actually listed under the “perfect wife gift” section.  Next to that was the “Your Faces on Adam and Eve Artwork” piece.  I’m almost certain these things are sold by divorce lawyers looking to drum up business.

There was the Holocaust Survival Guide (can’t make this stuff up), the Nighttime Plantar Fasciitis Therapy Brace (don’t ask, I got no clue), the New York Yankees Toaster (bread not included), an All-Terrain 100QT Chest Cooler (not to be confused with the WineRack Sports Bra), the Zombie Head Glass Skull Decanter, the Strange Attractor Magnetic Thinking Putty (again, no clue) and my favorite, the Ft Lauderdale Jetpack Flight Experience.

Surprisingly enough, I did not find the perfect gift.  If, after Christmas Day, you do not hear from me, please call out the cadaver dogs.  I’m sure if my wife ends my existence I will deserve it, but I would at least like my carcass recovered and presented for a decent burial.

 Merry Christmas to you all. 

Last Minute Donations for 2013 Taxes

With the end of the year getting close you may want to consider a last minute charitable donation for 2013 tax purposes.  A donation to the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce under the name of Hoka Hey will help us with our efforts to enhance the living conditions and employment opportunities for the residents of Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Donations can be made to Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce by going to www.pineridgechamber.com and clicking on the “Donations” link.  Money collected will be used to provide scholarships to local residents for trade schools or community college enrollment.   Every dollar collected helps us meet our goal.  Your assistance is needed and greatly appreciated.

Hoka Hey Partners with Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce

The Medicine Show LLC, Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce join together to promote awareness about the plight of Indian People around the Nation.

Most people can’t begin to comprehend the unacceptable state of affairs that exist on Indian Reservations in the US and while there are a number of very fortunate Indian Nations whose people earn a very good living; there are a staggering number of residents in the reservation system that live in dismal conditions which rival and even surpass that of many Third World countries.

The Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce in Pine Ridge, SD is a voluntary non-profit corporation whose purpose is to improve the quality of life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation by creating, sustaining and enhancing Indian owned businesses.  Applying the Lakota values of Honesty, Wisdom, Respect, Courage, Fortitude, Responsibility, and Generosity to the economic setting, the Chamber intends to empower people and create hope for a brighter future.  Ivan Sorbel, Chamber Director states, “The Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce is an association of business people who understand the importance of partnering with like-minded organizations to accomplish the goals and the mission they’ve set forth.”
 

One of those like-minded organizations is the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge.  The next annual Hoka Hey Challenge begins on July 20, 2014 and covers a little over 7,500 miles between Key West, FL and Homer, AK – using a new route to connect two favorite destinations.  Beth Durham of the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge is careful to confirm that people don’t have to participate in the Challenge in order to help the cause partnered between Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge and the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce.

“The Chamber isn’t about making handouts. It is about empowering the people who live there to make the reservation a better place in which to live, work, and raise a family.  It is a huge undertaking and we are glad for the help from Medicine Show LLC and the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge participants.” Said Sorbel.

Any one that is interested in helping can go to the Chamber website at www.pineridgechamber.com to donate.  This year’s goal is to raise a minimum of $20,000 which will be used to establish a scholarship fund, create small business grants and institute a Skills Camp for high school students in order to help them become more employable.

The Medicine Show LLC and the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge are proud to help the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce with their efforts throughout the coming months in an effort to remind everyone that we can all do just a little bit more.

For more information about the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge please visit their website at www.hokaheychallenge.com

To learn more about the Pine Ridge Area Chamber of Commerce, or to make a donation, please go to www.pineridgechamber.com
 

Too Commercial?

The Christmas Season, regardless of your religious beliefs, used to focus on spreading joy to your fellow man; I personally believe that is still the focus.  However, some might argue there are clear indicators that life as we know it is in a spiral dive because of selfishness and greed; "Christmas has gone commercial" they say.  They might continue the debate and say society as a whole has taken a turn for the worse and we have gone from a "giving of ourselves" nation to a "what you gonna give me today" nation.  The nightly news is an endless display of self-centeredness, but only because the self-centered are the only ones making the news.

I believe the selfless and caring individual outnumbers the selfish by leaps and bounds.  It only appears otherwise because the selfless are seldom seen.  Why?  Because the selfless are usually humble as well and have no desire to be in the spotlight.

While surrounded by the mayhem and all the self-centered people we deal with, it is hard to maintain what is referred to as, "The Christmas Spirit."   A perfect example is that guy that rings the bell outside the shopping mall.  It's nothing personal, but that guy really gets on my nerves sometimes; it seems they start earlier each year.  As a child it was a novelty to see them a few days before Christmas; now they hit the streets before Thanksgiving.  I'd give them more money if they would just stop ringing that bell.  OK, I'm being a little sarcastic here as I know they serve a purpose; they collect money for… actually, who do they collect money for?

The trick is to, regardless of outside pressures and problems, maintain a level of compassion for our fellow man.  We might think mankind needs to be fixed, and maybe it does, but fixing mankind is not our responsibility; that responsibility rests with a much higher power (not to be confused with the government).

Our responsibility is to care for and protect our family, our friends and our neighbors.  We may not be able to fix mankind or stop the perceived spiral dive, but we can help our neighbor and we can help our family.  Take time this Christmas Season to extend a helping hand and spread a little joy in your neighborhood.

And, if you want to eliminate the stress of the "Nightly Christmas Crowd Shopping Mall Fights" I have the perfect solution; don't shop at the shopping mall.  Buy your stuff on-line.  You can start by going to the Hoka Hey On-Line Store and buy special gifts for those special people; or maybe even those not so special people.

Hoka Hey On-Line Store

Special Gifts  for those special people

If you do go to the shopping mall and come up to that guy ringing that very irritating bell... drop a few coins in the bucket, look him in the eye and wish him a Merry Christmas; he's just trying to get by; just like you.

Merry Christmas to the Hoka Hey Family