Is it all about being first?

Posted on 19. Sep, 2011 by in The Goo Blog

I was walking home after my run this morning when I came across this on the sidewalk.

At first I thought how cute the local kids had run laps around the yard to see who could do the most.  But then I was stopped dead in my tracks when this registered in my head.

First, First, Lost.

I was saddened to think that these children are growing up with the idea that if you aren’t first you LOST.  What ever happened to doing your best and being proud of it.

I personally run a couple of running events a year and I promise you that I have no illusions that I will ever finish first, but that does not take away from the enjoyment I get from running and seeing what is the best I can do on that day.

Look closely and you see that the child who “lost”, Austin, completed just one lap fewer than Lucy and Macy who tied for first.

Now I am sure there is more to the choice of these words than meets the eye.  It may have been innocence or vengeance or simply a limited vocabulary to choose from.

I am not advocating prizes for everyone who starts the event, but what I saw on the sidewalk today is another sign of how we are perpetuating a dichotomous world.

What do you think?  How do you view your performance if you do not finish first?

The Tire Iron and the Tamale

Posted on 25. Mar, 2011 by in The Goo Blog

By JUSTIN HORNER  - Justin Horner is a graphic designer living in Portland, Ore. This essay was adapted from a message-board posting on reddit.com.

Published: March 4, 2011

During this past year I’ve had three instances of car trouble: a blowout on a freeway, a bunch of blown fuses and an out-of-gas situation. They all happened while I was driving other people’s cars, which for some reason makes it worse on an emotional level. And on a practical level as well, what with the fact that I carry things like a jack and extra fuses in my own car, and know enough not to park on a steep incline with less than a gallon of fuel.

Each time, when these things happened, I was disgusted with the way people didn’t bother to help. I was stuck on the side of the freeway hoping my friend’s roadside service would show, just watching tow trucks cruise past me. The people at the gas stations where I asked for a gas can told me that they couldn’t lend them out “for safety reasons,” but that I could buy a really crappy one-gallon can, with no cap, for $15. It was enough to make me say stuff like “this country is going to hell in a handbasket,” which I actually said.

But you know who came to my rescue all three times? Immigrants. Mexican immigrants. None of them spoke any English. (more…)

Nature Smiling Twice

Posted on 14. Mar, 2011 by in The Goo Blog

I love this photo of Nature smiling at us in two different ways.  Pay attention and notice how Nature is smiling at you today.  I know she is.

Learn how simple it is to own your space…

Posted on 05. Mar, 2011 by in The Goo Blog

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to release the energies in your space that no longer serve you?  Click Here to watch my new video which shows you how you can own your space with ease and grace. Enjoy!

Pretty

Posted on 31. Oct, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

Afraid of the Dark

Posted on 06. Oct, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

By guest blogger – Wakenda Willingham

Do you remember when you were a child and you were afraid of the dark, or the monster under the bed? Our parents always told us there was nothing to be afraid of and often times they would turn on the lights and tell us to look under the bed only to discover that nothing was there. They would tuck us in and we felt safe knowing that we were protected and there was nothing to fear. (more…)

“Not it”

Posted on 20. Sep, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

Do you remember learning to play hide-and-seek as a kid? At the beginning of the game, everybody says, ‘not it,’ ‘not it…’ because one person is going to be left being ‘it.’

Well what if we actually had it wrong—that not being ‘it’ is not the goal; it is actually is the goal to be it? The goal is to actually be the one who is not only seeking, but finding.

All day long today — God, the universe, spirit –is going to send you signals. ‘It.’ ‘Not it.’ When your heart opens and you feel more alive –you say a kind word, you think a good thought –you will have the feeling of expansion. (more…)

Seeing Inside – Sight Versus Vision

Posted on 15. Sep, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

Sight is the ability to see the physical world while vision is the gift of seeing beyond it. Sight enables us to take the physical world in so we can participate in it with knowledge. It brings us pleasure through our eyes, which perceive the colors and shapes of all the myriad expressions of nature and human beings. It helps us feel in control, allowing us to see what is coming toward us, which way we are going, and exactly where we are standing at a given moment. We are able to read signs and books, navigate the interiors of buildings with ease, sense and perceive how a person is feeling by the expressions that cross her face. (more…)

Trusting in the Authenticity of your Experience

Posted on 14. Sep, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

Guest Blogger Joshua Scott Onysko

By Joshua Scott Onysko

If we could breech the boundaries of time and look back on our childhood experiences with fresh eyes, we would see that our relationship to our experiences were authentic.  Authenticity has many faces, but the one we are looking at now is the authenticity of trust.  As we mature, our minds tend to form these check points that  act as filters to our experiences; these check points start to take over for the trust we once had for the true experiences we once enjoyed.

We gain trust in this process because it makes us feel more in control of the circumstances that we are engulfed in every day, but the truth is…we are not in control.  Sure we can make educated decisions that play out in (more…)

Out Of The Way Thinking

Posted on 02. Sep, 2010 by in The Goo Blog

By Guest Blogger – Nicole Irlbeck – Restoration Fitness – Boulder, Colorado

What inspires you?

You know those days where you feel like you are headed in the right direction, and everything you are doing feels like what you were meant to do?

Then again, why do we spend so many days feeling like we are in a fog, just going through the motions?  Did you ever stop to think that the reason you are feeling dull, uninspired, or less than successful is because you are in your own way? (more…)