McCully Brian - Why Goldfish Never Die.

Table of Contents

WHY GOLDFISH NEVER DIE

...

Brian McCully

...

Dedication

To my little ones:

You came, you grew, and far too soon

you flew

away.

I miss you. I love you.

Always will.

Dad

From start

to end

and back again,

Lifes tale,

a trail,

a journey sends,

Till finds a space

tween then

and when,

The moment now

to waken

in.

GREETINGS

Why Goldfish Never Die. Now if youre thinking thats a rather strange thing to call a book, then youre right - it is! And it doesnt seem to be an altogether clever one either does it because we all know that as much as we might love to watch them swimming around and about, those lovely little flurries of fin and color dont just get to hang around forever. Sooner or later, they die. Just like everything else.

So whats this all about then?

Well, I guess you could say it was a bit of a ruse! Just a little nibble that I thought might be enough to catch your attention and lure you away from the rush of everyday normal life. Sorry about that! But its not so bad is it? After all, here you are none the worse for wear for having stopped, with a few moments now all to yourself to catch your breath and do something thats incredibly important.

To feel special!

Its nice dont you think, to slow down and get away from all the chasing around and just think to yourself wow, what an amazing coincidence it is that out of all of the hustle and bustle of life speeding around about us, you and I could just bump into each other like this. Which is a pretty big deal, because meeting someone is not all that easy to do these days, especially when youre doing it from a book!

Just look at all the others out there, lining the shelves quietly, patiently waiting for someone to stop by and take the time to pick them up let alone open them. They might be just simply fantastic, the most amazing words ever written and Im sure many of them are and yet unless you get to look at them and read them, theyre wasted. A bit like tiny seeds left dry and withered thirsting for water.

Its such a terrible shame isnt it? And so I guess you can see why it really is such a big deal to have you here with me now and what Im hoping is that you might even be starting to feel just the tiniest little bit of wonder about what it is that Ive got you hooked into.

Is it really all about fish?

Well maybe a little anyway but mostly its about something that surprisingly, I think both you and I have in common - a want, and a desire to be more than what we are. I suppose it might seem strange to be hearing that from a complete stranger but then if you really think about it, maybe it wasnt just chance that made you pick this up. Maybe you were meant to. After all, theres a lot of people out there and since youre the one who took the time to stop and start reading, maybe thats lifes way of trying to tell you something - like, keep on reading!

I suppose youre wondering though how it is that I could possibly know anything about you. Well of course I dont. I dont know the type of clothes you like to wear, or the car youd love to be driving or even the music you like to listen to when youre singing in the shower, but there is something that I think I do know and that is deep down, you want to feel special. You want to be special. How do I know? Because we all do! We all want to believe that theres something about us that makes us different. That were not just here for the ride, but that theres some sort of reason that were alive and that somehow, if we could just find it or tap into it more surely, then wed start to live our lives with the power and determination that we know is possible, as if wed finally come in tune with our greater purpose.

Now wouldnt that be nice!

Of course it would.

See, I told we were on the same team. Havent you ever felt like youve been put here to do something, or to become something and much of lifes upset is just the struggle to try and understand what that is. If only we could then everything would make sense and so would we! Is that asking for too much? I guess in todays world it seems to be not so much for what the question is, but for how hard it is to find the answer. And goodness knows weve tried havent we again and again and again and yet all to no lasting avail.

What can we do other than take a deep breath and dive back in! I guess thats what this book is all about or rather, what it became as it found its way to you. Its the journey I took in trying to work these things out for myself. It started off as just questions, and it became the meditations that seemed to arise and evolve as one thought led to another. Sometimes it was just a long hard slog to get anywhere or to find any understanding that seemed to make sense and yet at other times, insights arose that were truly startling. I do have something to share, something wonderful and something that can, I believe, really help you to make your own incredible discoveries of self and the world around you.

So I hope youre ready!

Now of course Im not going to tell you that what I have here is the only way to look at things, but it is a way that for me at least, seems to make sense. And better still, it works. It really does. Its helped me to feel a little less alone in the world and in myself - and its helped me to know what I am and what Im not and to live within the experience of my life with trust and determination and with a grace that comes from intimate self-love. Its not something that necessarily takes great courage, or luck or even the good fortune of any special gifts. It just takes faith - and importantly, the insight to know and feel what it is that your faith rests upon. You! When you know that, when you know you, then you know everything and nothing else matters.

So, does this make me somehow any better than you, given that Im the one here doing all the talking? No, not at all. And it doesnt mean that Ive found some sort of gold-plated nirvana either a sense of ego self-centeredness that has me away with the fairies, sitting around cross-legged, humming mantras and sipping chamomile tea all day!

No, though it wouldnt be all that bad I suppose!

Im really just the same as you a real person in a real world with a job, a house to pay off and a life thats busy and has me swimming around in circles for much of the time. What I do have though are my own particular experiences of discovery, those moments of enlightening that come like whispers in the night or as the touch of a lovers kiss that leaves us feeling suddenly startled. A lovely way to be dont you think. So thank you again for being here to share this with me.

Now, you know of course that I dont really know you, but Im hoping that youre starting to open up to the possibility that thats something we can build on. I understand if youre feeling a little cautious, a little wary about what Ive got to say but dont worry, thats only natural. After all, these are pretty big things that Ive been promising to show you. But dont be too scared. Life can be full of unexpected surprises, sudden twists and turns that come out of the blue. Havent you ever wished that all of a sudden the answers youve been looking for would just jump up and grab you? Well, guess what they just did!