A male client sent me a lovely email the other day, thanking me for teaching him a specific energy circulating technique. This is what he wrote:

Dear Jacqueline,

Just want to really thank you again for the techniques you taught me… I've also been working on that circular technique you discussed with me and had my first real full success with it the other evening. I could actually feel the sensation go from the base of the penis, through the perineum, right up my back and into my head where I let it float around for a while and then down over my face (a sensation almost like fingertips gentling touching my face) and then (when I decided) feeling it float down over my chest, through my belly and then ultimately back into my groin and penis. I managed to get that circular motion to repeat a few times and ultimately the resulting orgasm was absolutely sensational and left me with such a sense of whole body well-being, it was just magic. I enjoyed it so much I can't wait for my next chance :)

The exercise he’s talking about is called the Microcosmic Circuit and comes from the Taoist Sexual practices. This is is a very simple description on how to do it:

1. Squeeze your pelvic floor muscles three times and imagine energy building up in your pelvic resion.
2. Breathe in and imagine the energy moving from your genitals, up your coccyx, up your spine, to the top of your head.
3. Breathe out and image the energy moving down the centre of your face, through your tongue, down your neck, chest and abdomen, to rest in your centre (just below your belly button).

Notes:
- Keep your tongue on the roof of your mouth.
- Do nine sequences.
- If you feel light-headed breathe normally a couple of times between sequences.
- If you find it difficult to visualise the energy going all the way to the crown of your head, do it in stages: up to lower back and down, then to upper back and down, then to neck and down, then all the way to the top and down the front.

The purpose of this exercise is to learn to move the sexual energy away from the genitals and into the whole body. Ultimately you can learn to have whole body orgasms rather than just genital orgasms. This is fantastic for men and for women. For men it has the added advantage of helping them to last longer and avoid premature ejaculation. Men can even learn to orgasm without ejaculation with this technique. It’s also very helpful in allowing better connection and intimacy with your partner. All in all, a good technique to familiarise yourself with.

If you’d like more detail, I suggest you purchase my info video Circulating Sexual Energy – Solo from the video page, it’s only $7.70 and you’ll see me demonstrating the technique.

Just because all the media hype promotes thin people as being ‘sexier’ doesn’t mean it’s true. Even if they were sexier, it doesn’t mean they have better sex than people with a bit more flesh on them.

I mean, do you prefer your partner built for comfort or for speed?

I remember a party I was at in my 20’s, talking to another woman who was a little on the plump side, rather voluptuous. She was bemoaning how unattractive she was and wishing she was thin like me: “Because men like thin women”. “Rubbish!” I replied – and went on to prove it by asking every young man in the room whose figure they preferred, hers or mine. All but one (including my future husband!) admitted they preferred her figure. She was astounded. She’d really believed the hype about thinness. It completely changed her attitude to herself in general and to her sexuality in particular. It gave her greater self-esteem. And that made her sexier.

Because when you think about what makes for sexiness and good sex – self-confidence is a major factor. If you think there’s something about you that’s not appealing, you’ll feel less sexy, and that means you will actually be less sexy.

Sexy is head stuff. It comes from within your head. How you feel is how you are.

It doesn’t matter what size you are. Full-figured, voluptuous people can be far more luscious than skinny twigs. All that flesh and softness and roundness – just like a juicy peach

And in one of those weird paradoxes that life, and sexuality, is full of – if you feel you’re unattractive you’re less likely to have sex so you’ll feel less attractive which means you’ll have less sex, and so it goes. In contrast, if you feel reasonably confident and have sex, you’ll improve your self-esteem which will make you feel more attractive and means you’ll have more sex and feel even better about yourself!

It’s your choice whether you buy into the media hype about sexy slimness and follow the negative feedback loop, or whether you tune into the luscious sexiness within you, regardless of your shape, and follow the positive feedback loop.

There might be a few positions that are trickier for a fuller figure – but you don’t need bells and whistles for great sex. But having said that, fuller figured people can use any number of props and toys to add comfort and titillation to their sexual activities.

One problem I have heard from larger people is that they get tired more quickly. Well, that’s only a problem if you make it one – it can also be a great reason for interspersing more intense sexual activity with some long, slow, sensuous activities. In fact, that’s what great sex is!

You’re only limited by your beliefs, and are as free as your imagination takes you. Whoever you are.

And for an added bonus, an active sex life helps keep you in shape. It mightn’t make you skinny – but it will help keep you fit, supple and toned, whatever your size.

So, what’s holding bigger people back from fabulous sex – being out of shape and low physical self-esteem? Well then – have some sex!

Big Sex is Beautiful Sex!!

(And for those of us on the skinny side – Skinny Sex Is Great Too! It’s All Great!)

Firstly, let me apologise on behalf of my profession that, in the year 2010, we still don’t know how women’s bodies work! I find it appalling that there’s still debate over what’s in our vaginas and what effect touching various parts produces!

There is no question that most women find certain parts of their vaginas more sensitive than others. Some of these parts have been given labels and some haven’t. One area that has been given a label is the G-spot, which is generally located a couple of knuckles’ depth into the vagina on the belly side. When you feel inside yourself you’ll notice that that side of your vagina has a corrugated feel, whereas the rest is smooth. This is because what you’re feeling is the urethral sponge.

The urethral sponge is a spongey material that surrounds your urethra. As you become sexually excited the urethral sponge becomes engorged with blood (just like a penis). It’s the urethral sponge you can feel on the belly side of your vagina, and as you become excited it protrudes further into your vagina.

Many women, but not all, find that stimulation of the urethral sponge inside their vagina, i.e. stimulation of the belly side of their vagina, is highly stimulating. So focus there by fingers, dildo or penis is stimulating and can lead to orgasm. Simultaneously pressing just above your pelvic bone on the outside can add to the sensation.

It’s not a specific ‘spot’ though, and it’s not intense like a clitoris. It’s a region of engorged tissue, not a highly concentrated area of nerve endings like the clitoris. Which is probably why it feels different for different women. I suspect too, that different women’s anatomy affects the sensation. (Again, it’s sad that we still don’t know and that so little research has been done into women’s sexual anatomy and physiology).

Other women find that deeper in is more arousing. A spot deep inside the vagina and also on the belly side, known as the AFE-spot (the anterior fornix erotic zone – yet another unsexy name for women’s genitalia!), has a similar effect on some women, producing intense sensation and strong orgasms.

Both G-spot and AFE-spot (and possibly any other particular ‘spot’ in your particular vagina) stimulation can lead to orgasm, and can also lead to the expulsion of fluid from the urethra. This is commonly termed ‘female ejaculation’ and is also the subject of speculation. Fortunately this has been scientifically proven to be a fluid similar in consistency to seminal fluid that is produced by glands in the urethral sponge, similar to salivary glands, that is expelled when a woman is highly aroused. For some women this might be just a few drops, for others it can be cupfuls of liquid that ‘squirt’ or ‘gush’ out. The ‘ejaculation’ is not necessarily accompanied by orgasm and may not even be noticeable to the woman.

So what does this mean for you? My advice – get to know your vagina! Don’t trust the scientific community to tell you what’s going on down there, find out for yourself. Whether you’ve got a G or an AFE or XYZ spot, there are undoubtedly good bits that work specifically for you (and in combination with your partner, different things will work with different partners). Some of these good spots will increase arousal and possibly lead to more intense orgasms, with or without the expulsion of fluid. The important thing is to relax and explore and enjoy your wonderful womanly bits!

Well hasn’t Winter come early this year? Cold miserable rainy days that just make you want to curl up and snuggle in bed…Mmmm. Add a cup of hot chocolate and thou…

In Winter our energies focus inwards, like the seed that waits under the snow before it blooms in spring. So for we humans it’s a wonderful time to focus on our inner selves and allow time for gestating. As regular readers of my newsletter, blog, books and other writings will know, so much of my teaching and inspiring is around developing that inner awareness, that sense of presence and selfhood, that allows for deeper sexual connection within yourself and between you and your lover, that enables sex to be truly intimate, real, and because of that .

So this Winter is a time for you to grow sexually. If you choose to. Coincidentally it’s also a time that I’m running a lot of workshops!

• They started with Luscious Woman last weekend (ok, not officially Winter, but it sure felt like it with temperature plummeting and the rain beating down).
• Moving into Blackbelt in the Bedroom for men this coming Monday.
• Luscious Lovers follows later in June.
• I’ll be off on retreat in Vietnam for two weeks to recharge my own energies (it takes it out of me holding the space for everyone else to learn to charge their own!). Then on my return I’ll be running a Yoga & Tantra workshop for couples over two evenings with a visiting partnered yoga teacher.
• A full-day Blackbelt in the Bedroom workshop is on the last day of July.
• And then Winter ends as it began with a Luscious Woman workshop at the end of August.

Of course I can’t do it all for you, so I strongly encourage you to have other practices that help you with centring, presence and physical suppleness. I developed it through decades (starting at the age of 11) of aikido, yoga, dance and meditation (as well as various other martial arts, kung fu, tai chi, chi gung, etc). Any practice that enables you to quieten the mind while working the body is perfect for developing a deeper more connected sexual life.

At the very least, a simple daily practice of greeting the morning with some belly breaths, pelvic swings and internal energy circulations will get the day off to a good start. It really doesn’t have to take much. It’s not a hard serious practice, it is supposed to be light and uplifting and invigorating. Smile your secret smile and take that smile into your day.

Combine workshops and personal practice this Winter and you will have one awesome Spring!

There’s a beautiful quote from the Kama Sutra which I found in Deepak Chopra’s gorgeously illustrated version:

Sex is a paradox. It needs the difference between man and woman, yet it reminds them that they are not different at all. In this way pleasure is the world’s great equalizer.

This drew me because so much of my work relates to the masculine and feminine sexual energies. These energies are what you bring to the sex act. Yet what you feel and express matters very little between the lovers, male or female.

I do believe the whole Mars-Venus thing is overstated, that it highlights generalised differences rather than focusing on similarities. Because there are far more similarities between us than differences. Particularly if you having sex that is deep, connected, erotic.

It is a paradox, because it is through being real and expressing your true self that you get the greatest pleasure, that you can lose yourself in the sexual act and through that sexual pleasure you can find yourself.

You get down to your essence, and the essence of your partner. That is neither masculine nor feminine, it just is. It’s where you can even lose that sense of self and other and merge into a greater something, or a greater nothing. Another paradox.

This is where ecstasy turns spiritual, that sense of deep connection with self, with another, and ultimately with everything. Sex like this is in many ways the closest we can get to God. (No wonder the churches prevented people from experiencing good sex, they would have been well out of a job!)

Our emotions, our feelings, our desires, are universal. The potential to experience and express them are also universal, if we allow ourselves to be real and true. And from there flows the potential to be and feel everything. As the quote says, pleasure is the world’s great equalizer. Through ecstatic sex we can feel the everything and nothingness of all that is.

I opened up the morning’s paper to see yet another political ‘scandal’. In this case the parliamentary Minister was caught going to a gay sex club. In disgrace the Minister steps down, his professional and private life in ruins as his despicable behaviour is plastered across the front pages of the country’s newspapers.

His heinous sin? Liking to watch men have sex. Possibly even liking to have sex with men.

He couldn’t possibly function in his role as a politician with this dreadful tendancy.

Now I might be a little biased here, because my life is devoted to helping people have a happy and fulfilling sex life. I’ve spent thousands of hours talking to people about their sex lives, so I am well aware of people’s broad range of tastes and interests. Just like food really. Some like simple food, others are gourmets, some like to try new and exotic foods and some prefer good old fashioned meat and three veg.

In working with people, one of the main issues is helping people know and understand their interests, and helping couples reconcile differing levels and types of interests.

Given that our society is still so pre-pubescent in it’s attitude to sex, all titter and giggle, most people are extremely confused about what’s normal, acceptable, moral, etc. “Am I normal?” is the repeated question. “Yes!” I almost inevitably reply. “I like girls, am I normal?” “I like boys, am I normal?” “I like boys and girls. Am I normal?” “Yes, yes yes!” As long as it’s between consenting adult living humans it’s ok! (There can be problematic issues around obsessiveness and compulsion, which is a different issue, although this is often exacerbated by repression stemming from our limited prurient social attitudes.)

One thing that we all have in common, and which is not accepted socially, is that we are on a continuum of bisexuality. Some of us are completely heterosexual and some completely homosexual with the vast majority somewhere in-between, from mild curiosity to a desire for active engagement with both sexes. There is little space in our society for people who like it both ways. Even the gay community is wary of bisexuals and they often choose to pretend they are completely gay for better acceptance.

Yet there are plenty of married men having sex with men, and many more who struggle with the desire. If you’ve ever read the heart-rending stories of men who’ve tried to suppress their desires for other men, you’ll know how deep and challenging this goes.

So in a society where monogamy rules, if you have bisexual tendencies (or any sexual interests that don’t match your partners), then what do you do? Suppress those desires? That never solved anything. Open up to your partner and hope that he or she allows you to explore? Possible, and does happen, but is too threatening for most people. Or do it anyway and hope you don’t get caught? For many people, this is the only option, with devastating consequences when they are caught. Then it becomes an issues of breach of trust and all the associated relationship impacts. I’ve certainly spent many many hours working with couples around issues of infidelity and broken trust and it’s not easy.

So it’s a tough one! The food analogy breaks down here. For while a vegetarian and a meat-eater can live and eat happily side by side without one needing to force the other to eat their way, sex generally requires someone else involved.

Which is possibly why the internet has become so popular, because there you can engage in your sexual interests on your own. It’s interesting to speculate as to whether there would have been such a scandal if the Minister in question had been caught watching gay porn?

But if real life gay sex, or gay sex watching by a married Minster is such a crime, then surely watching gay porn by a married Minister should be an equal crime? So should we therefore tap parliamentary Ministers’ computers to check on their sexual proclivities and make sure they are only engaging in ‘acceptable’ sexual activities?

But who would decide on those acceptable activities? A parliamentary standing committee perhaps, and new Ministers would have to agree to abide by those sexual standards. How would we monitor their compliance? Closed circuit TV to their bedrooms? Perhaps their bodyguards could double as chaperones and report on any questionably behaviour?

Or perhaps that’s all too hard and we should simply request that parliamentary members cease sexual activity all together while they are in office so that they put their focus completely on their public duties. After all, it worked for the Catholic Church…

We often hear about women having trouble with orgasms, but generally with men it’s thought that they have the opposite problem, that they come too quickly. So when a man has trouble coming, or can’t come at all, he might feel very alone and unusual.

But it’s actually very common. It’s called Retarded or Delayed Ejaculation, and most men will encounter it at least sporadically in their lives. If it’s happening repeatedly though, it can be a problem. Particularly if the woman thinks it’s because he’s not into her.

The cause is generally stress-related, causing Performance Anxiety, which leads to the inability to come (in other men the same thing can lead to losing his erection or coming too quickly). Then if there’s additional anxiety caused by the partner’s negative response, then that creates a negative feedback loop which worsens the problem, increasing his performance anxiety, and even leading to him worrying about his anxiety, officially known as Performance Anxiety Anxiety!

The thing is though, sex is not about orgasm. Too many people think that sex is all about orgasm, that sex is something you do to another person so that they have an orgasm. It’s not. Orgasm is a fantastic by-product of sex, not the point of sex. The point of sex is sharing pleasure.

So if this a problem for you, then you both need to shift your focus to the experience of pleasure rather than the giving of an orgasm. Paradoxically, by chilling into the pleasure aspect and not worrying about her worrying you’ll probably find that orgasms do come more easily – but don’t ever expect one, it’s the expectation that gets in the way.

I’ve been doing a lot of musing of late. It’s my birthday month, I’m a May Day baby and so this is the month of new beginnings for me. I just had a week in private retreat, a time for reflection and contemplation. I was fortunate to stay in a friend’s beautiul beachside house in Sydney’s northern beaches.

It was a time to simply be rather than do, to feel rather than think.

A time to savour life.

Most of us are far too busy doing and pushing to actually be and feel what we’re doing. In life, and in sex.

Sex is not a race to the big ‘O’, it’s not a performance for the benefit of our partner, it’s a shared experience of pleasure, exquisitely felt and perfectly savoured.

Whatever you’re doing.

I know many people make the mistake of thinking that the type of sex I’m advocating, deep tantric type sex, has to be all soft and sensual. Not at all. As long as it’s between living adult humans who both (or all) consent, then go for it.

But go for it with feeling. A naughty quickie in the bathroom while the kids are having breakfast, a luscious snuggle under the covers on a cold winter’s night, or a swinging fest with the couple you hooked up with on-line. It’s all good, as long as it’s real, it’s connected, and you’re really feeling it. That’s what makes sex magical, not the actual activity.

I was thinking about this the other day after a particularly gorgeous session with my lover. At the risk of sharing too much personal information, this was no quickie, more an extended period of sensual delights ranging from intense and wild through to tender and delicate. It felt like the world was going in slow motion, every moment was exquisite, a moment to savour.

That, I thought, is what my work is all about (yes, that’s how dedicated I am, I’m thinking about my work even at moments like that!): helping people to get deeper into the sexual experience so that they can truly feel and savour the experience, moment by moment.

And that is what I will continue to do, both in private sessions and in group workshops. So I’m constantly working to refine and develop opportunities for you to grow and expand sexually. Check out the regular workshops coming up, as well as new ones for you to take the learnings further.

If you look at all the other sex advice sites on the internet you’d think the secret to great sex was sex toys. If you read the advice in popular magazines you’d think the secret to great sex was some fabulous position. And if you read the advice in the endless spam you’d think it was some little blue pill.

But no. Great sex does not come from pills, props or positions.

Those are the icing on the cake.

You need to know how to make the cake before you ice it.

You need to know about making the time and the place, about surrender and sensuality, about intimacy and eroticism. That’s what makes sex great.

Then if you want to add a few toys or try out some new positions (and possibly try pills or sprays to aid erection – but only under medical advice), go for it. But a dildo on its own won’t spice up a flagging sex life.

Let’s look at something really basic to see what I mean - good ol’ fashioned missionary position: man on top, woman on bottom.

Try it like this:
- she semi-reclines on a bed of pillows wearing a silk chemise while he feeds her cherries as he moves within her;
- she moves to the side of the bed and dangles her head over the edge;
- she puts her feet on his chest;
- or crossed behind his back;
- or one up and one down;
- they roll off the bed and continue on a bear rug on the floor;
- she lies blindfolded, listening to music through headphones as he moves at a consistent rhythm;
- they play trance house music and move to the beat that goes on and on and on…
- her hips are slightly raised, he kneels before her, he’s deep inside without moving, and she grinds her pelvis slowly, delicately, with little little movements and feels the tingle build to a charge that spreads throughout her body;
- they lie together barely moving, looking into each other’s eyes, and keep on looking past the point of comfort until they pass into another realm;
- he changes the depth and pattern of his thrusts, four shallow to one deep;
- he increases the depth of his thrusts in a series of seven, each a little deeper than before;
- she raises herself on her arms and thrusts hard back at him as he thrusts hard into her;
- he keeps his eyes open looking at her as he comes;
- she does the same;
- he grinds his hips instead of thrusting;
- she squeezes her vaginal muscles with each of his withdrawals;
- they do it on the kitchen table, still clothed, both so hot after a luscious evening out…

And I haven’t even started on what they might be doing with their hands and mouths as this is going on. Add passionate kisses, kisses or bites to the neck, fondling and kissing of breasts, tweaking of nipples (his and hers), stimulation of clitoris with fingers, inserting of fingers into vagina along with penis (his or hers), sucking of her toes, pulling of hair, stroking of bodies in general…

So, is missionary really all that boring?

There are two fundamental parts to expanding your sexual play:

• it’s got to be REAL, ie it has to be what you truly want, and
• it’s got to be CONSENSUAL, you both have to want it.

 

Too many people do what they think they ‘should’ do even though they don’t really want to; or they don’t do what they think they ‘shouldn’t’ do even though they do want to.

 

I say, as long as it’s between adult, living humans who both (or all) agree to it, then it’s fine.

 

There is a separate issue of when sex or particular aspects of sex become compulsive and interfere with life, that’s not good. If you’re confused, the baromoter is: is this life-enhancing, does this make me feel good and empowered and add to the quality of my life (and the same for your partner). If the answer is yes, then go for it.

 

Now, as we’ve seen there’s a veritable smorgasbord of sexual delights out there. You don’t have to try them all. You don’t even have to try any of them if celibacy is your thing. It’s like food, we’ve all got our own tastes. Personally, I hate peanut butter. Most of the western world loves peanut butter, but I loathe it, just the smell turns me off. Does that make me weird? No. Should I try peanut butter even though I know it turns my stomach? No. Conversely, I love raw sea urchin. Yum yum, that little mound of orange squidge, gets my salivary glands streaming in delight. Most people would find that really weird, even kinky. Ok, maybe that’s true, but is there anything wrong with that? No! But should I try to force my culinary perversions on other people? Absolutely not. However, if someone shares my love of sea urchin, and has no expectation of me eating peanut butter, then we’re a good match.

 

That’s the second key point. Solo sex aside, there’s always someone else involved, so it’s absolutely essential that they share your taste and want to play with you. If they don’t, you can’t make them.

 

The analogy with food only goes so far. While an inquisitive expedition into a Japanese restaurant to try obscure raw seafoods might end with a queasy stomach and a decision never to try that weirdness again, an exploration into new sexual areas that doesn’t go well can be damaging to yourself and to the relationship.

 

So, how do you proceed?

 

The first thing is to find out what you both like. If you’re not in the habit of talking about sex then this conversation can be awkward. I always encourage couples to create a nice atmosphere for themselves, say after dinner one night, just chilling out together on the back verandah with a glass of wine and box of chocolates. Or it could be over a romantic dinner out. The important point is that it’s at a time when you’re enjoying each others' company and feeling connected. Then you might broach the topic by asking questions like:

• what’s the best thing we’ve ever done?
• what else could we do?
• what’s the naughtiest thing you wish you were brave enough to do?
• what’s something you’d do if you had no inhibitions?
• what do you fantasize about?
• what’s your greatest turn-on?

Those kind of questions can lead to interesting discussions and possibilities.

 

Remember, particularly if you’re the more keen of the couple, don’t appear too eager or to pushy, allow time for your partner and yourself to open up slowly. There’s no rush, there’s all the time in the world.

 

Another idea is to read erotica aloud (which in itself is very erotic). There are plenty of books of short stories available, and then talk about which story was a turn on and why. A good book of short erotic stories will have a wide range of themes and you’ll find yourselves responding to some and not others.

 

Once you’ve got an idea of what you’d like to try, you have to make it safe. You both have to feel secure enough with each other that you have the confidence to go further. This means that you have to feel sure that if either of you says ‘enough, no more’ then the other will honour that. It’s when you go past that point that the trouble starts.

 

The best way is to have a safe word. That word will have nothing to do with sex. Something like ‘buttercup’ or ‘tarragon’. When the safe word is uttered, you stop what you’re doing and have a good cuddle and check in that you’re feeling ok. If you then decide to continue,ok, but no pressure. The person who uses the safe word doesn’t want to feel that they’ve let the other person down, or feel inadequate in any way.

 

Alternatively, you can use the ‘yellow’ ‘red’ system. Yellow means slow down, and red means stop. The same approach follows as above. No blame, no resentment, just mutual support and respect.

 

You can practice your safe words in relatively tame situations, like inappropriate snogging in public. You need to test it. This applies even if your sexual exploration is relatively tame, it’s not just for hardcore S&M or swinging. Even sensual play can be challenging for some people and it’s important that you have a way to communicate well.

Once you’ve started your exploration you need to talk about it, have a bit of a debrief (in a soft and sexy manner) and talk about what was good or not so good for you, what else you might like to try, how to vary the experience in future. Be loving and gentle and you’ll find the opportunities keep expanding.

 

The key is communication and respect. With that as your basis, you’ll find: Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

 

Which just makes me want to share with you the wise words of Dr Seuss, which I think apply as much to sex as to any other part of life:

 

Oh! The Places You'll Go!

by the incomparable Dr. Seuss

 

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!

 

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own, And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

 

You’ll look up and down streets. Look ‘em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”  With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

 

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

 

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

 

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

 

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

 

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

 

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

 

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

 

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

 

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

 

You‘ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

 

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

 

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

 

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

 

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

 

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

 

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

 

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

 

No! That’s not for you!

 

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

 

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

 

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

 

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win  ’cause you’ll play against you.

 

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

 

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

 

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

 

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

 

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

 

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!