Boy, do I know this one well.
I have a very keen intuition, but sadly, I have not always been obedient about following it. I mean, sometimes it just sounds too ludicrous to believe without some tangible proof, right?
One day I was home alone with small kiddos when I heard a knock at the door. It was morning, the sun was shining, and I was not the least bit worried about opening it.
I happily greeted the gentleman standing on my doorstep, when he took one step forward, extending his hand to find mine. He was practically in my home, standing toe-to-toe with me, in less than a nano-second.
My jolliness vanished as I slammed the door in his face, bolting it shut.
My heart was racing and my body was in complete shaking mode, but my first thought was: What the hell did I do that for? I was even feeling slightly embarrassed for having acted so "rudely".
My body knew something was amiss long before my mind could register any danger, and it acted on it before I could talk myself out of it.
How many times have you experienced something similar, and how many times have you thought:
What the hell did I do that for?
Our intuition is meant to guide us to safety--always. But it also does not alert us in any huge, tangible way. Instead, it communicates with us through feeling, which is damn hard to connect to sometimes. It's subtle, ambiguous and oh, so easy to miss.
So how are we supposed to follow it if we can hardly detect it?
If you can learn to listen--really listen--to the changes in your body, you can sharpen your senses to "hear" your intuition "speak" more clearly.
That subtle tug in your gut when you're making an important decision? Listen to it. The skip in your heart when you think about your child's moodiness? Investigate it. Your unexplained reaction to meeting someone new? Question it.
Or, go with it (without question) when your body hijacks your brain and does something out of character. It could just save your life.
Here's to practicing, failing, listening, and practicing s'more. In time, you will have strengthened your intuitive muscle and your willingness to follow it more blindly.
And your life will never again be the same.