Have you ever driven or walked past a stranger you felt just plain off about? Maybe at that moment of passing, you almost felt responsible for them if you didn’t turn back and ask them if they were okay?
Because we have taken on the construct of science/data being the only way of certainty, we have simply dismissed an essential piece of ourselves and of the human species… intuition.
When your intuition radar goes off, there is almost always a reason for it. If you’re alone, particularly if you’re a woman walking around a gas station in the middle of bumf*** Arkansas and a man intrudes your space with his animalistic eyes, it is likely your intuition is communicating something to you. Danger. Danger. Stay away, look forward, grab your corn nuts and Pepsi and get the heck out of there. Your intuition is right. That man was probably checking you out, had some sexual predatory thoughts about you. Therefore, your intuition deemed you unsafe in order to protect you.
What a gift it is to have a feeling inside (or outside) of us that communicates with us when we’re safe or in danger. Or if somebody else is in danger for that matter.
I am certain you and I could dream up many scary situations by ourselves in the gas stations or grocery stores where we just knew we were being watched. But what about those times you were safe, but you drove past someone on the sidewalk who you felt was not? What do you do? Do you mind your own business and drive by and hope someone else figures out why that person has stood in the same spot dressed in all black with a sling around her neck that screamed “mentally unwell”? Or do you take time out of your day and listen to your friend Intuition and turn around to gauge the situation and find a proper solution.
If our intuition rightly protects us, why not listen to it when it goes off for someone else?
About an hour ago, I could not shake the feeling of turning my car around to check on this woman on the sidewalk. It almost felt that if I didn’t and continued on with my fine day, I would be disobeying my duty as a human being.
I arrived at Highfalutin Coffee Shop at 9:30 this morning to meet a wonderful friend of mine for a morning coffee and catch up. I turn left onto the street where I normally park and there was a lady in all black with a sling around her neck looking downcast and lost, but not really homeless. Something rang weird to me, but I didn’t think too much of it as I thought she was waiting for a friend to come to pick her up. So after I parallel parked I got out of the car and went on my merry way to find my friend, Free. Of course, we sat around our patio table soaking up the sun and each other for almost two hours. It was after 11 am when Free took off and I felt compelled to write about who knows what when I opened my laptop with the blinking sign of no battery. Heck to writing then. What a great excuse when your computer ain’t got no juice left to do the one thing you expected to do today. Guess I’ll go home and take a nap first HA. So I pack up my things and get into my car. I turn right out of the street where I parked and boom, there she is again. One block around the corner. What on earth has she been doing for almost two hours? Something is wrong with this woman, I can sense it. I drove by her and fought with myself about not turning around and coming up with all the excuses as to why I shouldn’t stop and ask her if something was up. But like I said, my intuition was strong and I could not neglect the feeling of responsibility for her in that moment of time. So I spun the wheel and took a chance and turned around. She was still in the same spot. I rolled down my window.
“Are you okay?” She must have been in her 60s or so. Glasses. Grey hair. Again, not a homeless type, but definitely appearing lost or scared or timid of some sort.
She paused.
She responds in a deep monotone voice, “Yea I’m okay.”
It was apparent she didn’t want my help. But it was also apparent she needed help. But hey, I have to listen to the woman. If she said she was okay, I have to believe her. So I rolled up my window and kept driving. But I couldn’t believe her. I need to go back. Something is wrong even though she won’t admit to it. Domestic abuse flooded my thoughts. But who knows.
So I turn left down a neighborhood to turn around a second time and really engage with her and ask her again with more of a direct and firm yet helpful tone. Yet instead, coincidentally (or not) a firetruck was stopped ahead with a few firemen on the ground, not looking a whole lot busy. So I drove up and rolled my window down.
I told them the story and my concern and simply asked if they’d drive over there and check on her. Typical firefighter responds with, “Okay sure. There’s a lot of those around here.”
I drove off and headed home and decided to leave it in the firefighter’s hands. Sure, I could have gone back again but that really may have tipped her into something. And I don’t believe it was a coincidence that a firetruck happened to be in a tiny neighborhood right when I turned around a second time. Asking them for help signified to me that my job was done.
So no, I don’t know what was wrong with her. I don’t know what had happened to her. I don’t know if those men actually checked on her, but I hope they did. I hope they were able to give her the help it appeared she needed. But would they have known if I didn’t turn around? Probably not. The intuition radar went off for a reason.
I’m not here to brag about doing the right thing as the “good citizen” here. Not at all. I’m here writing this to you to ask if your intuition is strong? Do you feel like you listen to it or do you ignore it to accomplish your day? When was there a time that you followed it and it was a dang good thing you did? Take time to trace those memories back. I’d love to hear from you.
Our intuition can communicate to us about an infinite amount of things, not just passing by strangers or being alert at gas stations. It guides us in moral issues as well. Whether the boy we’re dating is right for us or not. Whether to pop a molly or not. Usually deep, deep, deep inside… we know what we should and should not do because of the gift of intuitiveness. If we should look for a new job, buy a house, get married, start having babies, apologize to the person you know you greatly hurt. But will we listen to it? Do we deem intuition as a GPS guiding us and others through life? Will we obey it when it’s simply screaming at us with loving direction? Remember, there is always a reason.
This, my friend is a writer tapped into the universal tying of her human species… and I know you are too.
XOXO,
Kelly.