Gut instincts

As I finished writing my book I See Old People and preparing it for publication, I began to understand how my internal battles within myself were almost always 99% correct. I’m talking about that small voice in your head that says, I should say something to the person in front of me or I should stop by my aunt’s house to check on her.

In my heart and gut, I knew she needed to hear this. I can’t tell you why. I just knew.

You think of something you should do or say and you either ignore it, which most of us do 99% of the time, or you decide it’s important enough take action.  Lately, when I feel an intuition about something and I get an idea that a person could benefit from my message, I go ahead and say it. After all, I have nothing to lose and the person I’m talking to may have everything to gain.

I’ll give you an example. A mom in my neighborhood with two twin boys was seeking a babysitter for after school care in her home a few days a week. She posted the information on our community Facebook page. A few days later, I ran into her standing outside her house and recognized her two little boys from the picture she posted.

I said, “You’re the mom looking for a babysitter. Is that right?” She smiled and told me that yes, she was hoping she could find someone who could allow her to work from home. I sensed she was worried about finding a person whom she could trust to take care of her boys.

I knew I needed to go back.

After we exchanged pleasantries, I walked away. I was about 20 steps from her house and a few thoughts popped into my head. Tell her that everything will work out. Tell her about the time you were a single mom and you had no idea how you were going to get to work, get your son to school, and find the right after school care situation that work for all of us. Tell her how you worried about it. Then tell her how it all worked out.

Everything’s going to be alright.

In my heart and gut, I knew she needed to hear this. I can’t tell you why. I just knew. It was that voice, that gnawing, that gut instinct that said, this is important and you need to say something. So I did. I turned completely around and starting walking back toward her direction. When I approached her I said, “I just need to tell you something. It will all work out. I was in a similar situation when my son was 12 years old and I was divorced. I didn’t know how on earth I would find the right person. And I did! A wonderful college student came into our life at exactly just the right time. In fact, we’re still in touch to this day. She has two children of her own and she’s like a daughter to me.”

The neighbor smiled and gave me a knowing look of appreciation for giving her reassurance that everything works out in due time.

Listening to your heart, your soul, your inner voice and then taking that step, is such a small act of kindness that costs us nothing. Yet it can pay dividends that you will never fully realize. You’ll know that you were right because that voice inside will tell you so.

Jeanne Corvese Hussin published I See Old People in June. It’s available on Amazon for purchase. Jeanne is available for podcasts and public speaking engagements. You can contact her directly here. #Bekindtour.