Better to be Safe than Sorry ---

In April I posted an article on the importance of respecting our "gut feelings" ---- even if we feel foolish doing so. Here is an excerpt from that post.

The following is from the book "The Gift of Fear---Survival signals that protect us from violence" by Gavin De Becker.

“...what many others want to dismiss as a coincidence or a gut feeling is in fact a cognitive process, faster than we recognize and far different from the familiar step-by-step thinking we rely on so willingly. We think conscious thought is somehow better, when in fact, intuition is soaring flight compared to the plodding of logic. Nature’s greatest accomplishment, the human brain, is never more efficient or invested than when its host is at risk. Then, intuition is catapulted to another level entirely, a height at which it can accurately be called graceful, even miraculous. 

"Intuition is the journey from A to Z without stopping at any other letter along the way. It is knowing without knowing why. 

“...the root of the word intuition, tuere, means ‘to guard, to protect.’”

You may want to read it or even re-read it.

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/search?q=fear

I got to take my own advice last week while we were on a trip.

It was mid-day and we had just made a potty stop at a large travel center. It appeared that I was the only one in the restroom and I went to the last stall --- the furthest from the entry. 

For some reason, sitting there, I glanced down and noticed a pair of black combat-type boots in the stall next to me. They were pointing straight ahead, right in front of that toilet. There were no sounds nor movement.  It didn't feel right although thinking anything else, in a busy place in the middle of the day, seemed crazy.

I decided  it was important I push logic behind and follow my gut feeling.

I carefully prepared for a very quick exit while going through what I hoped sounded like the routine of a regular exit.  I left, almost at a run, and without any stops.

I will never know what might have been but I have no regrets for taking the precautions steps I did. All my senses told me it wasn't a good situation.  

As I went over it, from the safety of our car, the more frightening it seemed.  Wouldn't it be logical, if someone was really in there to use the facility, and was sitting as the boot placement seemed to indicate, there would have been other things showing besides the boots---like a skirt hem or pants?  Unless the person was wearing shorts. I had never seen combat boots worn with shorts before.  

Did you notice I used had rather than have in the above sentence. A few days later, while visiting a tourist attraction, we saw one woman wearing shorts and black combat boots and later, another in brown ones --- again wearing shorts!

Even after seeing those, I don't feel foolish although . . .

I am old enough to think the combat boot/shorts combo looks foolish . .  .

And I will continue to follow any intuition, guidance, gut feeling that comes my way, even if the logical side of me feels embarrassed or foolish.

I am Simply, Gail and I'd rather be safe than sorry; better paranoid than dead!