Last night, my head - well, sort of my head - was telling me that driving in to work today would be a mistake. This morning when I woke up, my head told me that it was a mistake to drive into work today. As I backed out of my driveway, my head told me it was mistake to drive into work today. As I proceeded down the main road off the hillside where I live, the roadblock told me it was a mistake to go into work today. I turned around, pulled into my driveway, ran up the two flights of stairs to my daughter's room and told her to take the more obscure road off the moutain and then I got back in my car and took that obscure road, still not listening to my head.

When I arrived on the main highway out of town, it was blocked off, mudslides and crashing waves across the road prevented safe passage. I turned around and started to take the other way out when a text from my neightbor popped up on my mobile stating that the toll road was closed. That shot my next plan. As I pulled into a gas station, my head once again, this time screaming at me, told me to stay off the roads and go home.  This time, I listened.  I turned around and went home.

Many times, in this life, we are confronted with opportunities to challenge ourselves, to take a risk, necessary or otherwise, that might either result in a great reward or question your metal or prove stubbornness or expose stupidity.  I couldn't see a reward, my metal is already strong enough, and stubbornness or stupidity are not the best qualities to hone.  So, after much cajoling, my head beat out my stubbornness and stupidity. 

Maybe nothing would have happened, maybe my drive would have just been longer than usual.  Maybe I would have arrived in one piece and maybe my day would have been completely fine.  But I chose to be safe, rather than sorry.  I chose to listen to something I have learned to trust over the years, my gut.

The risk that I might not make it home to my kids this evening hovered over me.  The risk that I might get in an accident kept bugging me.  Listening skills are important - and when I didn't listen to my head, I did finally listen to the roadblocks.  As I flipped the French Toast in the pan and called my kids to the table, I looked at each and realized that the hardest decisions are usually the right ones. 

by rayannethorn