Learning to Trust Your Intuition When Bobcats are Near
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I went for a hike at my favorite nature preserve in Dallas this afternoon. It was slightly overcast with a light breeze which is rare this time of year. As I was walking, I passed a mother and her daughter whom I’ve seen here before. I smiled and waved as I saw them coming. The mom quickly told me, “Be careful. We just saw a bobcat in the woods.” I told her that I was glad they were okay and asked exactly where they saw it. I wanted to get a sense of how close this bobcat was.
In this moment, I had a choice to make. I could take the “better safe than sorry” route or continue on my way.
I took a moment to check in with my body. My body was relaxed and no fear was present so I kept going.
If someone told you they saw a bobcat, would you turn around or keep going the direction you were going?
As I continued on my hike, my mind began to wonder. “Why is it that I was warned about something that someone else saw, and I felt okay to keep going?” Logically it didn’t make sense to keep going. The woman seemed trustworthy, and I believed that her experience was real. She said she saw a bobcat, so logically it would make sense to take caution and change course.
Yet, it was her experience. It was possible that I could see a bobcat, and it was possible that I could find myself in danger and regretting that I didn’t listen to the woman’s warning.
Could doesn’t mean it would happen.
I chose to keep going because my body was relaxed. I felt no anxiety, tension, or unease. My intuition told me it was okay to keep going on my path. And logically, bobcats are pretty elusive so the likelihood of getting attacked by one was pretty slim.
Intuition
I believe that I hold the power within to access inner guidance to make clear decisions and unveil a deep knowing. I understand that intuition sees what the logical mind cannot. I listen to and trust the answers revealed through my intuition and take aligned actions inside of that deep knowing.
A couple of months ago, my sister, her littles, and I went for a an evening walk in the neighborhood. We crossed the street and headed into the open field near their house. A young man called out to us from behind, “Hey, are y’all on the neighborhood app?” “No, I don’t think so,” I said. “Okay, I’m not sure the details but my dad told me that he saw someone post that there’s an active shooter at the intersection by Walmart. Anyway, just thought I’d let you know.”
Again, I was faced with a choice because of information shared by another person—do we continue on our walk or go home? Obviously, since we had the kids with us, we headed home. We told the kids that something came up that we needed to take care of. In this instance, I did feel a sense of panic, but not panic of my own. It was because I was not alone. I now had the kids to consider. We went back home and began searching the neighborhood app and local news sites. There was nothing on there about an active shooter, or anything threatening for that matter. I was pretty set on getting some fresh air. So as my family was preparing for bedtime, I told my sister than I didn’t sense there was anything to be alarmed by and was going out for a walk.
Photographer: Ashlie Woods Photography, Dallas 2015
I trusted my internal guidance system (intuition) to guide me.
Sometimes there are real concerns and threats that are within our humanity to share—Yes, if I saw a bobcat or another predator, I would likely share it with the people I cross paths with. It’s up to the receiver to decide what to do with the information—Do I listen to the warning, or do I check-in with myself and see if it feels like a threat for me? Other times, a person is freely sharing their opinions, should’s, or advice. They are warning you based on their own experiences or fears.
How do you know whether to accept warnings and advice and turn away, or acknowledge them and move forward?
There is not an easy answer to this, it depends on the individual. I can only share from my own experience. I’ve learned over the years to tune into my body and listen to what it is telling me. I’ve learned to trust my intuition to guide me. I know if something feels threatening or unsafe, my body will tell me and redirect me. When I perceive something as a threat, my shoulders will become extremely tense. Other times, I will have a clear knowing or instinct that I’m not meant to do something or go somewhere. It’s then up to me to decide whether or not to listen to my intuition and instincts.
When I was traveling throughout Chile, I thought it would be fun to check out this beach town with lots of cool graffiti art. Many people had warned me to take caution and not be out at night by myself. “It’s a fun town, but can be rough at night.” I stayed in a local bed and breakfast near the center of town. I found a restaurant for dinner that was about a 30 minute walk. I felt okay walking there to dinner in the daylight. When I left the restaurant, the air felt a bit uneasy, yet I continued to walk rather than getting a cab. I’m a bit directionally challenged and often struggle with following a map. I got a little turned around on my walk back and ended up walking down the wrong street. Immediately my body started to tense up. It was a street full of clubs, loud music, and people doing drugs. It was not my kind of vibe. I listened to my body in that moment, trusted my instincts, and turned around.
If you asked me about going to this town, I wouldn’t tell you not to go. I would share my experience and allow you the space to make your own choice. And I would do the same if I saw a bobcat.
It’s great to share our experiences, warn people when there appears to be an actual threat, and share our advice when asked. It’s then up to each of us to decide whether to listen to the person, or tune in and listen to what our intuition is telling us.