I've been learning to be comfortable in my own body and to trust what it tells me. I have always trusted my intuition, honoring those little tugs to do something or act in a certain manner. Yesterday it paid off in a big way.
I spend a great deal of time on my deck. I love having breakfast there, writing in the morning, entertaining friends, tending my plants, taking a hot tub, etc. The deck gets full sun in the afternoon so I don't spend time there then. My late afternoon routine is to watch the 6:30 national news and then Wheel of Fortune with my son and return to the deck after that. Yesterday was hot and humid here. In Dayton that means that it takes a while for the heat to burn off so I might not have gone back on the deck till after dark.
But my impulse, at 6:30 when I am usually watching the news, was to go out on the HOT deck and read. Although it puzzled me, I honored that impulse. It was still muggy and I could hear the air conditioner laboring underneath the deck. As I settled into a chaise lounge, I gradually became aware of an acrid smell, like burning plastic. I jumped up, instantly alert, and ran into the house and turned off the air conditioner. When I went out to check on the unit, the smell had faded and I could see no smoke or scorched areas.
I called Dayton Air Conditioning and got their after hours message to leave a voice mail if it was an emergency and someone would call back. I did and got a call within five minutes. The serviceman explained he could come out right away but it would be more expensive than if I waited until the morning. There was no smell now, the air conditioner was turned off, what to do? Again, that little nudge moved me, a kind of tickle up my spine, and I asked him to come over now.
I am so glad I did. After he pulled open the wall box, he asked me to come and look. The photo above shows the initial damage. The photo below shows the inside of the box. Here is the chilling part, while I had turned off the air conditioner, I had not turned off the circuit to it! The wires were still live. He cut off the circuit, made sure everything was safe, and will be back today to replace the problem elements.
What if I had resisted the pull to go out on the deck? What if I had not decided to have him come over immediately? Instead of a repair bill, I could very easily have been dealing with a house fire and huge damages. So, trust your intuition even if it seems inconvenient or a bit odd. I'm sure glad I did. I am one very grateful woman!
