Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Trust Your Intuition!


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!



8 comments:

  1. Yikes! So glad all is well -

    I, too, have learned to ignore intuition at my own peril.

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    1. Cyndi, peril was certainly the right word for this close call!

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  2. Gosh, Jude, what an eerie story! Glad you paid attention to all those little signals!

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    1. Susan, I am so grateful to be aware enough to pay attention. And oh-so-grateful for the nudges!

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  3. I'm grateful too! Congratulations on paying attention to your intuition and honoring that nudge. Whew!

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    1. Whew is right! The repairman just finished his work. I am also grateful I can afford to pay the bill Gratitude abounds! I'm also lucky as I look at these three responses, three lovely published authors! I am rich in my tribe as well!

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  4. Thank you for your kind words, and words of wisdom to all. I showed this to John and he said you should be thankful your house is brick. A wooden structure may have caught on fire much faster. Bottom line, trust your intuition, call a professional when you need to, and trust the friends who have been put into your life. You're the best, and you deserve the best.

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  5. Thank you Janet of Dayton Air Conditioning! You guys were so fast, I am so grateful for your prompt service. And the bonus... I met the owners of Dayton Air Conditioning on a trip to Thailand and Singapore. Travel pays!

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