Trust Your Intuition
Trust Your Intuition
by Mark LaRocca-Pitts | Atlanta, GA
The longer you walk the Way, the more refined your intuition becomes regarding following the Way. And when you don’t trust your intuition, you may end up in an unpleasant place.
It was after lunch, and I was tired. I was somewhere in France between Bordeaux and Le Barp. I had already covered 25 kilometers and had less than five to go for the day. For the past hour, I had been slowly gaining on a pilgrim I had met the night before. When she stopped for a small break, I caught up, we chatted a bit, and then I walked on.
Shortly thereafter, I passed a forest path on the right that was inviting with its shade and nice green grass. Though I kept walking, I began thinking that path would have been a good place to take a nap, as I was apt to sometimes do along the Way when time, conditions, and circumstances aligned. Though that path kept calling me, I resisted the urge to turn back.
A little farther on, there was another small lane to my left. Turning in, I walked 20 meters up the lane, put down my pack, rested my head on it, and stretched out in the grass. When the pilgrim I had passed a bit earlier walked by, I waved and she waved back. I then shut my eyes and started to rest. After a few more minutes, I heard someone walking by. Opening my eyes, I saw it was the same pilgrim, now headed in the opposite direction. She waved, and I waved back. Thinking that was strange, I opened my app and confirmed that the first path I had passed was the right one—apparently not only for napping, but for continuing along the Way. Though it wasn’t marked, my intuition knew it!
Pulling my hat back over my eyes, I continued with my nap. As I slowly began drifting off, something nudged my upper right arm. Thinking it might be some curious though harmless animal, I continued resting. But then while wondering why any animal would approach me, let alone touch me, something began to crawl across my chest. Becoming alarmed, I jerked my arm up as I opened my eyes. Twirling up and away from me was a snake perhaps as surprised as I was.
The moral I found in this story? Deny your intuition regarding the Way and you’ll end up sleeping with snakes.
