By Cheryl Mattox Berry
Have you ever been ready to do something and the little voice in your head starts talking? Do you heed that advice? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I dont. When I ignore my inner voice, I regret it.
Case in point: Three weeks ago, I decided to retrieve something from the garage around 1 a.m. I flipped on the light switches upstairs and took three steps before I realized that I had only turned on one set of lights. The lower stairs weren’t lit.
The inner voice told me to go back and flip the second switch so that the stairs would be illuminated all the way to the first floor. Well, I kept going, thinking that I could see well enough in the dark. Wrong. I missed the last step, fell and sprained my ankle. The loud noise woke my daughter who ran downstairs and found me sprawled on the tile floor.
My foot was twisted grotesquely underneath me, and the pain was worse than when I ruptured my Achilles tendon playing tennis four years ago. Not only was I embarrassed but also angry with myself because I knew better. It would’ve taken me only a couple of seconds to go back and turn on the other set of lights.
Note to self: Listen to my inner voice.
By definition, that small voice is a monologue we have with ourselves. You hear it all the time, especially when you’re anxious, in a hurry or distracted. When you’re not in our right mind, common sense and wisdom get tossed aside. Enter the little voice.
Some writers and philosophers call it the voice of God or your soul. It’s reassuring, protective, persuasive, powerful and ever-present. I call the inner voice my guardian angel. I’m going to slow down and listen to her from now on.