Trusting Your Knowing in a Crises

 

You don’t expect to make critical decisions at the beauty parlor, but yesterday was different. As I sat back in my chair, Joey, my 29 year old beautician remarked, “Wow, I must be having an allergic reaction to the hair color I used on my previous client. My face is beet red and my neck and chest are blotchy.” I could tell her voice was weak and she was a little shaky but she insisted that having a strong reaction wasn’t too unusual and that she was fine to continue working. Then she bolted to the bathroom, saying “I’m going to be sick.”  After another race to the bathroom Joey weakly curled up on a chair. I was worried that the reaction would worsen compromising her breathing. I had a fleeting vision of having to do chest compressions on her on the salon floor.

 

Yet, she’s young, she might just need to rest and have some water, and maybe I could run to the drugstore for some Benedril for allergies…??? But something inside knew what to do. I asked a newly arrived client to dial 911 while I did some emergency healing work on Joey. After she was loaded into the ambulance and I was driving home, I had second thoughts…she has no health insurance, this little trip to the Emergency Room was going to be costly. Perhaps I overreacted?

 

A half hour later a mutual friend texted me from the hospital, “You did the right thing, Jonette. Joey’s heart stopped twice in the ambulance.” Joey is being released today and some underlying heart issues may have been discovered. Can I say that I am grateful that I was there and the course of action at the time… to get her to a hospital… was the right one, in spite of second thoughts later.

 

Last night in our weekly Mark class, Mark reminded us that knowing is so much better than thinking, leading one participant to summarize: “I know more than I think.” Can you see how true this is?