January 13-C, 2023

**Swan Lake 07/05/2019 Oil Paint Rendered — Swan Lake Iris Gardens, Sumter, South Carolina**

We have to trust ourselves
to respond appropriately
to each situation as it arises,
spontaneously,
in the moment,
without thinking through all the 
implications
and possibilities,
looking for the best chance
of a favorable outcome
with the most potential gain
and the lowest likely loss.

Listen to your initial inclination
and decide Yes or No
without going through 
the usual cost/benefit analysis
before acting.

What does it feel like needs to be done?
Every time you can't decide what to do,
shift over into emptiness/stillness/silence
and feel what you feel,
and go with that.

And, if it doesn't work out so well,
feel what to do about that,
and go with it.

"Trust your feelings, Luke!"
invites intuition and instinct
into the conversation.

They will be happy to guide you
along the way.

–0–

Published by jimwdollar

I'm retired, and still finding my way--but now, I don't have to pretend that I know what I'm doing. I retired after 40.5 years as a minister in the Presbyterian Church USA, serving churches in Louisiana, Mississippi and North Carolina. I graduated from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, in Austin, Texas, and Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. My wife, Judy, and I have three daughters and five granddaughters within about twenty minutes from where we live--and are enjoying our retirement as much as we have ever enjoyed anything. View more posts