Just yesterday, someone said to me, “well done for having the presence of mind…”. I’ve never used that term before but I so like it! Presence of Mind?!
To me it means :
- To trust your gut
- To have a calm centre
- To know that you don’t ever walk alone
- To be able to read the signs
- And most importantly, to be able to take inspired action once the messages you get come through
She was referring to a message I posted on our street security group about being followed by 2 men in a shopping mall. I have the sense that the bad guys were not just after a phone or handbag. It felt way more serious.
I described how I noticed them and took note of how my body reacted. So, I kept still – standing right at the meat counter and let the feeling sink in. I decided to text my husband and ask him to come over (his office is close by). While I waited, the guys came back a second time; this time from different directions. Still, I kept still. Just then, someone I know from my son’s school arrived — shopping too. Again, I had the “presence of mind” to calmly walk up to her. I showed her the message on my phone and asked her to pretend to be looking at the lemon juice in front of us. I didn’t know that they would be back, but I had the sense that I needed to not make a scene by screaming for security etc.
I hadn’t even gotten to describing them to her when she showed me her arm. It was covered in goosebumps!
Well, my husband arrived some 10 minutes later. Only then did I panic and let my guard down enough to let the emotions flood. I was able to describe the men in detail. (Down to belt colour, haircut, brand of sunglasses). Again, I had the presence of mind to record all that data in the midst of the storm.
I wanted to share this story with you to remind you that I’m not special. We all come with the software built in. Trust yours. The more you do, the more you will.
I Believe in you,
xoxo Lee
Lee Mayimele 