Trusting Those Gut Feelings

I never liked arguing with anyone, least of all, myself. I don't like those times when my head tells me one thing and my gut says something quite the opposite. You know what I mean. You meet someone who is supposed to be helping you with important decisions but they just don't seem quite right. Your brain will process all the paperwork put in front of you but your gut will set up a clatter and advise you to back away.

Who do you trust? I go with the gut. Over time those feelings which warn me to think things over have paid off. Of course those same gut feelings have put me in the middle of some messes but I always came out on the other side a little wiser and sometimes worse for the wear. It seems to me that my gut instincts are a lot more important as time goes by. Those instincts have been formed by my life experience and like your own instincts, they can be pretty well informed.

Every time I hear of a new diet rage, that gut will start churning. In my lifetime, I've seen and heard enough diet facts to make me weary of the whole thing. Despite all the noise, we are still pretty chubby in this country and I don't see any end to that. We are a fast food nation and we like instant gratification when hunger attacks.

Funny thing is that we like the same instant gratification when our bodies break down. We want a pill, drug treatment or mail order plan which will fix our problems immediately. Lucky for us, drug companies are constantly advertising directly to our age group to sell more of their products. They want us to go to our doctors and tell them what miracle drug we saw on television and why we need it. If this seems like putting the cart before the horse, it is.

It seems to me that drug companies should work with medical practitioners to show the benefits of their products. After lots of consideration (and gut feelings) our doctors should review the products and carefully decide which of us will benefit from a drug or treatment. As part of their thought process, they should be concerned about whether or not we can afford the shiny new wonder drugs. For most of us, the answer will be “no.” Of course there are all sorts of drug company plans to help us afford these drugs but how many of us really use them?

My gut starts growling every time I hear a politician say anything. Even a pleasant, "Good morning," could turn into a scandal. Perhaps I'm not being fair but things just seem worse to me. Maybe it's because I'm old and I want things to fly right. I've got enough to worry about without taking on the rest of the world. I'm darned lucky to handle my own life and keep up with all the twists and turns it takes.

To keep my gut feelings calm, I grow succulents and clean house. Those two things, along with the care and feeding of Mr. S keep me occupied. Sometimes if he's late getting home, my gut will start a pace but usually we do fine. Grover tries my gut feelings when he runs away to the RV park. I know when he's done it and it keeps my instincts exercised. I can't decide which one of us is getting more senile but we are keeping each other active.

The plants? They keep me active because I still know when they need watered. I don't write it down... yet. On the day I come home and find them all dead, I'll know my gut instinct is suffering from a flat tire. This will require me to replant and start keeping written instructions to myself. This doesn't worry me much because I already have to do that for certain activities that my instincts don't seem to care about... things like doctor appointments, birthdays, anniversaries and putting flea medicine on the RV park dog.

Of course you can always go with your gut if you are a gambler because reality says the odds are against you. However, if you like to take that old gut out for a stroll you could go to a car dealer and try it out. My gut has let me down a few times in this category and I torture it with guilt, scoldings and jalapeño peppers.

My gut seems to be getting a little mushy around the edges as I get older. I suppose that is to be expected. Think of all I've put it through so far? Think of all we have yet to go? Maybe I'd best lay off the jalapeños and give my gut and my instincts a rest.