Instincts

Note To Self, And To Anyone Else Who Needs To Hear This:
From the moment you were born, with the help of your parents​ or care givers (if you were lucky to have them), you learn how to walk with your legs, how to talk using your voice, how to hold things in your hands, how to taste in your mouth, how to count, how to write.
Some things were inherently known to you, and others were challenging and needed hours or days or weeks of practice. Slowly but surely, you became familiar with your body, your muscles, your mind, and quickly adopted from your parents and your surrounding society a 'way to be a human.' You were conditioned, indoctrinated, and taught.
BUT some things may have never really been taught to you. Those are your INSTINCTS; 
These sensorial 'tells' that seem to know things better than your mind and your body. Those smart impulses that guide us in the wilderness of, say, American suburbia, or your family dynamic, or when a stranger approaches you in the playground. Instincts are not only needed, but they are crucial to learn how to calculate risk assessment, how to navigate trust with others, and ultimately - how to live a richer life. Or at the very least be a fierce survivor.
But how do we nourish those instincts to show up to us when we need them to?
By NOT having the answers. By having to figure them out to ourselves. Just like in the wild- we develop instincts by being put in high stakes situations and adopting the best methods to cope and survive them. 
So in the wilderness of your block - choose NOT to use your gps for a change - let yourself figure out the way home on your own, with the help of your instincts. Or by paying attention to the red flags with people and assessing if they stem from overly paranoid feelings, or from your instincts guiding you well. 
Instincts will never stop being essential to you, so start honing them now.
Give them opportunities to flourish.
​Invite your instincts in.