Listening To my Gut

Do you trust your instincts?

By Tracy Schruder

Yes, I trust my instincts one hundred percent!

I learned to listen to my higher self when I was about ten. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, I was an extremely sensitive and emotional child; I could always feel my instincts and would turn to the voice in my head for answers and guidance. Yet it wasn’t until that summer, at age ten, that I truly understood the purpose of that inner voice – it was a warning system.

That summer my baby sister and I were visiting family in Ottawa. We had been making the trip for years, so the neighbourhood was familiar.

My uncle lived on Summerset Street, my grandmother on Breezehill Avenue, and the eight‑to‑ten‑block walk between them took us through Little Italy, under a huge overpass, past busy streets, lights and stop signs. We always looked both ways and held hands.

On the day in question we decided to walk to Grandma’s. When we reached the overpass, a car pulled over. A man rolled down his window, said “hi,” and asked where we were going. I answered that we were on our way to Grandma’s, that we had just left Uncle’s, so the adults knew where we were. I added a polite “no thank you,” tugged my sister’s hand, and tried to walk a little faster.

The man kept following us slowly, then offered us twenty dollars to get in the car and drive us the rest of the way. My little sister, not understanding the danger, exclaimed “wow, twenty dollars” and let go of my hand, stepping toward the car. My heart pounded. I yanked her back, told the man, “We don’t need your money, sir. We’re fine—leave us alone or I’ll scream.”

Thank heavens he drove off. We raced to Grandma’s, and I told her what happened. She called my uncle, then the police. We gave the officers a description, and the officer praised my “sharp instincts.” He later told my grandmother we were lucky, advising us never to walk alone in the city again, since our small‑town upbringing made us too trusting.

I spoke up, insisting I would never let anyone take my sister, that I would protect her with my life. The officer patted my head, reaffirmed his warning, and left.

It was that day I realized the voice in my head and the gut feeling were my instincts—and mine are razor‑sharp.

So yes, I always listen to my instincts.