Gilligan is not a snow dog. Why he’s called a Boston Terrier I don’t know – he ought to be a Palo Alto Terrier, or a San Diego Terrier. Any cold and he twirls on three legs in frantic circles looking for that angry wind at his bare ass. On the other hand, too much heat and he dons a mad grin and falls on his side like a fainting goat. The fact is, he likes his porridge just right.
While his sweet spot is 71 degrees, mine is harder to pin down. Maybe it’s a middle child thing, but I often struggle to take a firm and fixed position. I mean, if you can see the advantage of both sides, how can you stand on either?
Of course there are some things that are absolutes – things you are either for or against — like equal pay, canker sores, Trump. But for the most part, life is more complex than that. So for me to choose, to make a decision, I need to think deeply and carefully about the whole –I need to really understand both sides, before I move off the middle and take my place on either side.
But here’s what Gilligan knows that I tend to forget. It’s not just about the brain. You can logically build a case for anything on paper. List all the pros. List all the cons. Study the records. Think for hours and days and months and years. You can even experience up close and personal the way things really are in the world. And still, your instincts can be calling you in a different direction. Your gut tells you the winds of change are blowing; your heart tells you you’ve had enough; your soul calls you to take a leap of faith.
What energizes you, what moves you, what wakes you up should not be ignored! Even in the face of all evidence. Do not dismiss your instincts. They’ll help you find the sweet spot in life; between all that you know to be true, and all that you dream could be.
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