Another Life

Have you ever been somewhere when you think and feel, "I've been here before". You know that you haven't, but so much about that moment is familiar. It feels comfortable for you, your memories are very vivid. It is known as a Deja vu. Deja vu is described as the feeling that one has already experienced a present situation, despite knowing it's new. It is a common phenomenon, often described as a fleeting, false memory and is generally considered harmless. 

I have followed Amazing Race since the beginning of time. Right now, I am watching Amazing Race Canda. One of the shows had the contestants arriving in the Northwest Territories. What a beautiful job they did of highlighting that territory. Watching that show reminded me how I have always felt like I have lived in the north, it seems familiar. I have had the opportunity to spend time in Fort Simpson and Norman Wells. I loved my time spent in the north; those communities are absolutely fascinating to me.  

I am also very content on the third floor of a big house. I know in my other life I was a rich little girl and the entire third floor of a huge house was my room. The room had brocade curtains and was a little piece of heaven for me. I love to go on old house tours, and my imagination is souring as I walk through. I can't wait to get to the third floor. You can imagine my disappointment when they often say, "you can't go up there". 

Then there are the times when you are thinking of someone, and they suddenly call or appear. That is known as synchronicity. Some believe it is a coincidence or refer to it as psychic. Oprah says, there are no coincidences, and I agree with Oprah. The term "Synchronicity" was chosen by a psychotherapist to describe the simultaneous occurrence of events. He further described it as having no clear cause but often the meetings have a deep meaning. People appear in our lives when we need them and will be there to answer our inner doubts or questions.  I recently heard a friend say, "I was put there for a reason". She had met a total stranger who needed to share her struggles with a loss similar to my friend. It was a comfort to both of them to share this deeply emotional time in their lives with someone that truly understood. It was synchronicity.

Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately, without conscious reasoning or reliance on facts and evidence. Often described as a "gut feeling" or a "hunch". It is known as unconscious processing. It sifts through your accumulated knowledge and experiences for a conclusion or feeling. It is based on the brain's capacity to quickly process information and recognize patterns based on past experiences. 

I used my intuition and gut feeling to direct me when I was nursing. If I got the uneasy feeling something wasn't right, it often wasn't. I knew to draw on my past experience with the hopes I would make the right decision. I believe you only have to have heard or done something once and it will be there for you to recall. I know the nurses reading this agree with what I have written. Everyone else probably thinks nursing decisions are more scientific, and knowledge based than what I have just described. And they are, but when in a situation with no explanation, your intuition guides you. Just like any other areas in your life. 

I have had lots of experiences when I think, "I shouldn't be doing this". And, I was right, I shouldn't have done that. You know those "lessons in life" as I like to call them. Probably poor judgement is a better choice of words. 

In order to understand Deja vu, intuition or synchronicity, you have to have an awareness of your thoughts. Many people don't connect like that, while others are driven by the feelings they get. Life is so interesting if you look at it from afar. Just remember when you have a very meaningful, sometimes life changing experience it was no coincidence. You were meant to be there!