the time everything changed...

2:13 AM...years ago in a land far, far away... 
A young mother of two stood at her back door in robe and slippers. She opened the door to snow, wind, and the frigid temperatures that move in and visit in January, in Michigan.  
Beside her was a little ball of white fluff.  The young mother waited until the puppy finished her business and played in the snow, out of reach. Finally, the puppy returns to the warmth of the house. Back to sleep, the pup went.  
Elsewhere in the house were 3 other people who wanted that sweet puppy. Begging and human puppy-eyes won out in the end, with promises of "I'll take care of her”...resounded across the land.
The puppy did bring joy and excitement to the home. The young mother was happy and also realized that maybe they may have made a mistake in adding this addition to the family, at this time.
The children were too young to know how to care for a pet. A 2-year-old and 4-year-old could not be expected to get up several times a night to let the dog out. The possibility of outcomes for this scenario was frightening and endless. None of them good.
Only one parent ever heard that cute cuddly pup trying to tell us she wanted to go outside. And we've established that the two children were too young to be held responsible.
During the day, the young mother now had her two "babies" who were finally both just out of diapers and sleeping through the night.  She also had a new baby, of sorts.  Another newborn, so to speak. Totally dependent.
Don't fret - we found that adorable puppy a new home with a loving family. There appear to be no scars for my children today, as they have their own pets now.
 
My point of the story is this…
 
As soon as you trust yourself, you'll learn how to live. 
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
 
We do trust ourselves, right? Or do we?
For me personally, that night standing in the snow helped me learn how to trust myself and pay attention to my whispers. The whispers that were not popular, accepted, or even acknowledged by others, perhaps. But they were real for me. Whispers matter. 
The world might think it's about mom vs dog - but that's not it.
The world might think that it's about selfishness vs. contributing to the whole - but that's not it, either.
It's about trusting yourself. 
It about knowing yourself well enough to put self-doubt and second-guessing away long enough to know what your heart is really telling you.
It's about not taking a decade to start living the life you were meant to live, instead of just imagined.  
It's about taking the time to honor your own whispers and create that version of Y.O.U. that you thought was too good to be true.
It's there waiting for you.  You have to answer the door and let it in.
 
How many times does it take for us to learn to listen to our whispers?
Once? 5 times? 5 years? 50 years? 
Every time we do something because we were programmed to believe that was the only way to behave...are we being honest with ourselves? Having a family. Having a pet. Where we live.  How we choose to support ourselves.Who we choose to associate with.What we read... do...say...believe... think … it's all ours to decide.Somehow we’ve got this notion that life is a Dress Rehearsal. It isn’t.  This is it!You are one decision away from the freedom of trusting yourself.Whispers to Wisdom,Rita