Last evening, Kia and I were happily digging into a chocolate pudding and a strawberry parfait — her current dessert obsession — talking about everything that had been going on, when suddenly, she went quiet. She stared down at her spoon for a second, then said, “I think I messed up,” not looking up.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I turned down a job offer last week,” she said, almost in a whisper. “It was kind of perfect. Great salary, benefits, the whole package but I couldn’t say yes. I don’t even know why. I just felt this heaviness — like it wasn’t right.”

She paused, then added, “But now I keep thinking, what if I threw away something solid? What if that was my one good shot and I blew it for a ‘feeling’?”

I let her words settle in the space between us before answering. “You’re scared because you said no to something the world would’ve clapped for,” I said. “But maybe, deep down, you were trying to say yes to yourself.”

She looked at me, brows furrowed. “But what if I was just being… irrational?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe you were listening to something we all tend to ignore — your gut. It doesn’t always speak in clear sentences, but it knows. And choosing not to override that voice, even when it’s uncomfortable? That’s not failure. That’s strength.”

She was quiet, letting it sink in.

“I don’t feel strong,” she said finally. “I feel like I’m floating — like everyone else has direction and I just… opted out.”

“Floating doesn’t mean lost,” I replied. “Sometimes it means you’re giving yourself room to breathe. And soon, that space fills with clarity. And calm. That’s how you’ll know you didn’t mess up.”

She let out a slow breath, smiled and said, “I think you’re right. Thank you, Bob!” And I smiled.

Dear reader, if you’re stuck in doubt or replaying a decision over and over, wondering if you made the wrong call — pause. The world rewards quick answers, but real wisdom takes time. Trust the pause. Trust the discomfort. And when the calm comes, as it so often does, trust that too — because it’s often the first sign you’ve chosen what’s truly right for you.