For some strange reason that title came to mind as I was perusing a “book content sample” on Amazon.com to decide if I should purchase the book. My subconscious mind gave me the 3rd-eye visual of Martha Stewart’s “spaghetti on the wall” test to help me make the decision.
For those who are unaware such an actual test exists, here it is: Boil your spaghetti just long enough to get it tender and a little sticky, so that if you took a wet glob and threw it at the wall, it would stick there. THAT’s how you know the spaghetti is just right for consumption. (Might be easier and less messy to simply taste it, but far less dramatic.)
Evidently what that author had said in his book content sample just didn’t stick on MY wall. And since I didn’t believe what he was saying, I didn’t buy the book.
Much of our lives we get unexplained nudges or hunches to do or not do something; and our rational/analytical (left-brain) mind often discounts them because there is no genuine reason to follow that hunch’s assumption.
The thing is that our creative/intuitive (right-brain) mind is very alert to the clue of “something doesn’t feel right about this situation” and then might hint in some way, that we should avoid it. If we are receptive to our intuitive input and respect that ability, then it becomes a very real tool for determining acceptable or unacceptable situations long before our logical mind kicks in to play.
So for me, if that spaghetti doesn’t stick (meaning: something just doesn’t feel right), I don’t buy it; either when purchasing books or with what someone is telling me.
I must admit to using Martha’s spaghetti test on many subjects, and I have made some crude conclusions from my testing:
- Most newscasts are undercooked and much too anxious to sample, so the wall is full of false testing with tiny pasta piles everywhere.
- Most politicians’ statements are overdone and hit the wall with a “splott!” then slide slimily down to the floor.
- Most folks who have to work hard to convince me of something, forgot to take the spaghetti out of the water—it just goes to mush.
- And most of my friends don’t even need to put the pasta in the pot. I believe them before they open their mouths if we have already established a track record of trust.
But how do you learn to trust your own intuition?
I think that comes more readily after you have established a good connection to your inner thoughts and feelings—after you really get to know yourself at the level of your core soul. Spend some quality time with yourself, free of distractions and other people, and learn to develop that inner-knowing ability. There is so much more to us than we once believed; and so much left for us to explore.
My suggestion: Stoke the flames beneath your own pot of water, and get ready to sling that pasta.
