I was at a popular Milwaukee bar this week, sitting on the patio with friends and enjoying a Mojito when I saw three men walking towards us. Immediately, I got an unsettled feeling, so I looked at their faces and body language. I thought it was strange that they were not saying a word to one another. They were glancing at all of the tables. Plus, one guy had on a bulky hooded sweatshirt despite the fact it was a warm evening.
Casually, I moved my purse from the back of my chair to my lap. One of my friends saw me do this, and for a second, I felt a little embarrassed. I didn’t want her to think I was being ageist based on the appearance of the three guys.
"I got a bad feeling from them," I said quickly. "I am trying to trust my intuition more."
She nodded. I wasn't sure what she thought, but I felt like I did the right thing. I took a sip of my drink and thought about the fine line between intuitively sensing that something is not right and letting fear take over your thoughts. Before I could think about it any further, one of the young men grabbed the purse of the woman sitting at a table next to me.
Her purse, like mine had been, was slung over the back of her chair. If I had not moved my purse, they probably would have grabbed my purse because they walked past me first.
The bag snatchers booked down the street while the woman yelled, "They stole my purse!" My friend turned to me and said, "You called it."
I wanted to say, "I felt it," but I didn't. That's a bit much to declare aloud, even though it was true. But maybe, finally, I am realizing that I truly know what's best for myself and that my gut is telling me what to do all the time. I just need to keep listening.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
