On my first day at Aston University in the UK in the mid-1970s, I arrived cheerfully on campus despite the ten-hour flight and three-mile walk from the train station—lugging two heavy thirty-kilogram suitcases that left my palms burning. I was anxiously looking forward to settling straight into my room and shutting down to the world. To my absolute shock, I was advised that an administrative mistake had left me without a room allocation. My heart sank and the excitement completely melted away. I had submitted all my housing paperwork months in advance. Here I was, thousands of miles from home, with very little money, and suddenly with nowhere to stay.
The university’s temporary solution was to send the stranded students to a gym, a forty-minute bus ride away. The gym was huge, cold, and crowded, with rows of sleeping bags spread across the hard floor. The air smelled of damp clothes and strong floor cleaner, making it a very uncomfortable place to rest. For four days, I slept on that cold floor, using my two big suitcases as small walls on either side to give myself a little privacy. Keeping my spirits up was tough work.
Then, in the early hours of the fifth morning, something special happened. As I sat quietly in prayer, I felt a strong inner feeling, or intuition that told me I was going to get my room on campus that very day. Even though there was a huge waiting list and my name was near the bottom, I felt completely sure that today was my day. It felt almost as if the keys to my room had already been handed to me.
As I started packing my things, my new friends on the gym floor asked if I had officially received a room. I replied, “No... but today I will.” Giving up my spot without a guaranteed room was a big risk, but that inner voice was so strong that I didn't doubt it for a second.
When I reached the housing office, I met the administrator—a very kind woman in her fifties wearing large, gold-rimmed glasses. She had a gentle, motherly way about her and was always sweet to every stressed student. She looked up and smiled warmly, remembering me from my frequent daily visits to her office. She checked her list and then looked at me with a twinkle in her eye and said: “I can offer you a room in Stafford Tower...” Those were the most comforting words I had heard in days. Bless her kind soul, wherever she may be today.
That evening, as I sat on my comfortable bed looking out at the campus from my fifteenth-floor window, I smiled and thanked God for the wonderful change in my life. I had simply trusted that quiet, powerful inner guidance—a light that has guided me through many uncertain times ever since I can remember.
Trust your intuition, my dear friends, and listen closely to it, no matter how quiet it may seem. Never ignore it just because things look difficult, for it is your truest friend and guide through life...©️ Amyn Dahya
Have a blessed week ahead, my dear friends, graced with peace, happiness and abundance...
Amyn Dahya