You may know actor Jake Johnson, 45, as the lovable Nick Miller from popular sitcom New Girl. But before he landed the career defining role alongside Zooey Deschanel, Johnson proved he'd been lucky long before that.
Recently the Spiderman star sat down for a casual catch up on the Dope as Usual podcast; about an hour into the show, the conversation got deep — quickly.
Jake Johnson and host Thomas "Yola" Araujo, 34, were discussing the idea of the afterlife — and whether or not it exists.
The story Johnson humbly referred to as a "tangent" quickly grabbed people's attention. And it's nothing short of a miracle.
"I don't tell this story a lot. Because I don't get it."
Jake Johnson, "Dope As Usual"
While Johnson affirmed he is not tied to one specific belief like reincarnation but he definitely believes in "weirdness" — and he believes without a doubt his mother is "connected to something."
And whatever that "something" is, it saved his life.
His Mother Had a “Gut Feeling” She Couldn’t Explain
Jake Johnson was raised by his single mother Eve Johnson and with what some are calling her "connection to the other side," it's clear Eve didn't need a man in order to protect her children.
Johnson was in the 4th Grade when the bizarre incident took place. It was just a regular day when his mother was taken over by a strong premonition.
"Out of nowhere my mother turns to me and goes: 'You're not going to school tomorrow.'"
Jake Johnson, "Dope as Usual"
His mother's statement was so out of the blue, it completely baffled Johnson. He shared that growing up there was no question about his mother's authority. "When she said something — just how it went down."
You would think a day off school would be every kid's dream, but the 10-year-old Johnson was disappointed for a surprising reason.
He Begged His Mother to Change Her Mind
The next day, Jake Johnson's school had a special field trip planned.
His whole grade was going to go to 'little Vietnam' in the city. Growing up in "the burbs," he had been looking forward to it for sometime.
Johnson humorously quipped about how exciting field trips are at that age: "it's just all eating candy and f*****g around and I really wanted to do it."
The 10-year-old Johnson pleaded with his mother. While he trusted her completely, he wondered if it would be OK for him to go on the field trip.
Because of the early pick up time and late drop off time, he argued on a technicality that he wouldn't be "at" school.
She Wasn't Entirely Convinced
There was a reasonable amount of back and forth. "When do you leave?" she asked. "First thing in the morning!" Johnson replied.
"When do you come back?" she asked. "3:00!" Johnson urged.
"[My mom] goes, 'You're not in the school at all?'. I tell her 'No. We get dropped off we get on the bus and we come back at the end of the day.''
Jake Johnson
After carefully considering it, Johnson's mother ultimately decided it was safe to allow her son to go on the field trip.
The next day, the unthinkable happened.
"This is a true story," Johnson reminds the podcast host before proceeding to reveal what happened next.
Her Intuition Couldn’t Have Been More Right
The saying "you dodged a bullet" is often used in extreme hyperbole, but this is one time, the phrase could not have been more spot on.
In an utterly devastating and tragic turn of events — while Johnson and his classmates were far away, eating candy in little Vietnam — the elementary school he attended faced a devastating incident.
In his own words, Johnson recounts the incident.
"May 20th, 1988 a woman walks into my Elementary School through the door that my class was in.
I used to get into a lot of trouble as a kid. I used to always talk and so the teacher pushed me in the far right corner so I sat away from the other kids and I was right by the door.
A woman walked into the school wearing a robe and nothing underneath.
I know me.
Especially in 4th grade. I would have commented. I would have said something. I would have tried to show off. I would have tried to get laughs. There's no question.
[My classroom] was empty.
She walked through. Walked down the hall. Walked into another room. Shot 7 kids — killed one of them."Jake Johnson
The True Story Behind the Shocking School Shooting
On May 20th 1988, in the town of Winnetka, Laurie Dann entered a second-grade classroom with the claim of educating students about guns.
Instead, she proceeded to open fire, resulting in the tragic death of one student and injuries to five others.
This horrifying school shooting marked the end of a series of peculiar and violent actions exhibited by a woman grappling with mental illness.
Always Follow Your Instincts
This heartbreaking and shocking story truly reminds us all how valuable it is to follow your instincts, no matter how bizarre they may seem.
"To this day my mom cannot explain why she didn't want me to go to school.. she later told me: 'I just had a feeling in my gut that if my kid goes to school you'll never see him again.'"
Jake Johnson, "Dope As Usual"
Even though Eve Johnson's instincts totally came out of left field, something was telling her to trust that voice inside her head, and it made all the difference.
Psychology has tried to explain the science behind gut feelings. Some believe intuition is the result of "subconscious processing based on past experiences and emotions."
Some people, like Jake and Eve Johnson can't say exactly what it is.
But no matter where it comes from, what's most important is that when you "feel it," you follow it.
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