I can feel you

I have this gift....ok, sometimes I see it as a bit less than a gift....  What is it you ask?  It's pretty simple....for me anyways it's simple.  I don't know if it's due to my education, my work, my nature or just the way I was raised, but I have this 'thing' about me. 

I can sense other people's emotions....I can also sense the 'mood' of a group or of a place.

Yes, this certainly helps me in my work...I work in the 'people' field.  It can help me in my relationships and it makes me be empathetic but at the same time, I can get exhausted from the emotions around me.

I know that this sounds strange.  I'm much better as I get older at not letting other's emotions affect me, but at times, it still does....

I remember being a little girl and getting feelings about people.  I now know as an adult that these feelings were my gut instinct talking to me.  I also realize that as young as the age of 5, that my instinct was always right about the emotions emanating from someone or from a place.

Today, I'm tuned in so much that when I walk into a building or a room, the emotions 'floating' around hits me like a brick wall.  In fact, I've walked through the front door of some places and have been stopped dead in my tracks by the 'kick in the gut' feeling of the bad emotions floating around in that building.

When I was going to university and sitting on the city bus, I was always seeking out the empty seats.  Not that I was antisocial but I knew that if I sat with someone that I was going to hear about their life stories.  If I did have a seat by myself and someone sat with me, I always got their life stories also....  I sometimes joked with friends that I had 'talk to me' written on my forehead.

I've had strangers, young and old stop me on the street when I'm exercising just to talk to me.  Oh I see them coming.  I know that they are sad, upset, happy, angry or whatever....I can feel it a mile away, as soon as I spot them.

This 'gift' is not the end of the world and I am used to it.  It's second nature to me and sometimes I have to remind myself that the others are not always in tuned with what is happening around them.  That fact sometimes surprises me.  What is obvious to me, is not so apparent to everyone.

Awhile back, I was out jogging.  I was approaching an elderly lady.  She was walking very slowly and was pulling her buggy with groceries behind her.  She stopped walking as she saw me and watched me run for awhile.  When I got close to her, seeing that she was still looking at me, I stopped and approached her and asked her how she was doing and if she needed help.  She proceeded to tell me her life story.  She just needed to talk it seemed.  I stayed with her talking for a good 15 minutes.  She refused my help to carry her groceries.   I had never seen her before nor have I ever seen her since.

This was a good meeting, it was not long after my mom had passed away and it felt good to be with someone that age.  I like the fact that people think that they can talk to me.  I still think of this elderly lady at times and wonder how she is doing.  Sometimes I wonder why people talk to me so much......  it's all good though.

So what does this 'gift' do for me?  It has definitely helped me get in tune with people.  It has also taught me over the years to always, always, always (and I do mean always) listen to my gut instinct.  This came in very handy when I was dating and meeting people on a dating site......

I truly think that everyone has that gut feeling but that many ignore it.  I like to call it a gut feeling, an instinct or even a little voice.  I think everyone has it and if we would all listen to it, I suspect we would all avoid some unpleasant situations.....

Signed yours truly, feeling it all......

SSW :)