It’s the final day of the year.  The last 24 hours of 2011.  Fitting that I should end the year with a Question of the Day.  So, that said, here it is.

What is your best talent or quality?

Good question. Do I always follow the question with the statement “Good question”?  Well… anyhoo.  What is my best talent or quality…  Hmm, I’m going to have to say that my best talent cannot be discussed here because my mom reads my blog.  MWAHHhhhh ha ha ha!

That leaves me with my best quality.  I have had a post here that had a picture with a caption reading, “I think therefore I don’t have to feel”, but the simple truth is… I DO feel.  A lot.  Too much perhaps.  I take things to heart, even when I shouldn’t.

I’m an Empath.  Are you sad?  Are you happy?  Are you sitting in front of me or talking to me over the phone/computer?  If I can hear emotion in your voice or see it in your typing, I will pick up on it, empathizing with you.  This isn’t always a good thing.  DH has gotten “down” on occasion and I immediately follow to the point of being a useless, balled-up, crying lump; thankfully I know that these aren’t my OWN emotions that I’m caught up in, and pull myself out of that hole as soon as I can.

I also seem to connect with animals much more readily than people.  People are deceptive.  They have ulterior motives, pretending to like you only to get what they want, and then they disappear.  Animals are not like that.  They express what they feel in the moment, and I understand that because 99% of the time, that is what I do as well.  Prey animals have certain behavior patterns and predators have theirs.  They use body language and sounds and the only time they try to deceive is when they are sick or hurt, pretending they aren’t.

I’ve worked a long time at learning to stem the flood of emotion that comes at me when I talk to people.  Some, whom I do not have strong feelings toward, I can completely block and probably come across as very cold and sterile – in fact, I suspect that I come across to many people who don’t know me, as cold and sterile.  Others, whom I do care for, but are known Drama-Queens, I have hardened myself for the emotional onslaught they are known to toss my way.  Others… oh, there are others that no matter what they do, I am helpless to blocking what they feel.

So there is my best talent, controlling my emotions – to a certain extent – allowing me to function within society without being overcome by the strong emotions I’m subjected to day-after-day.