So this essay/post is being written to introduce myself and in response to a request by @Rasheed Hooda, who asked that we share about living life on our own terms and about what our inner weirdo is. So first, for those of you who don’t know me, let me introduce myself. My name is George Benson. I am the youngest of nine kids, and I have been married to my wife, Jodell, since 1994. Together, we have been blessed to raise our two daughters, Antonia, who is a ministry intern, and Julia, who is a firefighter/paramedic. EMBRACING MY INNER WEIRDO Recently, after reading various posts by @Rasheed Hooda and @Matt Landry, I was struck by something Matt said that I had never heard someone say before. He said he was an empath. A word I have lived since I was six, and a word I had never heard another human use to describe themselves in over 50 years, except in books that I have read from authors writing about that specific topic. So what is an empath? An empath is someone who not only notices the emotions of others, but can often feel them deeply, as if they are their own. In fact, many empaths struggle with learning to distinguish what they are feeling and where it is coming from. For some empaths, they are very intuitive and are often very good at reading other people’s emotions and the micro-expressions that are presented by others through various physical characteristics, movements, or other body language. For other empaths, they pick up on the tone of a person’s voice, the specific words they use or don’t use, and the aura, sensations, or energy that is emanating from a person’s body. For some of you, you might not have heard of the word empath, but you might know people who you think are overly sensitive. In clinical terms, psychologists, counselors, or clinicians might refer to them as being an HSP, or a Highly Sensitive Person. For me, although we did not have the words to describe it at the time, I was raised to embrace being an empath, and I grew to develop a strong intuition and at times to experience things that, to this day, I have no words to explain. For those who are interested, I have written a book that I give away for free called Dancing Through the Storms of Life. In that book, I write in the third person about my life and the events that have shaped who I am today. So if you’re interested in learning more about my inner weirdo, feel free to click the link.

When I was younger, I needed someone to tell me the truth. The real truth. I needed someone to tell me that the depression didn’t mean I was broken beyond repair, and it could be managed. That panic attacks didn’t mean I was crazy, and having anxiety didn’t mean I was weak. I needed someone to explain that maybe, just maybe, I was just more sensitive than most people. Maybe I felt things a little more deeply. Maybe I carried more than I knew how to carry. Maybe my mind and body were trying to protect me, even if they were doing it in a terrifying and exhausting way. But nobody really told me that. At least not in a way I could understand. So I spent too many years thinking something was wrong with me. I thought I was defective. I thought everyone else had received some manual for life that I somehow missed. Because when you already feel anxious or depressed, the last thing you need is to also believe you are broken. You aren’t. That’s what I want you to hear today. You’re not broken. You may be overwhelmed, or exhausted. You may be carrying old pain and you could be more sensitive than the people around you. You may need more rest, more quiet, more space, more support, and better tools. But that doesn’t make you broken. It makes you human. And being sensitive in a hard world isn’t weakness. It means you have to learn how to take care of yourself differently. It means you have to stop apologizing for how deeply you feel and start protecting your peace like it actually matters. Because it does. I never met the person I needed back then. So I became him. And now I’m telling you as clearly as I can: You aren’t broken. You’re healing… You’re learning… You’re still here. And that matters more than you know. Love you!

Okay, so we've been under 10 for the last two weeks. Can we break the double digit this week?

Who’s available today for a connection call? I’m open till 12:30pm EST. Hit me up in DM, drop connection call below and I will reach out or schedule with link in bio for another day!

Please help me welcome the two new members that joined our community today. @Tom Peracchio and @Jill Hart Please take a moment to introduce yourself to the community. Who you are? What you do and why you decided to join the community.