“We are not weak if we make a proper use of those means,
which the God of Nature has placed in our power.”
-Patrick Henry

Picture

I was thinking that I might fly today

Just to disprove all the things you say

It doesn't take a talent to be mean

Your words can crush things that are unseen

So please be careful with me, I'm sensitive

And I'd like to stay that way.


These are the opening lyrics to the song “I’m Sensitive,” by singer-songwriter Jewel. It’s a song I first heard back in high school, and one I secretly dubbed as “my theme song” because, well, I’m sensitive. And, I think I would like to stay that way, thank you very much.

But I didn’t always view my sensitive nature as one of my strengths. In fact, I spent most of my adolescence and early 20s trying to change what I saw as a serious character flaw.

Growing up, I was told on more than one occasion, “You’re too sensitive, Sara.”

Hearing that cut through my tender heart like knife, which I thought only reiterated what everyone else saw in me. I was, indeed, too sensitive. I needed more backbone, I needed a thicker skin, I needed switch off my emotions. But try as I might, I couldn’t. And after many failed attempts to change my sensitive nature I realized something that literally rocked my world...

IT’S FREAKING AWESOME TO BE SUPER SENSITIVE!!!

Being super sensitive isn't a character flaw at all! Actually, it's one of my greatest strengths!

Being highly sensitive allows me to feel more intensely, to love more deeply, to dream more colorfully, to care more compassionately, to live more fully, to write more richly, to experience absolutely everything on a level that is compounded compared to what most people experience.

I refuse to look at the negative aspects of this trait any longer, and instead focus only on the blessings it brings me.

For instance, when I write a story, I can feel every single emotion my characters might experience in a certain scene, which only breathes more life into them.

When I conduct an interview for an article, I can meet the person I’m speaking with wherever he or she is at, which I’ve found makes them more comfortable sharing their story with me.

When a friend is hurting, I hurt too, which allows me to offer genuine compassion and empathy while still providing them with strength they can’t give themselves at the moment.

When someone is lonely, I not only remember but feel the hollowness from my own experiences with loneliness, and it makes me quick to offer friendship.

The reason it hurt so much to be told I was too sensitive wasn’t because I had a serious character flaw. It hurt because, essentially, I was being told not to be me. In my mind, what I really heard was…

You’re too Sara, Sara.

My sensitive nature is part of my core. It runs through every single fiber that makes me who I am as Sara Rae. It doesn’t make me wrong, or bad. It makes me, me. Why would I want to change that?

Over at Jamie Ridler Studios, today’s Wishcasting Wednesday prompt asks, “What gifts do you wish to share?”

I wish to share my sensitivity, because I do see it as a gift now. And it’s that gift of sensitivity that fuels so many other gifts I wish to send out into the world: my writing, my stories, my creativity, my passion, my perseverance, my dedication, my friendship, my compassion, my love and my time.

Leaning slightly toward the “heightened” end of the sensitivity spectrum allows me to feel everything in the deepest recesses of my heart. And it’s there, in that tender spot where all the emotions collide with amplified sound and sensation that my authenticity resides.

Your One Step:

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “Our strength grows out of our weaknesses.”

What trait or characteristic might you be viewing as a weakness when, in reality, it’s one of your greatest strengths?

Take some time to journal about this trait and the ways it has actually benefited you.


cazamataz
3/9/2011 04:49:36 am

This is a truly lovely post....what you've writtend really resonates with some of my expriences in life .........soooo beautifully put and sooo positive ..as you wish for yourself i wholeheartedly wish for you.

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3/9/2011 04:50:21 am

Sara this is so well written. I agree your sensitivity makes you the person you are. It would be a shame not to share this strength with others. As Sara Rae wishes for herself, I wish for her as well.

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3/9/2011 04:51:01 am

You are very brave, I have heard that I am too sensitive/too deep all my life, I haven't responded with such courage as you.
As you wish for yourself, Sara, so do I wish for you as well

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3/9/2011 05:04:45 am

I love this post, Sara! I believe it's a true sign of a beautiful heart to feel so deeply. You are SO right...it is a gift!

As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you!!

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3/9/2011 06:05:18 am

As you wish for yourself, so I wish for you as well!

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3/9/2011 11:46:07 am

Thank you for this. I was called too sensitive when I was five years old and the truth is I am sensitive. I am now learning how to see that as a gift. God Bless your beautiful heart which feels and resonates with others. As you wish for yourself, so do I wish for you and me.

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3/9/2011 09:33:00 pm

Glad you realize your gift. As Sara wishes for herself, so I wish for her also.

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3/9/2011 09:55:33 pm

As you wish for yourself, I do too. So glad to hear someone speaking out for the sensitives. I got fed up with being told I was 'too sensitive' as a kid! Jacs x

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3/10/2011 03:02:42 am

So well written! and your question at the end is one I should definitely ponder more.

As you wish for yourself, so I truly wish for you also!

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3/10/2011 03:13:04 pm

Beautifully written! wonderful wishes... as you wish this for yourself, I wish this for you as well.

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