unique

It took me a long time to decide what to do for my U post. But the word unique kept coming back, again and again, with this question attached: what makes you unique?

At first I was going to pose this question on my facebook/twitter pages, and see what kind of responses I got. Because I really was stuck. I'll be honest, I don't think I'm that special. But I had to stop thinking like that.  I realized this answer really has to come from within me. I was going to come up with a list, but I can't. So I will just say...

I think what makes me unique is my intuition. I can tell when people are having a difficult time, I often seek out people who others ignore or don't seem to notice. I have a good read on people and can almost always know what they are going to say in a situation, or how they will react. And I try to prepare for that. If I know someone is going to need encouragement, I write them a note. If I can sense someone is angry, I try to make them laugh. I really, genuinely take time to provide empathetic listening to most I come in contact with and seek to understand them. I have some help in this, of course. I believe God brings my attention to people who need a little extra love.

The things I just listed are things I recognize in myself. I was never sure if anyone else saw it too. It's just the way I live my life, it's who I am. But one day at work, I got a note from one of our nurses. It said something like "you always seem to know when people need encouragement, and you so willingly give it to them! That is a gift!". I almost fell out of my chair.

So, I think that's what makes me unique. That and the fact that I once dressed up in a banana costume cheered on marathon runners, while standing next to an american idol contestant. But that's another story for another day.

What makes you unique?