Freak Magnet Friday! The history..where it all began, I think

Ok, so I was at a St. Patrick's Day party talking to a total stranger about my Freak magnet affliction. Being that she didn't even know me probably just made her think I was a freak, but that's OK!
Here is some of the beginnings that I remember:
When I was fifteen, I had a friend who would call me to just talk about random things and we would talk about mostly surface stuff, and one time in the middle of the conversation he started crying! It was strange to me because it wasn't like he was talking about early childhood memories, or his deepest darkest secrets...just talking! I asked him why he was crying and he said, "I don't know, but when I talk to you I feel like crying." Ok, now keep in mind I am also not talking about anything personal, just chit chat. So we continue to talk regularly and he continues to cry regularly, which kind of freaked me out. I asked him, "Why do you talk to me if it makes you cry all the time?" He said there was something about the way I talked that made him feel emotional and that even though he was crying, it helped him feel better, hmmm.
So then his mom gets wind of this and calls me! She says, "I wondered why he was crying every time he talked to you, but he says it helps him feel better, so what can I say?'
I really wasn't sure how to handle this, or what it meant? We stopped talking at some point, and some years later he passed away in a tragic car accident. That was just really sad.

When I was sixteen I met a guy at a party who I thought was a total loser, he was dating my friend and I didn't like him for her. I would see him at the parties she would have and once he cornered me at one of these gatherings and he spilled his guts to me. I realized that he was probably really mentally ill with everything he told me. Then he starts crying and leaves the party and everyone looked at me like, "What the Hell did you do to him?" Again, I was stunned with what had happened, I had no answers!

Another time when I was sixteen I was at a party where this weird guy kept hitting on me. He was really coming on strong and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. A friend of mine saw my distress and called for "back up" to help me. The back up was his brother who had to escort him out. I said to his brother and my friend, "What is his problem???" They both said they had never seen him act this way and they were stumped about his behavior, almost implying that I was responsible for his weird obsessiveness!

It was a this point that I slowly started to realize that I somehow bring out people's weirdest, freakish, behavior. Hmmm...so I started to become more aware, and more guarded about who I talk to and what I talk about. I started to fine tune my "radar" and later could see when this would start to happen. I know I mentioned only men, but it happened with women too!

So, cut to today, where I now get paid to deal with this side of myself. I became a counselor!
This was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Now I am in control of these situations and I actually feel honored, (and yes, sometimes freaked out) by allowing people to feel comfortable to let their freak flag fly!

So here is me. Happy Friday! Thanks for reading!