22 The Lovely Crisis: Breaking the Emotional Contract, Part 2

The contract, which was signed with a wide smile masking the tears welling in my bright blue eyes (a move I would perfect as time wore on), required me to be absolutely tough. This was difficult because I had the blessed curse of sensitivity. I saw, I heard, I felt and I understood way too much. Blissful ignorance would have created much more ease in my existence. It was as if I had a direct audio feed plugged into the emotions of those around me. Their aching, yearning, grieving, brooding and worrying were cranked up at dissonant levels, pumping raw emotion into my head. I earned my peace by accelerating headlong through the pace of chaos around me. The faster I moved, the further I could stay ahead of the insanity.