It's not easy being Michael Jackson

I had a two day financial literacy training this week, and don't let the 'literacy' bit have you fooled like it did me, because the training should have just been called "Financial Finances Financing."  Not surprisingly, I pulled one of my regular tricks out of my sleeve, and appeared to slide into a state of enlightened meditation, when it reality I became catatonic and blacked out due to necessity.  As I have recently discovered, I share many bizarre characteristics with Michael Jackson (arrest thy judgement!) outside of an uncanny sense of rhythm and style.  We both happen to share a previously unknown personality (neurological disorder??) where we become severely affected by high levels of stimulation.  We are both "Highly Sensitive People," which means we are both shy and weirdly extroverted, creative, and easily freaked out by strobe lights (except when performing?!).  http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/prescriptions-life/200907/was-michael-jackson-highly-sensitive-personhsp-are-you  or http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-barry-kaufman/creative-people_b_829563.html  Ah, tis so perilous to be a brilliant artist, you see!  The dark lives we lead.

While this condition led Michael Jackson down the gold-paved road of crotch-grabbing and stardom, it has led me to black out when confronted with financial concepts, and to feel panicked in Byerlys.  This actually cracks me up because the personality type defines me pretty much to a T.  But it's not like I can use this as an excuse for atrocious behavior in respectable workshops? "Oh, I'm sorry. You see- I'm a highly sensitive person.  Do you have a quiet, dark, moody room where I can retreat to for a half hour and listen to Enya?"  I think I have Ilse-seizures 20 times a day when I get into crazy stressful situations like when my phone rings at the same time that I receive a new email! Or when I hear a siren!  Or when I'm in a bright room full of people talking!

It's not easy.