Touching her own chin with softly focused eyes, noted empath Eileen Kiplinger says that she’s always been uniquely sensitive to the plights of others.
According to Kiplinger, she began touching her own face where the person she’s speaking to has a pimple in adolescence, a time when many of her friends, classmates and even teachers suffered from imperfect complexions.
“I didn’t notice I was doing it until one day my best friend was like, ‘Stop! Stop touching your forehead! I know I have a giant zit there!’ And that was when I first realized I was special.”
When asked if she ever struggled with acne herself, Kiplinger seemed confused by the question.
“I struggle with it every day,” she says. “My boyfriend’s acne is my acne. My sister’s acne is my acne. The world’s acne is my acne. Being extraordinarily empathetic is my burden. But it’s also my greatest gift.”
“People think I’m not listening to what they’re saying just because I’m fondling my own cheek where they have a really painful-looking cystic pimple. I’m often accused of rudely staring at their blemishes, even popping them with my eyes, when in fact it’s completely subconscious.”
“I’ll often notice a blemish before they do,” Kiplinger says about her deep-seated feelings that reach beyond face-to-face interaction. “Sometimes I’ll feel an itch on my nose as I’m in the middle of calling a long-distance friend and before I know it she’s telling me she has a pimple in that same spot. I’m extra sensitive to people I’m close to.”
“But I never want to make anyone I’m talking with uncomfortable,” she added. “It’s not about that. It’s just that I’m so deeply sensitive to the pains of humanity.”
When asked directly if touching her face so frequently has ever caused a breakout, Kiplinger immediately said no. “Having perfect skin is my second greatest gift,” she said, smiling. “Thank God.”
