So this essay/post is being written to introduce myself and in response to a request by @Rasheed Hooda, who asked that we share about living life on our own terms and about what our inner weirdo is. So first, for those of you who don’t know me, let me introduce myself. My name is George Benson. I am the youngest of nine kids, and I have been married to my wife, Jodell, since 1994. Together, we have been blessed to raise our two daughters, Antonia, who is a ministry intern, and Julia, who is a firefighter/paramedic. EMBRACING MY INNER WEIRDO Recently, after reading various posts by @Rasheed Hooda and @Matt Landry, I was struck by something Matt said that I had never heard someone say before. He said he was an empath. A word I have lived since I was six, and a word I had never heard another human use to describe themselves in over 50 years, except in books that I have read from authors writing about that specific topic. So what is an empath? An empath is someone who not only notices the emotions of others, but can often feel them deeply, as if they are their own. In fact, many empaths struggle with learning to distinguish what they are feeling and where it is coming from. For some empaths, they are very intuitive and are often very good at reading other people’s emotions and the micro-expressions that are presented by others through various physical characteristics, movements, or other body language. For other empaths, they pick up on the tone of a person’s voice, the specific words they use or don’t use, and the aura, sensations, or energy that is emanating from a person’s body. For some of you, you might not have heard of the word empath, but you might know people who you think are overly sensitive. In clinical terms, psychologists, counselors, or clinicians might refer to them as being an HSP, or a Highly Sensitive Person. For me, although we did not have the words to describe it at the time, I was raised to embrace being an empath, and I grew to develop a strong intuition and at times to experience things that, to this day, I have no words to explain. For those who are interested, I have written a book that I give away for free called Dancing Through the Storms of Life. In that book, I write in the third person about my life and the events that have shaped who I am today. So if you’re interested in learning more about my inner weirdo, feel free to click the link.

Years ago, a supervisor called me a cranky cynic, because when he showed me something that was the latest fix that would solve all our problems, I would look at him, and say, "Yeah whatever." The person who called me Cranky Cynic thought he was funny, but I am the one laughing at him. A real cynic wants the truth, even if it’s inconvenient, unflattering, or ruins someone’s favorite myth. A cynic doubts because they’ve seen too much. The pretentious know‑it‑all dismissed my doubts because nothing scares them more than being wrong. I've embraced the philosophies of the great cynics because they question the status quo, they call out the closed-minded people unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints. A dismissive person is unwilling to consider alternative viewpoints, because they’ve already built the conclusion before hearing the premise. I'm so analytical at times, I forget to laugh. The people who have become my "fans" over the years understand my dry cynical sense of humor. In the past year I've been rebranding my online identity from Geek History to The Cranky Cynic because all the myths and misinformation on the internet being told as history, makes me angry! I'm new here, just took a stroll around the community, looks cool to me!

What if the traits you've spent years hiding are actually the source of your greatest potential? In a world that often encourages conformity, it's easy to silence the parts of yourself that seem unusual. Yet the qualities we call "weird" are often what make us creative, memorable, and truly authentic. Instead of asking how to fit in, perhaps the better question is: Are you strange, or are you simply brave enough to be yourself in a world full of copies?

I’m that one who is always saying “funny story…” though I’m not sure they’re funny to many people other than me! I always have an anecdote or song related to just about anything we’re talking about. My kids think I’m crazy. Every time we’re talking about something I can pull the line of a song out and sing it to them that relates to what we’re talking about. I think that’s a weirdo skill. Sometimes I think I’m a weirdo because I believe in what I’m doing. Deeply passionately committed to talking to people about cooking and connections. I mean that combination is a little weird right? Not really. I think they are intrinsically connected, easily bridged. But the important thing is is that we connect. I connect with @Rasheed Hooda or @Katinka van Kan or many of you others, and I think that’s what keeps us all going forward. That connection that we make. Because being here and connecting with all of you helps me feel like I’m a part of something bigger. Not just a solo printer hanging out in the basement, but one of a unique tribe of weirdos working towards making our mark on the world. Connection is king. If you’re not connecting with lots of people, then maybe you’re the weirdo 🤣🤣🤣 (or maybe just shy and that’s OK too❤️). Since we’re here… Tell me what makes you a weirdo. I’d love to know.

A questions I discussed in a networking call just now. Interesting question...And actually a lot of interesting questions that it hides! Our take: Step 1 is to figure out what someone actually wants to know when they ask you this question. Do they want to know how you can serve them? Help them? What you sell? If you can/want to collab? If you're competition? What they can learn from you? What they can copy? Or...are they just curious to hear what you do? So...my question now: What is it that you do? 🧐