Helpless, Impotent, Useless

From "Rainy Days and Mondays"
As Performed by Karen Carpenter

Talking to myself and feeling old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around, nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down

-------------------------

One of the worst feelings in the world is knowing that someone you care about deeply is hurting, and there is nothing that you can do to help them.

I'm used to being the strong one, the one who has all the answers, who can make the big, bad world go away. It's not like that now, though. I feel helpless, like my best efforts are made in vain, and that I can't fix this situation, no matter how hard I try.

It's hard for me to realize that, sometimes, you can be there for someone by not being there. In the heat of the moment, it sounds like a rebuke. But, after thought and reflection, I realize that there are times when I just want to be by myself, too. It's natural. We all need those moments to gather our thoughts for ourselves and figure out the next step to take.

I just want to fix it. And it burns me that I can't.