I am a sponge

I am a sponge...
I soak it all up.
I internalize everything; your hurt, your tears, your pain, your feelings, your "could be's"... I swear I feel it.

As your soundboard, I do as I am supposed to. I let you vent and expel. With every hit- I feel it. Your release is my weight. You often don't let me provide solutions, in fact you may even be insulted by them.

I take it on; soak it up. I swear I feel it. Not demeaning your situation; not taking away from what you feel or the uniqueness. But my Lord, recognize I feel it with you. My little babies; all 60 of them... I HATE what you endure. I soak it up. My friends, I cannot accept the loneliness or brokenness you bare. I soak it up. You tell me a story in passing. I soak it up. I read about the children and innocent women- people- dying in Haiti. I soak it up. I see the pain in the lady's eyes at the grocery. I soak it up. The young girl unable to look anyone in the eye. I soak it up. Every single time you critique me. I soak it up. The cyclical thoughts of my own mind... I soak them up.

And suddenly- I find myself overflowing. Excess flowing- streaming- everywhere. Unable to identify what exactly it is I'm feeling. Emotions overlap with no definitive lines. Lost in what's yours and what's mine; unable to identify or recognize the difference. Drawing conclusions without conclusiveness because I have inhabited your "weight." As I'm sure you are unaware...
So now what?
This isn't a pat on the back. This isn't a "job well done Mary"...... This is a true fault. This is thinking I'm supposed to solve all the problems, and quite frankly that's quite self-absorbed.
Also, a horrible attribute to carry around as a social worker; not conducive to clients.
So, uh yeah, now what??