Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.
When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody’s help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self assured,
Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.
Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won’t you please, please help me?
And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I’ve never done before.
Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won’t you please, please help me.
When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody’s help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I’m not so self assured,
Now I find I’ve changed my mind and opened up the doors.
Help me if you can, I’m feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won’t you please, please help me, help me, help me, oh.
It’s blog carnival time! This week Brittney of The Road I’m On is hosting the PFAM carnival with the fabulous topic, “Easy for them to say, hard for you to do.”
Now for the next edition, hosted by yours truly at possibilism.org (drum role please)…
Topic: “Is help a four-letter word?”
There are times when giving and receiving help is simple. It is obvious from the scenes of devastation and suffering in Japan that help is needed (Link goes to Red Cross donation site. Please donate if you can).
But nothing is simple with pain or illness. Help becomes a complicated “damned if you, do damned if you don’t” scenario laden with conflicting emotions and mixed messages. When your predicament isn’t obvious to others, people may not recognize that they can or need to help. Likewise, when your problems seem like everyday nuisances rather than full-blown catastrophes, you may avoid asking for help or recognize that you should.
Why is it that asking for too much help makes you “helpless,” but not asking enough makes you guilty of “not verbalizing your needs?” Where is the sweet spot between “toughing it out” and “being dependent?”
I have always been a fiercely independent person, and chronic pain put me face-to-face with the very difficult issues of learning to accept help. Luckily, the Beatles taught me that opening up to help can also be a fun, happy thing. I hope they will provide inspiration to you as well. I encourage you to listen to the song. John Lennon wrote the song to express his stress, but the message nicely fits someone with chronic pain.
For the carnival, I’d love to hear about your take on help. How do you help yourself, get help from others, or even recognize you need a little helping hand? How do you feel about asking for help or getting some when you haven’t asked for any? Help me explore this topic. 
Submit posts by midnight April 3, 2011. Please include the following in your email:
1) Name of blog
2) Name of the post (include the actual link to your post)
3) Your name as you want it posted
4) A brief description of the post
Send your submission to: hayzell(you know what symbol to put here)possibilism.org
{ 1 comment }
I can think of all sorts of reasons why help is definitely a four letter word. I think all of us love to help but receiving it is another story all together and I’m sure we’ll hear a number of different perspectives on it. Glad you found me and I’m glad to be a part of this carnival.
R.
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