Why is depression so...depressing?

Someone I love and am very close to is really depressed today. 
When depression happens to my friend, they struggle to function, and everything is "wrong".
It's hard...hard to feel so helpless, hard to sit back and let them get deal with it in their own way, hard to be powerless and unable help.

Powerless.

Being powerless is a hard.  Being in a place of powerlessness is exhausting. 
Crazy, huh? 
We can't do anything, but we're tired from it?  From NOT doing anything?

This is how it is with me and food.
It's embarrassing, so I try to hide it.
It's exhausting, so I sit around and 'rest'.
It's all encompassing, and I'm powerless over it.

But none of that means I have to give in to my powerlessness.

If I think about it, there are many things I'm powerless over. 
wars
the economy
politicians votes
whether a store stays open or closes
other peoples depression
and food

But...I don't have to center my life around things I have no power over. 

For today, I am NOT going to let food control me. 

And for today, I'm not going to eat since food will not cure my friends depression.

7-30-11  223.5