wickedwings You and I must have been typing at about the same time before, because I didn't see your response when I was writing mine!
I also had similar experiences to yours in the care center. My mom is a nurse and I've gone to see her at her work. I've heard people crying and smelled the smell of urine. I can't handle those places, they make me so sick. One time I was really haunted by this woman with schizophrenia. She was in bed, and it was late at night, but she was having some really scary hallucinations. I don't know what she was seeing, but she was terrified, I could tell from her voice. I felt sick inside
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wow. and i see the dark side everywhere i go - so much pain, so much suffering

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I know what you mean. I think for me, I see way too much dark everywhere I go. It makes me sometimes shrink back from my emotions and my experiences... because when I open myself up, I just seem so much more able to absorb the dark and the pain. If I could just become better at absorbing light and comfort... maybe I could feel alive more. I could definitely offer more compassion to the world if I could learn to take in more than just the darkness. Know what I mean?

ty for sharing some of your compassionate soul with me.