MP, I’m sorry to hear about that. One thing I’ve picked up (a lot from this thread) is that encouragement is like pointing a finger at someone else; and three fingers point back at you. Smile at someone and you help yourself too. Feeling needed (or as you say, “having a purpose”,) is a normal human emotion. And it’s probably a good thing because without it, not too much would happen. At the end of the day, someone who needed a little encouragement got it, and it went back on you too. Is that so bad? You’ve done a lot on this thread, it didn’t come from nowhere. I hope the real-life support you need comes soon, but until then, stick around here. 🙂
(I hope no grammar teachers read that…)