First the good news:  My nephew is recovering nicely and will soon be back to work.

Once again, thank you for everyone’s support.  It was truly awesome.

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Now, onto my mundane life.

Since my trip and fall, I’ve discovered that while the ribs seem to have healed (mostly), my right knee/leg is taking a lot longer to strengthen.  In fact, I now use a cane whenever I need to go somewhere that requires walking, even if it’s only from the parking lot into whatever building I’m going to.

Sounds a bit sad, doesn’t it?  But believe it or not, there are some unseen advantages to being a little lame.  Whereas  before, I was seen mostly as a fat lady too lazy to get herself fit, it seems that now I’m viewed as a fat, old, disabled lady – who apparently deserves the kindness and respect of others.  Recently, I even had a much younger woman literally run ahead of me to the door of a UPS store so that she could open it for me, rather than watch me struggling to do so while juggling a package and my cane.  And, at the grocery store, people seem almost happy when I ask them to reach for an item that’s at the back of the very top shelf.

Such kindness from perfect strangers has somewhat restored my faith in humans, especially the younger generations.  Maybe I remind the 20- and 30-somethings of their own grandmothers, but it seems the younger folks are actually more willing to help than many people nearer my own age.

Of course, I’ve also shrunk a bit over the last year or so; who knows, maybe some of my bone structure actually collapsed as a result of that fall.  In any event, perhaps my new description should be “little fat old disabled lady” – I can live with that.  (Not that I have any choice in the matter.)

And, speaking of that mundane life:

As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been able to supplement Social Security a little by taking paid online surveys.  It’s not a lot of money – not even enough to impact my income tax burden – but the pennies do add up, and the extra cash keeps me stocked with books, yarn, candy and other tiny luxuries that I would probably have to give up otherwise.  Granted it takes a fair amount of effort to qualify for surveys (seems a little fat old disabled lady isn’t at the top of the list, unless the survey is for Medicare or bladder control products), but these days I have nothing much better to do.  Many days I spend hours ticking off boxes or typing in answers to all kinds of silly questions.

One of my favorites has been, “If you were to write a book about your life, what would the title be and what would it be about?”  How could I even answer that one? Nine months into retirement, my life is so uneventful that no one would be interested in that book.  Sure, you all read this blog (and I’m eternally grateful for that!), but these posts are usually fairly short – I don’t think anyone could get through 250-300 pages of such ordinariness.

Right?  If I’m wrong, let me know and I’ll start writing that book right now.

As for the survey sites, I now have two – Branded Surveys, which pays different amounts for each survey but also has a bonus system which helps increase the points; and Five Surveys, which pays $1 for every survey, but is a little harder to qualify for (at least in my case) because the surveys are more narrowly geared towards specific groups of people and professions.

If you want to try your luck, click on the links above – but bear in mind it can be frustrating, at least until you get your first payout.  Then it becomes fun!

And finally – WordPress:

Even though I’ve decided to save money by cancelling my subscriptions to my photography sites and to the site where I buy videogames, this decision does not extend to my WordPress membership.  My subscription here just renewed for another year, so even if I don’t post often, you can be sure I’ll still be around.  ‘Cause I know that’s one of your top concerns these days.  Right?  (It’s ok to lie to make me feel good.)

See you around the blogosphere.

Hugs, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post, comment on my Twitter page (@cordeliasmom), or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Images by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio