I am still in shock. Don’t panic. It’s the good kind of shock. Maybe wonder would be more apt a descriptive.

It all began last week when I had the inspiration to apply for Social Security and disability. I logged onto the website and found very easy forms to fill out. That in itself was a wonder. The surprises kept coming.

A mere 2 days after submitting my application, I was contacted by voicemail, text and email by none other than the Social Security administration. Of course, I was leery at first, suspecting a scam. But instead, I had a lovely conversation with a rep from Pennsylvania. By the end of our short conversation, he had assured me that I would be approved and sure enough, today my approval was verified. Wonders never cease. 😃

I’m really excited to get the extra money because a large chunk of it is going to go to charities that I will hand pick every month. I will continue to give to the Animal community of course, but I want to help children and families too.

There are so many good charities to support. For instance, I spoke to my sister, who has just done some work with the guardian ad litem program. They have a fund to help children who are going into the foster programs and lack the funds for backpacks, school, supplies, and clothing. That definitely sounds like a worthwhile cause! Donna told me about a program that she supports that helps build houses for disabled veterans from the Afghan and Iraq wars. That definitely sounds like a worthwhile cause too! Jake suggested a charity in San Diego that provides transportation options to the homeless. That definitely sounds like a worthwhile cause too! I’m sure that with a little help from my friends and family, I can direct funds to where they will do the most good.

Meanwhile, today is about tax preparation. I have literally moved my home office into my bed and lie here compiling income and expense folders for each of our rentals.

My pain is currently controlled by Hydrocodone. I am conducting an experiment today and trying to control my pain using only this narcotic. If pain is going to be a constant in my life going forward, then I need to have reliable and predictable pain control. Unfortunately, using the various medical marijuana strains has proven to be inconsistent. Hans and I are logging frequencies of use, effectiveness and side effects. So far, the drug tamped down the gurgle pain while still leaving me coherent for about 3.5 hours. Pain roared back in after that and took about 40 minutes to subside after I ingested a second dose. I can already tell that more experimentation is in order. I’ll also call the resources for pain control that have been provided by Moffitt and The Florida Cancer Center. I definitely need guidance!

Hoping for a visit from the fast crawling Abby tomorrow…