Train Wreck and Beyond

My posts seem to come on an annual basis.  Perhaps I should aspire to monthly updates.

That train I mentioned in the 2010 post was painful attacks that began to incapacitate me every few weeks as opposed the once per year occurrences I had learned to control.  The pain was very intense--so much so, that I begged my doctor for a few Percocet to get me through each episode.  As these attacks were coming ever more frequently, I was taking a lot of meds.  I was also having great difficulty attending to my basic living functions of hygiene and nutrition.

About this time, the 2008 Recession hit.  The University of Memphis had been having budget troubles for several years, but in late 2008 the University offered a "buyout" to employees who would agree to quit or take early retirement.  For me, the amount of the buyout was about $19,000 dollars, which would easily take me through relocation and the three month waiting period before long-term disability insurance payments would begin.  My state plan with Hartford which I had contracted for back in 1998 would guarantee me income equal to two-thirds of what I had been making as well as help with applying for Social Security Disability income, which along with my retirement income, lowered the monthly outlay that The Hartford would be making.

After a year and some professional help from Allsup, Social Security granted me disability.  Those payments and withdrawals from my Individual Retirement Account (IRA) are how I am funding the projects that keep me alive in spite of chronic pain and fatigue.  Everyone needs SOMETHING to look forward to, and my Gardens are my "something."