“When we allow ourselves to adapt to different situations, life is easier.” – Catherine Pulsifer
Hello Hello and welcome to the weekend.
I am strange, I know it and I admit it and I have been told that quite a few times over the years🤣
So the topic from @galenkp this week in The Weekend community
should be right up my street! Check out the post here .
Name and explain some of your personality quirks, strange habits or oddities that other people may find strange, weird, funny or just plain unusual. Tell us about any moments in which they may have caused humour, embarrassment or just came in useful. It's about you, so simply write what you feel is right and you wish to share
So let's get right to it! This is a first for me as I have never chosen Option 1 before!
I seem to have collected quite a few nicknames over the years, Eddie Wildlife is an appropriate one as I do seem to bond well with animals and I am forever talking to them. (@coquicoin you will get a new nickname for me in this article) Even just this morning I was up at the park feeding them and had a chat with them all.
This was Susie and Stevie Swan steeming in for a chat and a bite to eat with me. Perhaps it is only down to bribery, as I do buy them some awesome food pellets from Amazon.
They say animals have a sixth sense, and I do believe they do, take those swans for example. They are quite territorial and have a go at quite a few people, yet with me they are so friendly, even when they had their cygnets, they would come and interact and let me get up close with them all.
So I will tell you about one of my quirks or strange habits that is very useful although some people do find it very odd. I will demonstrate it further on in this post, as I just took a picture of it.
In the meantime can you guess what this quirk of mine is from the picture below?
Source Image by Rajesh Balouria from Pixabay
When I was 12 I developed a type of arthritis called Ankylosing Spondylitus which leaves me in pain 24/7 and it was only diagnosed when I was 18. I was at uni in Wales and got a train back up to Scotland to go home for the summer holidays. This was a fair old distance and I did the journey overnight. After a night of sitting in a chair with my head to the window, my neck was stuck at an angle. Long story short my mother was going to get to the bottom of it. I had spent the previous six years basically being told by numerous doctors and hospital specialists that I had either fallen out of a tree or was just experiencing growing pains and there was nothing wrong.
This time my mother and her father refused to take no for an answer, and six weeks later I was finally diagnosed at that same time as my father. Nowadays it is well known and people can get diagnosed quickly, then however it was not really known about.
It has however moulded my easy going character in a very good way. My mother would tell me that there is always someone who is worse off than you, so be thankful for small mercies Edward.
Going back to the picture of the monkey, have you guessed the trait yet?
My first job review as a Chemical Engineer, my departmental head Tim Chappell (yes he was an Aussie Galen although he did not play cricket) said and I quote.
Well Edward, if you were any more laid back, you would be horizontal!
I don't let things faze me, I am forever doing new things and pushing myself.
“When we allow ourselves to adapt to different situations, life is easier.” – Catherine Pulsifer
This was the quote I started the article with, and now you will find out why.
We adapt, we learn and we adapt. When you have a disability you adapt without even thinking, things that people take for granted you will do but in your own unique way.
I discovered this quirk whilst at uni, I think partly because I was hungover.
I was writing at my desk, when a sheet of paper fell and blew to the other side of the room. I walked over to it barefoot and instead of bending down and picking it up, I kicked a sock that was on the floor. For some reason, I then picked up the paper... with my toes!
So from then on, I would pick things up with my toes, pens, paper, wrappers, socks, clothes you would be amazed at what you can pick up with your toes.
I adapted the way that I picked things up, and I made my life easier and less painful as I did not have to stretch my back and pick things up!
I was looking for something to pick up to post in this article, and I saw a facemask that had fallen out of my pocket. How appropriate in these Covid times I thought.
So there you have it, a wee quirk of mine that people find odd, but it makes my life easier.
As I have quite a severe case of Ankylosing Spondylitus I take part in as much research as possible to help others. A few years ago I was at a training hospital in the physiotherapy department when they called me Monkey Toes. They were so impressed with what I was doing and keeping my joints flexible, that they now show other sufferers the monkey toes trick!
So there you have it, Monkey Toes and his love for animals.
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend, and thank you Galen, for as usual giving us a wonderful posting prompt to engage with others.
All images and ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman @TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated.
I can also be found at
Noise ♦ Read ♦ Torum ♦ Twitter
Haste Ye Back!
Hi @tengolotodo,
Thank you for participating in the #teamuk curated tag. We have upvoted your quality content.
For more information visit our discord https://discord.gg/8CVx2Am
Hi
@tengolotodoMonkeyToesThis was a great post and I think it's a gift that you have made your own life easier and less painful by perfecting this. My daughter uses her toes like that but it's out of fun more than necessity, maybe it will stick, who knows.
Have a fab weekend.
hehe thank you @andrastia , yes it helps, and I do hope it is only fun that your daughter does it for.
Have a great weekend too😁
So that's what the monkey photo meant :) You definitely don't let things faze you Tito Ed and that's a great personality. Thanks to your parents for influencing you well :)
I love the photo of the lake with the swans by the way :)
Yes what is fazing CJ haha
Yes so that was why the monkey photo and the quote too!
The swans were cool, that is their babies gone now, so just the parents left ready to produce more offspring😮
You never fail to entertain. Thanks for such a great post once again. Posting like this comes with problems though; people come to expect such awesomeness all the time and one can't drop ones standards. 😁
Anyway, monkey toes, it's always good to have you around so thank you for fronting up each week.
I appreciate that, it is funny you say entertain, on another blogging site I do have in my bio "Here to entertain you" Perhaps I shall add it here too.
Your topics are fun to write about, no matter how 'hard' they may appear to be at first glance.
Luckily monkey toes has been around the block of life a few times, so hopefully, I can maintain some level of awesomeness.
I do appreciate your words and always my pleasure to participate and engage in the community when I can.
You're top notch.
😁
This is indeed unusual because it is way easier to pick things up with one's hands than with toes. Anyways, you are Mr. Monkey Toes😂
ah but for you it is easy, for me, not so easy, hence I use my Monkey Toes 🤣🤣🐒
Great article man! One thing that humans could always do is adapt to certain situations, I think that is in our DNA to find new ways to make our life easier and we will always find creative ways to achieve our goals! As I see you adapted very well to this new situation, well-done man and I wish you to always look at things in life in a positive way! :)
Thanks so much for stopping in.
Yes I adapted to make things easier and you are correct I do believe that we all strive to find ways to make our lives easier. Be Positive it is a good feeling!
Hey you, stranger!
I knew you suffered from arthritis, but I wasn't aware that you had it since such a young age. You are so awesome, I love that you don't let things faze you. And how you always think of helping. You reflect so much optimism in everything you write, Ed. I love it, and I love to always end with a smile after reading.
I can't believe you're a Monkey Toes. I had an aunt who could pick things up with her toes and when I was a child and we went on vacation and we were in the pool, part of the fun was she chasing us around and pinching us with her toes. I always wanted to do the same thing and never could, lol. But Carlos can pinch with his toes and grab things, haha.
If anyone asks me, I will tell: of course, he is strange after all he is a charming Monkey Toes💙
hehe charming Monkey Toes saying hello Eli💙
Yes I think being positive helps. You know so much is in our mind, if we are down and negative I believe then that is how you will be. Trying to always see a positive really helps, I know my pain is always there and I put it to the back of mind, I focus on the positive, like trying to make this awesome cat queen smile on a Saturday.
thank you as always for wonderful words of encouragement Eli, they mean so much to me💙
Jeje, well, your trying of making this cat queen smile today, it's a mission accomplished 😸
I hope your weekend is being great!
when I saw the monkey I thought. I don't think he is lazy like a monkey haha didn't think it will be Monkey toes. hope you did enjoy your trip to the park and thanks for spreading with us your positivity in life.. truly your parents raise you well for having that kind of attitude in life.
Congratulations @tengolotodo! You have completed the following achievement on the Hive blockchain and have been rewarded with new badge(s):
Your next target is to reach 1750 replies.
You can view your badges on your board and compare yourself to others in the Ranking
If you no longer want to receive notifications, reply to this comment with the word
STOPCheck out the last post from @hivebuzz:
Monkey toes? Seriously? That's actually kind of cool if you ask me.
Funny enough, I also possess the skill to pick things up with my toes. Oh and pinching people with it as well! Oh yeah, we can't forget that :)
Yup, it is quite resourceful at times especially when your lazy like me.
Ha! Your doctor sounds like my therapist.
Monkey toes, you give a rather meaningful conclusion to the whole notion about strange abilities, quirks, and other oddities:
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Do take care of yourself and keep on helping other people with this disorder the best way you can...
So sorry “Monkey Toes” that you live in pain, that’s awful. 🤭
So grand that you feed the birds (swans are so beautiful)🤗
Must be nice, though, to have such dexterous toes❤️😊🤔
All part of life, the good and the not so good, it all defines us.
The swans really are beautiful, and they got their monthly supply delivered this morning. There is no better feeling than seeing them recognise you and coming for their food and a chat😁
The dextrous toes hehe it is cool and keeps my lower back and hips flexible too😁
❤️😊🤔
You are making the best out of the situation. You gave the swans beautiful names.
Thank you, I like to name animals, I swear they recognise their names.