No makeup and a bit frazzled, but SO grateful.

This will be a shorter post than usual, because I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to Steemit and the Steemit  community. Being a blogger, as well as a frequent commenter and up-voter of posts here genuinely saved my ass, in a very real way.

Here's What Steemit Did for Me Today</H1?

Steemit rescued me AND my cat, and I'm SO grateful.

I've been on Steemit for two weeks so far, and I've made some money blogging and curating here. I love it, because I can write about whatever I like, and use my real opinions and authentic voice....something I can't do on other platforms. It's a great creative outlet, and I'm meeting some cool people.

Last week, Abbey Road, one of my four cats, stopped eating and drinking, started vomiting, had diarrhea, and was really lethargic. My vet told me to watch her over the weekend and call him today if she was still ill.

Because she has an autoimmune disorder that requires daily medication, I was concerned she might have kidney disease, as that is one of the potential long-term side effects of her medicine.

Well, she wasn't better today, so I called my vet, and the receptionist told me he was on vacation for the week.

Why would he tell me to call him today if he wasn't going to be there?

(shakes head in consternation)

The Examination and Diagnosis (Neither Were Cheap)

So, his office referred me to one of the other vets in town, and I took her there. They were concerned about kidney disease, too, considering her history and symptoms.

After examining her, they determined she had worms. Her bloodwork was just about perfect, and she wasn't as dehydrated as you might imagine for a cat who has barely sipped any water in nearly a week. Being an indoor-only cat, as are all my cats, I wondered how she could have worms. 

The vet said it was probably from eating tiny frogs and lizards that get onto our screened porch, which the cats have access to. I've seen her with them in her mouth before, so it made sense.

While the news was good, a vet bill is never cheap. It costs me $60 per cat to get them all their annual vaccinations (except for Abbey....she can't be vaccinated because of her autoimmune condition).

Today's visit cost $279....nearly $300.

The evidence. :)

Financial Acrobatics? Not Necessary Thanks to Steemit

Now, here comes the tricky part. I'm under contract to buy a house, and I'm absolutely not allowed, per my mortgage broker, to put ANY more charges on my credit cards until after the house closes. I can't dip into the money we have saved for the down payment and closing costs, either. Plus, I still have a few bills to pay this month, like electric, cable, and my car payment.

If it wasn't for Steemit, I'd have been faced with a choice today between making sure the house closes on time, and my cat's life. However, thanks to the money I've earned from Steemit in the two weeks I've been on it so far, I had enough extra in my bank account to pay the vet bill without having to use a credit card, my savings, or my bill money. 

Conclusion:  Steemit Was There for Me When I Needed it Most

Now, I've been a work-from-home writer full-time since 2008, and I have more than one gig. Steemit is something I obviously discovered recently. I love it because I'm writing for ME and not for clients. Client work is regular and reliable, but it isn't creative, and it's often pretty boring. I have actual fun writing here.

I do have some outstanding invoices from clients, but none of them are scheduled to pay till next week. 

I needed the money for the vet TODAY, and, because of Steemit, I had it, and didn't have to make any difficult financial choices to pay that vet bill.

I love Steemit, and I love all of YOU who are part of the community here.

I haven't even cashed out all of the SD I've made here....I've powered up some of it, and invested in the community. I believe in it, and will continue to be a regular, participating part of it. 

Thank You, Steemit

So, I just wanted to say a sincere "thank you" today to this platform and everyone on it.

Thanks for paying my vet bill, Steemit. I will endeavor to keep making myself worthy of your support by continuing to write, upvote, and comment on high quality content here.

I thank you, and Abbey thanks you. This is an amazing platform.

Abbey, recovering, thanks to Steemit, and with a message for everyone, written by a girl I sponsor in Sierra Leone.