The Life of a Superbird Can't Be Easy

Dealing with my immune system related issues does make day to day life a bit more of a chore than the average healthy individual. And yes, I do complain a lot. Usually only to a select few individuals, who do make my life a bit easier in more ways than just listening to me bellyache. Like my friend Eddie. 
Eddie of course, is a captive audience. He spends a good bit of his time in a cage. It's a big cage. Including the play top with a perch on top, it's just about 5 feet tall. Even when I'm home, and the door to his cage is almost always open, he likes spending a good part of the time in it. He feels safe there. But, before I adopted him from a Humane Society Shelter, I believe his first caregiver kept him in a cage for his first 12 1/2 years of life. He's still afraid of the world outside of his cage, but he's gotten his little toes wet gradually over the 5 years he's been with me, and he seems to enjoy spending time on my shoulder, as long as I don't move around too much. He has balance issues. He never learned how to ride a human early in life, so it's always a work in progress.
There are a few things I really enjoy in life. A morning jog; a strong cup of tea (Tazo Focus, I love that stuff) with honey; leading a conversation group of people of mixed nationalities who are doing their best to learn a confusing, and sometimes mind-boggling new language; an occasional good movie; and always, a good book to read. Lots and lots of books to read. Those are a few of the things that make my life bearable. 
There is nothing, however, that makes me feel the way I do when I am relaxing on the couch with my legs up, and my friend Eddie is sleeping on my foot. It is a warm feeling that is indescribable. And I have to wear these old, ripped and falling apart running shoes, because they are the only shoes he will sleep on. It's a small price to pay. The shoes will be here until one or both of us has moved on. As much as I dread the thought of his passing, I do hope that he goes first. Cockatiels don't usually survive the loss of a caregiver they have a strong bond with. But they can sometimes live longer than 30 years. So, God willing, and the creek don't rise, we both might be around for a while, yet. One can only hope.
Ah...please don't mention it in front of him, but certain mixed color cockatiels have a genetic problem with maintaining feathers on the top of their heads. It doesn't, however, bother him in the least as long as you don't talk about it when you're in his presence.