The tree’s not very far from the apple
A story of back pain & a birthday dinner
“How can you make fun of me in my pain?”
I asked my dad this last night right before heading out to celebrate my mom’s birthday.
The reason he was making fun of me?
Well ... there are innumerable reasons, but only a couple main ones:
First, I was in mild back pain.
You see, a couple days ago I decided to rearrange my bedroom.
I wanted to add my beloved recliner into it (so I could relax and read in my bedroom instead of in my office).
To do that, I needed to shift my bed, move my bookshelf (which was empty two years ago and is now overfull with books ... how did that happen?) and then move my dresser.
Easy, right?
Well, I’m not the young buck I used to be.
Of course I removed all the contents from the bookshelf and dresser before moving them. I’m not that foolish.
Still...
The dresser was heavier than I was expecting and I ended up straining my upper back/shoulders for a minute or two.
Then it was fine.
(dear reader, it was, in fact, NOT fine…)
Anyway, mission accomplished with the furniture.
I didn’t think anything more of it until I woke up the next morning.
“AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!”
^^^ That’s the sound of me putting on my shirt the next morning.
Yes, the mere act of moving my arms above my head shot a rifle of thunderous pain in my back and right arm (note: not the left arm).
I ended up flopping onto my bed and rolling around like a limp fish just to get my shirt on.
Thus, we it came time to go out to dinner to celebrate my mother’s [redacted] birthday, I was still in some pain.
And so, my dad poked some fun at me.
(imitating my hunchback appearance)
“How can you make fun of me in my pain?” I asked.
He just gave me a mischievous smile.
The same smile I give him when I — often — poke fun at him.
And so, I declared:
“The tree is not far from the apple.”
Which got a laugh from all of us.
(Yes, I laugh at my own jokes. If you can’t make fun of yourself and enjoy life even while in some pain, what can you do?)
My point with this ridiculous story?
I’m thankful for the flexibility & freedom that trading gives me.
I’ve basically treated the past two days as mild sick days.
Just accomplishing the bare minimum to “keep the trading machine oiled.”
The rest of the time has been spent lounging in my recliner with a heating pad, nursing my poor back.
I can do this because I don’t rely on a 9-5, I can simply hop into the markets for about 10 minutes, make my trades, and leave profitable.
My system still brings in over 100% per year in premium — effectively doubling my account value each year.
Instead of calling in sick to my boss, I get to relax.
It’s a wonderful life.
If you want to see the foundation I built my trading system on, start by subscribing here:
— Ricky Ketchum