I really did appreciate my life until a few years ago. I wasn't in pain then, like I am now.
I've got many good memories.
One of the best went like this... I'd had two days off on a three day stretch so I was good and rested. I'd been working 12-14 hour days the weeks before, and I had just enough time between waking up and leavin' for work to watch a trade station that I'd set up, hoping the market could help me climb out of my dreary work-eat-sleep-work routine I'd been on for years to try and make a life for my lady and our son.
Every three weeks I'd get three days off, and start the whole thing over again.
Day one was always sleep.
Day two I'd sleep alot but I had a little time to play with my son, and day three it would feel like we were an actual family... and every couple months we'd have someone watch the boy and it was just she and I.
This was one of those days... just she and I.
This was some time around September of 08', and I'd been watching the markets pretty tough. I hadn't yet built up my account enough to bypass the pattern day trader rule, but I'd worked my accounts up all year long, 3 positions a week under 24 hours and no more. It was like slogging through mud. I watched more good trades fly away because of that rule than I can count... and I can count pretty high.
I had 4 open short positions, and I had alarms set on my trade station so they would ding when I was in the money. They'd quack like a duck if it went sour.
It was the middle of the trading day and things were nice and cozy with my lady when I heard the first ding.
She didn't know the difference between a ding and a quack, so she narrowed her eyes at me but (of course) I stayed put, nibblin' her earlobe.
We'd both worked up a sweat by the time I heard the next ding, then two more in quick succession.
She never knew she wasn't the only reason I was hollerin' that day.
It was one of the best feelings of my life. I knew I could finally stop the brutal working schedule, I didn't have to worry about that damned day trader rule anymore, and I made nearly $8k in the time it took to make my ol'lady smile.