@Iamofnothing Such is the experience of insomnia. I'm there often too, man. Sorry you're going through it.

I don’t work right now... thankfully.

@SW-User I wonder if you could retrain yourself into a different habit, in that case?

I could probably, but have no desire to right now. @SW-User

@UndercoverBard I have direct experience with both sides of this. It's a double edged sword, as they say.

@SW-User Yes I do as well

@UndercoverBard Glad you understand, then. 👍

@rckt148

What do you do for a trade? What is the source of your chronic pain, if I may ask?

@SW-User I have extensive disc disease and Rheumatoid arthritis
Some of it is hereditary ,some of it was caused by an autoimmune disease triggered by the Swine Flue Vaccine of 1976 ,
My spine is a mess .
Spinal cord is flattened at T12 -L1
Sever canal and bilateral stenosis at L2 and L3
L4 and L5 broad based disc osteophyte with facet hypertrophy and stenosis
Nerves are crowded at L3 and L4 as well ( I also have broad based nerve damage )
A bony plate that looks like sand spurs from C3,C4 ,C5 ,C6 and S1 all from surgery, with cord flattening also at C4 and C5
All total 12 discs and both knees and spurs in both shoulders
over 200 sensory nerves encroached from scar tissue from surgery in 1990 ,
it was suppose to be micro surgery ,but when they seen how extensive it was they just opened me on up and took the lamina out completely in 4 places ,C3 -S1 and cleaned up as many spurs as they could ,but basically ,,they fixed nothing ,they just got the bone off the nerves that was keeping me from walking ,I was crippled for sometime prior to my surgery .
Their description of my spine is "Some kind of screwed up "
But I love to work ,so 9 days after surgery with 100 stitches inside and 25 staples outside ,I foolishly went back to work ,installing oak flooring LOL
They said I would never lift sheet rock again .but I am stubborn and certainly not a quitter so .
Myself and 2 other men stuck 180 boards a day after that for another 10 yrs ,
Another cutter like myself and a laborer ,we did it all but I prefer mansions to straight 8 and the older the better ,I like reproducing things you can't buy anymore ,and very few Artisan's around anymore with the skills to reproduce it .
So even when I was ready to quit ,the people who loved my work were not ready to let me go LOL,,,so I got to pick the jobs I took on, and when I worked ,

I do all phases of construction but I love dry wall and plaster the best .
I love when its all trimmed out and painted ,its my work you don't see ,not a joint can be found anywhere and I don't care what kind of a light you use ,I made them all disappear ,,I use lights too LOL ,not a scratch or an angle thats not square ,bead all coated so its flat ,you will work hard to find flaws in my work ,I pride myself that I have a real good reputation for quality ,and in a world that everyone wants speed ,but they hire me ,I am very proud of that .
I am also a musician and I am a good mechanic (that was actually my trade until it just hurt to bad to be bent over and then straighten back up ,and lifting heavy parts for diesel engines was not like snatching a board and lifting it either ,I much prefer a 5/8 board of sheet rock to a 671 GM head any day ,and I make more money .getting paid by the board and how many times I touch that board beats a set price any day ,especially when I put the paint in the texture ,,so I make the same price as I did to hang it ,and I get paid for a paint job and I paint it as I am doing the texture (a lot of my customers who have seen my work prefer that ,its harder to damage and if you do ,you wont see white under it ,the paint is in the texture ,not on it .
but I have assembled engines and built boats at night .
But I can do it all LOL ,I do plumbing at night ,pulling wires ,painting ,putting up wall paper ,special lighting .(I have some kick butt lights ,you can see a hair in your work or a scratch from a nick in a knife or picking up trash from a light box and you can sand my work with your finger tips ,,I don't like paying someone to sand ,I want it tight and right ,very little sanding required .
Setting cabinets and showers ,trim and crown ,even flooring
If there is a lot of cutting I come in and do that in the day so I can rock and roll at night .but I do a lot of work on stilts as apposed to ladders ,so I like my work area free of obstructions and stuff that I have to worry about where I can't just walk and not worry about whats under me ,I like my mind on my work ,not the floor .
I did a lot of restorations of 200 yr old mansions and few of them had any neighbors close by, or restrictions as to what hours I had to start and stop work ,so an occasional compound saw going or a router did not bother anyone ,
We made as much noise hanging drywall as we do in framing ,
nail gun is not very loud and my compressor is an old one so its pretty quiet ,but a screw gun locked in the on position that only stops screaming for breaks and lunch is pretty loud ,or the router when I cut box's or lighting can's ,but I knock loud stuff out in the day so I can enjoy the radio and just blowing through my job with no distractions at night .
But especially finishing drywall or plaster when I am on stilts ,
I have everything up where I can get to it ,and no one under foot ,
then when everything is done up top ,I get down and do the stuff up to 4 foot or 58 inch's depending on how high the walls and ceilings are .
Just me and some mud ,a mud pan and knife or a hawk and plaster trowel and let me do my thing .
And I do still work when I want to ,usually to help someone out who needs the work but they can't afford me ,everything I do is because I love to work ,and I also like helping people ,so even with the pain ,i'll still work for the right people ,,but at my pace ,and usually at night ,
I don't know if you understood a word of this ,but hopefully you did ,
That is why I am here ,though I hate to type its also a distraction so my minds not on pain ,,so forgive me if it was more info then you wanted .
It kept my mind busy for a few minutes anyway .
Have a good one

@rckt148 No need to apologize. I am sorry you deal with chronic pain. I do as well.

I also share your love of work. I'm not very handy the way you are, though. I really wish I were. I hope you're doing well.

p.s. It's always a pleasure to hear passionate people discuss their work. Feel free to tell me more about it at your leisure.

@Nebula I just trained all of the demigods at Camp Halfblood and taught their parents much of what they know as well, no big deal...

Sounds like a big deal though

@Nebula It's unbecoming of a mega-influential figure with his likeness in the stars and home on Mount Olympus to brag, miss.

@SW-User Very

@MURD3RM0NK3Y I'm very happy to hear this. Work is an important part of life, and dissatisfaction in work can make life difficult, not that you need to be told that. Glad you found more satisfaction.

@SW-User Thanks.

@JohnOinger You like the quiet, I take it?

@SW-User Oh Yes

@MikefromEP You literally sunburn easily?

@SW-User I was on the beach in Cuba for 1 day.. and my shoulders were blood red.. while wearing medicated sun screen :S

@MikefromEP I'm similar. I once went to an outdoor concert when it was hot out and almost died. It was dreadful.

@SW-User Adaptability? You don't care about being healthy?