Legend has it an actor of some fame once asked this question of the late Hunter S. Thompson at the Woody Creek Tavern in Colorado. Story goes, Thompson turned to the man, slapped him across the face and said, “Like that.”

I’ll have plenty of time to try and answer it myself first hand (ooh yes, let the bad puns fly). I’m heading under the knife…er…scope this morning to have a bit ‘o damage repaired, a little trauma sustained last month when a car and I tried to occupy the same space at the same time.

Assuming all goes well, I’ll be without much use of one arm for a month or so, and then only sparingly for the next couple as physical therapy – even the words sound painful – begins. So, high fives good, manual transmissions, bad. And typing – I tried for the Rhesus helper monkey, but insurance wouldn’t pay for it; probably couldn’t hyphenate correctly anyway – well, that’s going to make for some office entertainment.

And so ends the self-pity for, whatever inconveniences and discomfort I may encounter, I can still perform my job without interruption. But if I ran a one-man shop, pushed the wand for a living or otherwise depended heavily on my physical health for my financial health, then I’d have one heck of a problem. And especially now, in today’s economy, you can’t afford to let up for even a minute, lest a competitor swoop in and take what had long been yours.

These days it’s more important than ever to keep your wits about you and your well-being in the forefront of your mind. These things go in cycles, but you have to be around through the down times to ride it back up again.