It was a while before I figured out that it wasn’t supposed to be that way. 
What keeps me going is the desire not to let down my parents, little brother, and the rest of my family, who all have very high expectations for me. They have all done so much to help get me to where I am right now and I will NOT let them down.
So, would your attitude change if you started having chronic pain?
My dog and my cat. My friends and family would be fine without me but my animals are depending on me to keep things going.
Drugs and lolcatz.
And fiber.
My Quest. I have been on this Quest since before I was old enough for rational thought. You give most three year olds a toy bus, they play with it. My parents found me inspecting it, trying to figure out how the buttons opened the doors.
You see, I am on a Quest to understand the Universe. It is a Quest that consumes me as it consumes few others. It is how I think, it is how I read, it is how I see the world. It is how I love, live, and laugh. It is what has led me to study physics, and then to study the physics of gravity. It is what I do, it is what I am.
That is what keeps me going.
Lack of options.
I either keep going or . . . what? Just stop? I can’t see that as a viable option – I’d have to pee eventually, I’m certainly not going to lay there in a puddle, but if I got up to go to the toilet, that would count as “going” so I may as well just keep going in the first place.
I’m not quite sure what it is you’re asking here. Are you suggesting that I reduce my optimism because someday I might have chronic pain? Are you suggesting that if, Og forbid, I come to such a state, I should readjust my outlook to a darker one? Are you suggesting that my optimism is unfounded because other people are in pain?
Can you please explain your question?
Thanks Q! I can only hope (and try)!
I want to see if my gifted sports kid can actually make the majors one day. I want to see if I can get that damn novel published. With my art on the cover. …Oh, and alcohol.