I should retire early.

Sure, the job’s got its perks and I’m making a decent wage but the daily grind is really getting to me.

And you know, it’s not the work: what I do here is interesting and challenging and rewarding. No, it’s the politics! Egos colliding and no one saying what they really mean, hedging everything in platitudes and back-handed compliments. What’s the old saying? If it weren’t for the people…

But what can you do? I’ve got a skill and they need it. Sure, I could quit but they keep offering me more to stay because it would cut into their project timelines to get someone else up to speed. I wonder what the tipping point would be before they’d finally let me quit. I should start testing those waters…

Ah, who am I kidding? The repairs on the house won’t be cheap and the minivan has to be traded off before it costs a week’s pay to fill the tank. The kids are eating more than I do and they’re not even teenagers yet! And I promised Disneyland this year, too.

I can’t afford to retire.