Going...?

A couple of days ago, my boss informed me that I was going to be sent to Switzerland for a workshop. I've been trying to decide if I want to go or not.

I can almost hear the cries, “BUT WHY?” Why am I even thinking of not going?

Main reason: I'm fifty and by March next year, I'll have reached the “Rule-of-Seventy.” The Rule-of-Seventy is the number-of-years-of-service plus the age of the employee. In short, by March next year, I'll be eligible for early retirement.

“BUT YOU'RE STILL YOUNG!”

Thank you, but staying young is exactly why I'm contemplating retirement. The pay's not bad and the benefits are nothing to laugh about. If all I cared about was money, I'd be happy to stay. The pressures of the job, however, keep building with no signs of letting up. Worse is when you know that there are solutions but the company is not willing or is unable to do anything for one reason or another.

So I think about retirement, and think about a future where I make my own decisions and work the way I want, doing what I want, doing what I do best.