I had a lovely thought the other day. I was asked about my plans for returning to work. I replied, "you know, the company seems to be getting along just fine without me." And it's true.

My dilemma is this: I've worked for the same employer for several years now, and I have a few years left before I'm completely vested (i.e., I qualify for full retirement benefits). It seems obvious that I should go back, put in the time, and get the pension. But this sabbatical has given me some much-needed perspective. I still want to work, to have a job, but I am less concerned with getting promoted and running the world than I was before. I don't want to be someone who works her butt off in order to have a nice home in a nice neighborhood and not have time to enjoy it.

But the business I'm in isn't something that neatly wraps up at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Travelers aid is a 24-7 operation: people don't break their legs or lose their passports during normal business hours. Tourists get mugged late at night and need new travelers' checks and airline tickets the following morning. It can be demanding, messy work, and oh yeah, it occasionally means that my family and I pack up and move a few time zones and a continent away.

So is it worth sticking around for a pension, or do I start over someplace else that is less stressful? Or do I just give up the paychecks altogether and spend my days making raspberry sounds on my daughter's cute little tummy?