It is more the type of work I do that ensures I pretty much have a lock on my career. I've tried to get away from it even, and been drug back kicking and screaming. It's not necessarily this employer or any of the others I've worked for, it is that there is such a great need and so few who can do it. It is like a Dirty Harry thing. You know, any dirty job that comes along. When projects start having problems, and there are always plenty that do, I get called to go find out what's wrong and fix it. That's what I do now, and I've built up this reputation that makes people think I am good at it. Go figure...

It's not so much that I am irreplacable, more that I have offers thrown at me regularly, and if what I am working on now were to fold up or they got tired of me, I would be back at it doing the same thing next week for someone else, for pretty much the same compensation I have now, more or less. Corporate bosses like to get paid, and my techniques deliver where a lot of others fail or give up. It's not that I am anything special, I just got lucky a few times and figured out what works and what doesn't most of the time.

I too once owned a business, part of a partnership. We lost it because the partner with the most capital invested got his lawyers involved and lawyers will only speculate on a sure thing. We had a good thing going, and I was able to clear $15k the first quarter. I know how your situation feels.

I am more of a Taoist myself, in that I feel you should have what you want so long as it is within your means. Balance for me doesn't necessarily mean doing with less, unless that is all there is.

No offense from the rat quote, I've heard it before, and I have to say, doing what I do, I feel like a trapped rat a lot of times.