Well, I'm going against the grain. My mom had open heart surgery in 1989, had some complications, but was OK. In 1990, I was offered a job in UAE on a 5 year contract. In a nutshell, I would have made enough money in the 5 years to retire and live comfortably the rest of my life. I turned it down. The guy who took the job stayed 15 years in the UAE after renewing the contract a few times. My mom became ill in 1991 and passed in 1992. I have some special skills that allowed me to insure that her healthcare was top notch to the end. Had I taken the job, I could not have been there for my mom, and importantly, would not have been able to spend the time with her those last few years. I'm still a working stiff today, but never regretted my decision to be near my mom.
