Go for it! Four years ago, someone came to me with an idea. We have spent all of that time developing the idea. Last year, I retired from my [despised] job and, even though things are not secure here, I love it. I get everything I never got on the old job--freedom, travel and respect. The money will come later.

An important consideration is: Can you lock in your pension and health benefits so that they won't go away? If you need another couple of years to vest your rights, grit your teeth and spend the couple of years. It also gives you time to look for exactly the right placement, whether or not it ends up being a pub. Also take a look at the PEL sites currently circulating here. You might have to become militant to get what you really want.

A few months after I retired, one of my former coworkers asked me why I looked so good. I told him that I didn't just leave, I had somewhere to go on my own terms.

Interestingly, once I made my move, other opportunities came my way unbidden. I have said "YES" to all of them. Say YES to life. You won't regret it.