I’m Retired! (now what?)
I’m Retired! (now what?)
A Workshop of Discovery for the Newly, or Nearly, Retired
By: Nadine Dawson
(bear with me, it’s not really a non sequitur, but) Remember when you were expecting your first child? That time in your life when you are completely consumed by What to Expect When You’re Expecting, along with such important decisions as midwife or obstetrician? home birth or hospital? Remember how you walked around town glowing with Expectation?
Soon enough, your little bundle of joy arrives in the world, and you are thrilled! Welcome, little one, welcome, you cry! And then Junior does – cry, that is, and you realize, you have absolutely no idea how to care for an infant. It occurs to you that maybe this parenting thing is going to be a bit more complicated than you first thought…
Fast forward a few years, and you are ready to retire. Hooray! You’ve taken the course about pensions and old age security and you’ve crunched the numbers. You’ve made important decisions such as June or September? cruise or safari? And you walk through your days glowing with Pending Emancipation.
Soon enough, your last day arrives. You say your farewells, pocket your gold watch (or in my case, a handbell…?!), and step out into Freedom. That’s it, you cry. I’m retired! But then a little voice whispers, now what? and it occurs to you that maybe this retirement thing is going to be a bit more complicated than you first thought…
The truth is, just like parenting, retirement can test our mettle.
Statistics will tell you that many people’s happiness actually falls during the first two years of retirement. Research will show you that many retirees end up spending their days with their new best friends – the couch, the tv, and the fridge. And if by retiring younger than your peers, or in poor health, or from a workaholic job, and if you find your social contacts, like your finances, are tighter than expected or the hours in the day longer, quite unexpectedly you may find yourself drifting – bored and lonely and decidedly unhappy.
Before you give up on retirement and scurry back into the workforce, consider this: with a little knowledge, a little patience, and a few well-placed resources, you, too, can retire happy, wild, and free!
Yes yes, you exclaim. That is exactly what I want!
Good news! An interactive, one-day workshop is coming your way.
The goal is to bring together new retirees so that we might discuss what it means to make the transition into retirement, explore ways in which we might reinvent ourselves for our new role, and consider how we might structure our time to better serve our happiness and satisfaction. Additionally, we will consider ways to make meaningful connections in the community so that we remain vital, contributing members of society.
How did this workshop come about, you ask? My former colleague, Kathy Bol, and I have sampled the panoply of emotions that retirement has to offer – from the early confidence of thinking, we got this, to the dawning realization that January in Ottawa is dark and cold and long when you’ve no particular place to be. Thus began a search to discover how to be more happily retired. Now collectively, we can speak personally about part-time work and volunteer work, physical activity and routine, creativity and identity and travel and play. As retired teachers, not only do we still love to learn, we still love to share what we learn, and hence, we created a workshop for people to meet, exchange ideas, and move forward in retirement with greater awareness.
So if you are wanting to make the most of your retirement – but not exactly sure how, or if you would like to connect and share experiences with other newly, or nearly, retired people, please join us for the day on Wednesday, October 16th. We can’t guarantee you will have a long and meaningful retirement – but we can help you orient yourself towards one.
For further inquiries or to register, look for the Fall Program Guide for Abbotsford Seniors Centre, or contact them at 613-230-5730 or abbotsford@glebecentre.ca.
Nadine Dawson is an artist of fickle loyalties who lives in Old Ottawa South. She is the almost completely unknown author of Lavender, Longing, Love; A Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Memoir. Abbotsford Seniors Centre Member and Volunteer.
