Fall 2004

To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: DOWNLOAD

Transitions to Retirement

the uncharted course (Part 1)

by Enise Olding and Carol Baird-Krul

If you’re one of those people who qualify to be known as a “baby boomer” then you are sure to have your antennae tuned in to anything to do with retirement. No doubt you’ll be aware, to a greater or lesser degree, of the usual matters of pensions, finances and relocation options. And you’ll be looking forward to endless freedom to golf, quilt, sail, shop or whatever—forever unencumbered by bells, deadlines, marking, planning, subs, schedules and fire drills. But as well as the obvious and well documented topic of finances, you’ll also need to consider retirement from the equally important aspect of the psychological and emotional transition from the time you leave work to the time when you feel comfortable in your new position as a retired person.

Imagine—one day you are at work and the next day you are retired! After years of standing in front of classrooms full of students ready to absorb your every word (well, perhaps not every word—or every student!), what will it be like not to be doing that? Perhaps you retire in June, just before the summer holidays, and it doesn’t seem that you’ve really retired, despite the farewell party with the usual banter about freedom, aging and golfing. Or perhaps you find that you don’t really enjoy all the free time you have for crafts, woodwork, grandkids, travel, writing the great Canadian novel, sleeping, gardening, lunching, etc.

Carol Baird-Krul: The new millennium signaled the end of a challenging, diversified and immensely satisfying twenty-eight year career in Education. My retirement decision was carefully thought out and entered into with much anticipation of the freedom it would bring. However, things went awry when it became apparent that my transition into retirement was, in fact, a complex, emotional journey the likes of which I had never anticipated. Being able to travel off-season for extended periods, go for lunch, sketch or write at will and read, read, read was not the paradise that I had expected. Today, five years after the fact, the sun is shining, the winds are fair, life is good and the lessons learned well worth the stormy voyage.

Enise Olding: When my position as a Post Secondary Administrator was eliminated as the result of budget cuts, retirement came much earlier than planned. After a varied and rewarding working life encompassing careers in journalism, marketing, public relations and property management, I discovered that the transitional period from work to retirement was one of the most challenging jobs I had ever had. It wasn’t simply the joy of not having to adhere to others’ schedules; it was the complex, unsettling, enlightening and turbulent non-optional inner journey upon which I embarked that was the real eye-opener. Sharing my experiences with others revealed there is much to expect during the transition from work to retirement—and it isn’t all plain sailing.

For the two of us, the creation and development of pre-retirement planning workshops eventually absorbed our time. Discovering that the transitional phases from work to a fulfilling retirement was for each of us a parallel journey, we decided to survey others, globally as well as from other parts of Canada, about their experiences adjusting to retirement. The findings from these surveys confirmed our own experiences. After this affirmation, we decided that others who are contemplating retirement needed to know about this transitional period, since it isn’t as easy as a person might first think. The workshop’s title—The Uncharted Course—was chosen carefully, not because we both live on west coast islands, but because we found that many nautical terms aptly described the emotional experiences of the transitional phase from work to retirement.

On the outside, as a retired person, it might appear that you are happily cruising along in your new-found freedom, but inside you will likely be experiencing some far from calm seas. No matter what course you think you are charting for yourself, the voyage into retirement will take you into uncharted waters and through all types of weather. There’s some work and reflection to do before you can feel comfortable with your new position in life, and you’ll need help to recognize the markers on your life’s chart so you can plot a course for smooth sailing into retirement.

Reviewing a lifetime of experiences, values, assertions and perceptions is not what most people entering retirement expect to be doing. But you will find yourself needing to do just that, and it will not always be a comfortable or easy passage. Being aware of this beforehand will help normalize what could otherwise be a disturbing and unsettling period of life.

Finding things to keep busy is not enough for today’s new retirees who still want to feel significant, contributory and valued. Safely confronting your perceptions and expectations about retirement and aging is a good first step towards a satisfying and fulfilling transition from work to retirement.

Sometimes this passage isn’t just about retirement; it is also about accepting yourself as a person who is old enough to retire, not an easy thing for those of the baby boom generation!

In the next issue we’ll venture from “Fair Winds and Clear Skies” through “Stormy Weather” and into a “Safe Harbour” with a visit to

“Your Crew and You” and eventually on to “Charting Your Own Course.”

Carol and Enise work together doing, among other things, workshop presentations under the name DR Associates. They can be reached by either email.

Carol Baird - cbairdkrul@shaw.ca

Krul Enise Olding - enise@shaw.ca