Winter 2005

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Transitions to Retirement

the uncharted course (Part 2)

Enise Olding and Carol Baird-Krul

This is the second in a three-part series which takes a look at preretirement planning from the psychological and emotional point of view, based on the workshop “Transition to Retirement: The Uncharted Course”© created and developed by Carol Baird-Krul and Enise Olding, both retired from careers in Education. The last issue introduced the idea of the transition from work to retirement, this article looks at the phases of the transitional period, and the Spring issue will include suggestions and options for retirement of specific interest to educators. The first article, which appeared in the Fall 2004 issue of CTM, is available at www.PacificEdgePublishing.com. Look under the Canadian Teacher Magazine link - Back Issues - Fall 2004 for a downloadable PDF file.

You’ve cleaned out your desk, packed your special mementos and thrown away piles of once crucial information that you no longer need because now you are retired. There was friendly banter about sleeping in on Monday mornings, playing golf 24/7 and not having to go to meetings to discuss things which are of earth shattering importance to someone or other. Carol’s colleagues had a farewell celebration for her and gave her a gift. “It all seemed a bit unreal,” she says, “even though I had planned carefully for early retirement, I really didn’t feel like I was actually finished and that my career in teaching was over.”

It’s not easy to imagine life outside of the structure of the job you have been doing, in one form or another, for many years. Whether you liked it or hated it, the routines and requirements of that job overlaid themselves on your life and you compromised and made way for its demands throughout your life. You know it well—the good, the bad and the ugly—and you know how to maneuver through the mysterious labyrinth of school life.

Yet, there’s a tiredness, you feel in need of a break, a change of pace and time to think your own thoughts. So it’s no wonder that the promise of endless freedom in the form of retirement is welcome even though you may not yet feel retired. In fact, right off it’s pretty easy to adapt to this lovely long holiday. A summer without end! Embracing this idea, you fill your life with all the enjoyable activities and chores you have been putting off. 

When another school year begins and the year progresses, you might find things start to seem off kilter. Do you miss the bell? Are you wondering who is doing what in “your” classroom, office or area? You’ve been used to giving directions, information, working towards solutions and making endless plans and arrangements. Swing into action with that set of skills on the home front and you may find your input isn’t exactly welcome! 

Can you, could you ever imagine that having time to do just what you want to do can be a problem? “I’m an avid reader,” says Enise, “when I realized I could read anything at any time, I thought I would do just that—but I didn’t. I like to read, but not, it appears, 24/7.” Exchange the word “read” for whatever your passion is, and be aware that it might not be enough to keep you satisfied when you have time to indulge in it.

Once retired, you’ll meet former colleagues, and after the initial greetings they will likely tell you that you look very well. You’ll ask about the workplace, and will learn that nothing much has changed and everything has changed. They will say how lucky you are to be out of it and you will agree and say life is great. But once you have parted company, you will ask yourself: Is my life really great? You’ll be asking yourself many such heartfelt questions now. What am I going to do for the rest of my life? I miss my job, and feel my talents are being wasted. Or, I didn’t like my job so why did I spend so much time there? Was it all worth it? The more questions, the more uncomfortable you’ll feel, but the better off you’ll be if you recognize that this is a time to re-evaluate some pretty important things.

“The opportunity came up for me to teach in China for six months,” says Carol, and without a blink of an eye she took it. “I entirely removed myself from everything familiar, and went on my own exciting adventure, a journey which ended up also being one of self discovery.” 

At this stage it is good to take time to review your life, your talents, your likes and dislikes. Embrace the idea that you, yes YOU, are old enough to be retired and entering a very exciting time of life, albeit the latter part. It is not easy to contemplate your future when you are not sure who you are outside of that job title you used to have. It’s even harder when well meaning others ask, “What are you going to do?” If you can, take a break away from the ordinary to spend time to ponder that question. Safely away, mentally and/or physically from your everyday life, you will start to discover just who you are now; who you were and why you were a certain way, what compromises you made, what achievements and failures were yours. And why they were achievements or failures.

Give some thought to your family, friends, former colleagues and acquaintances and consider their places in your life from now on. What might they be expecting your retirement to look like, and is that image the same as yours? Review your talents and skills, and consider the things you love to do and those you dislike. Think of the things you have always wanted to do, and consider what it is about them that appeals.

“It’s an exciting time of rediscovery,” states Enise, “and for me it was very refreshing to be truthful with myself about some of my core values.” Actually, it is the start of continued self discovery and fine-tuning of yourself as you enter the next phase of life. “I realized I loved to be with people, providing information and using all the skills I previously used in my job,” says Carol, “and I just needed to find a way to use them in my retirement.”

In the next issue we will explore some of the ways you can utilize your skills, talents, passions and joys towards “Charting Your Own Course” into retirement.

Carol and Enise work together doing, among other things, workshop presentations under the name DR Associates. www.drassociates.ca