Carolyn Young, pictured on Oct. 2,, rides her bike daily near her home in Grand Bend, Ont.Lindsay Lauckner Gundlock/The Globe and Mail
In Tales from the Golden Age, retirees talk about their spending, savings and whether life after work is what they expected.
Carolyn Young, 62, Grand Bend, Ont.
I retired in April, 2021, after a career at Western University in London, Ont., mostly in the continuing studies department. It was very rewarding and fulfilling, but then COVID hit and all the programs had to move online. It was a lot of hard work making the adjustment. I had planned to work until age 65, but like many people in higher education, I started to run out of steam.
You could say I waded into retirement because I took on some part-time contract work from Western for about another year. I might take on more contracts, but for now, I’m content being retired, keeping busy doing volunteer work, taking trips and spending more time with my kids and grandkids.
I was very excited to retire and start doing more of the things that I love to do, but I was also worried that I would get bored, that I would feel a little bit lost. I used to look at people who were retired and wonder what they did all day, but I am very busy. Sometimes I try to squeeze too many things in one day. And while I like to plan my days, retirement also allows me to be spontaneous at times.
The freedom that comes with retirement is exciting. I always felt time-poor when I was working. I always had to say no to people who I really wanted to spend time with, like my husband, our three children and grandchildren, and my mother. I also love being able to spend more time outdoors.
There’s also something special about being retired with grandchildren. Sometimes when people talk about grandchildren, our eyes glaze over. But now that I have them, I get it. I had no idea that would give me such a profound sense of purpose.
On the financial side, the market downturn and inflation haven’t rattled me too much. We don’t have an expensive lifestyle. A lot of the things we like to do are free, like hiking and riding bikes and visiting our grandchildren. We are focused on spending time with people and not buying a lot of stuff. Also, the more things I have, the more I tend to worry about them. So I try to keep life simple.
We’ve made some adjustments; for instance, we go out to dinner less than we used to. My husband used to own a retail store. It means we understand how hard it is to run a small business, so we do still try to support them in our community.
I don’t like to be too boastful about being retired at my age. I realize not everyone who wants to retire early can, for financial reasons. I’m grateful for being able to retire when I did and respect that everyone has a different journey.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
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