Sheila Baslaw, 92, has learned more about Jewish history and culture since retiring, including how to read Hebrew. She also had her bat mitzvah at 67.Ashley Fraser/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. For more articles in this series, click here.
Sheila Baslaw, 92, Ottawa
I retired in 1997 at the age of 65 after a career in social work. My (now late) husband and I had three sons and, between working and raising a family, there wasn’t time to explore what else I might be interested in. I saw retirement as an opportunity to try new things.
Retirement is exhilarating. I’ve taken courses in a wide range of subjects, including jazz and folk music, as well as writing and painting. I’m Jewish, but learning Hebrew and Jewish history wasn’t a huge part of my upbringing, so I decided to learn more about Jewish history and culture, including how to read Hebrew. I also had my bat mitzvah at 67. It’s something most women do when they turn 12, but I never got around to it back then.
I also read a lot. The book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron and the article “4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals” by Jim Rohn helped me discover my strengths and interests. I joined a writing group called “The Scribbling Sisters” and had my first book published last fall. It’s a children’s book called The Light Keeper, co-authored with Karen Levine, based on an incident in my family history.
There have been challenges in retirement. My husband passed away in 2016 at 91. He had serious health issues in the last decade or so of his life and needed help getting up in the morning and going to bed. The wonderful thing about my husband was that every few months, he would say, ‘I think you need time away,’ and he would go into respite care, freeing me up to do some of the things I enjoyed, such as going to writing workshops.
I have been fortunate in retirement to continue living in my own home and remain active. I can’t drive at night anymore, and I had a new aortic valve put in last August. But overall, life is good.
I don’t worry about money. I put away money into an RRSP while I was working [which is now in a RRIF] and have a small pension from my career. I took my CPP and OAS benefits as soon as I retired. I live off the pensions and try not to touch the savings unless I really need them. My husband was an artist, so money was always tight, and we learned to live frugally. Sure, I have friends who’ve done wonderful things that I couldn’t because of the cost, but it never really bothered me. There’s nothing that I want or need that I don’t already have.
What I love about retirement is having the freedom to do what I want, when I want. It’s intoxicating. Still, I keep very busy and sometimes find it challenging to own my time. People are surprised to find I have a full schedule.
My advice to others heading toward retirement is to discover what truly interests you and make time to pursue it. It’s too easy to fill your days rather than fulfill your days. Also, be open to different experiences. I recommend having friends of varying ages and backgrounds with different interests. At 92, I’m usually the oldest in the group, which I don’t mind at all.
As told to Brenda Bouw.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
Are you a Canadian retiree interested in discussing what life is like now that you’ve stopped working? The Globe is looking for people to participate in its Tales from the Golden Age feature, which examines the personal and financial realities of retirement. If you’re interested in being interviewed for this feature and agree to use your full name and have a photo taken, please e-mail us at: goldenageglobe@gmail.com. Please include a few details about how you saved and invested for retirement and what your life is like now.