Morris Tait, a 79-year-old retired teacher, plays his saxophone, an instrument which he recently began playing, as he stands inside a walkway near his home in Cobourg on Dec. 5.Alex Filipe/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.
Morris Tait, 79, Cobourg, Ont.
I retired 25 years ago at age 54 after a career in education, first as an elementary school teacher and later as a school vice-principal and principal. It was a wonderful career, but after 32 years I was ready to retire.
For many people, retirement can be frightening, especially if they haven’t prepared for it. I used to do retirement workshops for teachers to warn them about being unprepared. Studies show that it can be an unhappy adjustment and experience, which can result in a loss of self-esteem. It can affect your well-being.
I believe it’s important to be busy in retirement and to do different things. For example, I own some rental properties, and part of my retirement is spent managing them, including everything from fixing toilets and painting to raking leaves. I also do all of the bookkeeping.
Another thing I do is teach senior fitness classes at the local YMCA once a week. It’s a lot of fun and reminds me of when I taught phys-ed during my teaching years. I also volunteered on local boards, including the YMCA and the United Way.
My wife and I have also travelled a lot. We’ve been to many places like Hawaii, Alaska and across Europe. I also do some adventure travelling on my own. I’ve cycled through the countryside from Brussels to Amsterdam, down the side of a mountain in Hawaii, and walked along the Great Wall of China.
I also enjoy picking up new hobbies in retirement. I took up curling shortly after retiring, and I joined Toastmasters International to improve my speaking abilities. Three years ago, when I turned 76, I learned to play the saxophone and joined a local band. It’s a blast.
Learning new things when you’re a senior is good for your mental and physical health. For instance, I love playing music because it focuses the mind. It works your brain, and the finger movements on the instrument are good for your mobility. Social connections are also an advantage. There’s great camaraderie with the band.
My wife and I are in good financial shape in retirement; we don’t worry too much about the markets or rising inflation. I have my teacher’s pension, which is indexed to inflation, and we have income from our rental properties. The price of groceries has increased significantly over the past year, so we’ve cut back a bit on spending there. We’re good at budgeting.
What I love the most about retirement is the freedom to set my schedule. I believe it’s important to have a schedule in retirement. Most people work about 2,000 hours a year. So you need a plan for how you will cover that time in retirement. If you don’t, you might be unhappy.
And don’t worry about getting old. From what I can tell, the happiest people on the planet are seniors.
As told to Brenda Bouw. This interview has been edited and condensed.
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