Lorna McIlroy | President , ARTA

In Grade Two , my daughter Holly was given a worksheet . It read , “ When I grow up , I want to be a __________.” and there was a large square intended for an illustration . As the teacher checked her stack of nurse , teacher , secretary , cowboy , fireman , and policeman , she was taken aback to see that Holly had printed senior citizen . The accompanying illustration showed a stocky grey-haired woman with a huge smile , surrounded by flowers and clutching a knitting project . A couple of smiling cats are peeking in a window and a table , partially covered in books , is set with tea and cookies . A small suitcase beside the table appears ready for travel .

Attempting a nonchalant demeanour , the teacher asked Holly , “ Why would you like to be a senior citizen ?” Without hesitation , Holly told the teacher that her grandma was a senior citizen , and her grandma was the happiest person she knew . She could stay up all night to read if she wanted , and she was always busy doing things she enjoyed but still had time to visit . Holly ’ s widowed grandma had never worked outside the home , so her pension was meagre and her home was small but adequate . However , Grandma was realistic about her resources ; she kept widely informed , she made prudent choices , and when life interfered with those choices , she recalculated and readjusted her goals . Grandma augmented her rather small family with friends of all ages and took a genuine interest in their achievements and challenges . This extended family included her caregivers , new arrivals to the neighbourhood , and newcomers to the country . Her grandchildren learned to share her

fridge door space with the school photos of other children .

In her eighties , my mother phoned and asked if we might have a sleeping bag she could borrow as she had registered for classes at St . Ann ’ s Gaelic College in Cape Breton , and she would need it to sleep in their dormitory while brushing up on her Gaelic . I produced the sleeping bag ; she managed all her flight connections and had the time of her life . Obviously , she knew that dreams don ’ t have an expiration date .

I am thankful to have benefited from an excellent role model . I learned that the making of a successful retirement involves realistic stocktaking , extensive information gathering , prudent care of all health dimensions , and goal setting . Perhaps , even more importantly , it requires the ability to “ seize the day ” when opportunity knocks or to pivot and rethink our goals when we hit a roadblock while following our dreams .

This will be my last column , as I soon begin my transition off the ARTA executive and on to new adventures . In the summer issue , I seized the opportunity to express my gratitude to my family and my ARTA colleagues , so now I will simply thank everyone who took the time to read my last twelve messages . Thank you for your kind comments , and watch for a fresh perspective from a new president in the winter issue . news & views AUTUMN 2022 | 5