In 2011 , after thirty-four years with Alberta Health Services , I retired from full-time work . I was able to retire , though still being young , at 55 . I did not want to fully quit , so I went casual and did contract work . Two weeks after I retired , I was hired on with a cruise line , travelling , cruising the oceans , and seeing several countries that I never thought I ’ d see . I was able to do this on my own schedule , working when it was convenient for me . Yes , it was busy but also enjoyable . I was able to have my husband or one of my children join me , so there was quality time as well as a vacation for them .
— Charlene Jack
When I retired as an ESL teacher / coordinator , I expected to spend my time travelling the world with my partner of many years . When we arrived home from our first trip , there was a phone message from the coordinator of a non-profit agency . The agency was in desperate need of an ESL teacher for their class of women learning English . Oh well , I figured , I could do this until another teacher was found .
THIRTEEN years later , after meeting many wonderful women , after seeing the agency grow , after many laughs and good times , I decided that the pandemic was a good reason to really retire . When I told the coordinator , she paused and said , “ Well I guess this time you can retire , if you really insist !”
— Sharon George
We ’ ll be featuring a variety of prompts throughout the rest of the year , so if you see one that catches your interest , be sure to submit a story during its featured month !
June Prompt :
There ’ s no more commute to make , the kids are grown up and on their own , and you decided it was time to move into your dream retirement home . Does that sound like you ? Tell us about what makes your dream home such a dream and what it took to turn that dream into a reality .
July Prompt :
Whether you live in Alberta or Nova Scotia , are a retired teacher or a retired nurse , or maybe you ’ re not even fully retired yet — we are all still ARTA ! We ’ re connected in our common goal to live an engaged and active lifestyle . Show us in a picture or video your definition of what an ARTA member is — Where is home ? What was your career ?
August Prompt :
Contrary to the old adage , you ’ re never too old to learn some new tricks . Have you dedicated yourself to learning a new skill in retirement ? Maybe you ’ re learning a new language or learning everything there is to know about history . Whatever your new passion is , we want to hear about it . Tell us about your discovery of this new interest and what it means to be a lifelong learner .
Send your stories to contests @ arta . net during your question ’ s featured month , and you ’ ll be entered to win some wonderful ARTA prizes ! A bonus entry will be awarded to those who submit photos with their story , tell their story in one photo , or record their story on video ! For the full list of prompts , visit
arta . net / news-events / contests / story-contest . news & views SUMMER 2021 | 27