65 finally?

Turning 64 hits differently. It isn’t old and it isn’t young — it’s more like standing in a doorway with one hand on the past and one hand feeling around for the light switch of whatever comes next. And honestly the year between 64 and 65 comes with way more practical nonsense than anyone tells you about. It’s not just emotions. It’s paperwork and timelines and figuring out how to land on your feet when the government decides you’re now “officially” a senior.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned this year is this: as soon as you turn 64, start your applications. If you are on Ontario Works or ODSP like I was, they cut off your benefits the moment you hit 65. You’ll get one final month after your birthday and then that’s it — no money coming in unless all your applications are already in process. And trust me, government drones move slower than winter molasses, so the sooner the better.

That means filling out forms for Old Age Security (OAS), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS). They send you the forms to whatever address is on your Income Tax file but if they don't you can get them at Service Canada. They will help you fill them out and they will handle the mailing if you go to the office.

CPP starts in your birth month, but if your work history is mostly temp jobs like mine, it won’t be much. Mine is less than $100. 

OAS shows up on its own strange timeline — your birthday month, the month after, and then it finally kicks in the next month. Even then the maximum is only $740.09 per month, which wouldn’t cover rent for a broom closet in Ontario these days.

GIS is still the mystery amount. I haven’t been told yet what mine will be, but if I get the maximum it could be close to $1100 extra. And if everything lines up and I end up around that ~$1800 mark, then honestly, I’ll have achieved my dream of being financially comfortable, enough to breathe without the constant panic of “what if.”

Now that I’m actually 65, I can say the emotional part is real and no one warns you about it. You cross the line on your birthday and suddenly the world treats you like you’ve stepped into a new category, even though inside you feel mostly the same. So I’m learning to look at my life as it is now and decide what I want this next stretch to look like — what I’m carrying forward, what I’m letting go of, and what I’m finally making space for.

I’m also working on gentler habits — moving more, eating better, and carving out tiny pockets of joy so I don’t march into this new chapter feeling like a squeezed-out sponge. And the biggest reminder I keep giving myself is that I still get to change. Sixty-five isn’t the finish line. It’s just another milestone on a road that’s still unfolding.

So that’s been my life over the last year. Paperwork, planning, a lot of deep breaths, and the stubborn belief that I can still build something good for myself. And if sharing this helps someone else walking the same path, then it’s worth putting into words — even on the days when the words don’t come easy.