Pensions: The Driving Question: Wait or Go for It?

Like near beer, being a near senior doesn't have the rewarding kick of pension, health care, etc. I suspect that's because 65 isn't what it used to be.
Neither is 64.
Although I don't know any, some folks retired at 55, lured by those idyllic insurance company ads that shoved the age of old age back a decade. I don't know how they fared, but I expect to work til I drop, or droop or drool, whichever comes first.
Others applied for Social Security/Canada Pension as soon as they could, taking a hit in the monthly amount but enjoying a steady income they couldn't get laid off from. I dithered. And worked. And opted for the full amount at 65/6 rather than less now. Then my 13-year-old car got rear suspension jitters, which meant that she slid into passing traffic on snow, which meant I drove white knuckled and heart-in-mouth for a month before I let Carmine go. Which means I traded security for a car payment.
So I applied for my pension. Haven’t gotten it yet. Don’t know what it will be.

But I know where it will go.