Keeping busy leads to a long life

By Marina Sanford

BELLEVILLE, ON. (31/03/11) - Don Wishart peruses the cameras and points out advantages and disadvantages of certain models. Wishart has been retired for 18 years, and he has kept busy by playing music and taking up nature photography. Photo by Marina Sanford

Retirement is something people either anticipate, or dread. For some people, the fear of not having anything to do sets in, while others thrive off the freedom.

For Don Wishart, it’s all about keeping busy.

Wishart’s been retired for 18 years. He spent over 30 years in the school system as a teacher and principal. After he retired, or perhaps because he retired, he and his wife Beth incorporated several of their passions and hobbies into ways to keep busy during retirement. He describes them as mechanisms to keep busy.

The first of these passions is photography. It’s a shared interest the couple expanded on after they saw a Photo-Nat nature photography exposition at Quinte Mall in 1992. They then joined the Photo-Nat club and have been active members ever since.

Although they started on film, both have made the jump to digital, and Wishart prefers it. He says there is a bit of a learning curve, but the essentials are all the same.

“It’s just so much fun,” he says.

A large part of that hobby is travel, an element the couple has embraced. The two recently returned from Algonquin, where they enjoyed some quality photographing time.

The couple used to go on bus tours to get an idea of what was popular in certain areas. There are disadvantages because of the time constraints, but the social advantages are huge, Wishart says.

“You’re on a bus for three weeks with the same people. You’re bound to make friends.”

Another way Wishart keeps busy is through music. He picked up the guitar again after letting it slide as a teenager. He has re-taught himself to play, and has worked on his singing and songwriting.

He writes and performs songs for friends’ anniversaries, birthdays and whatever else strikes his fancy. Wishart has also learned to play the banjo on his own and the fiddle with a few short lessons.

Wishart doesn’t always perform solo. He joined several musical groups in his area, including a kitchen party style group on Monday’s, fiddle jams on Thursday evenings and a general jam session on Friday mornings.

One of the groups he belongs to makes routine visits to play at retirement homes around the Quinte area.

Wishart says groups like this become a community.

“Not only is it a social gathering, but you make friends there. It’s a new support network where people care about you. They worry about you if you get sick. They’re there for you when you need them.”

Wishart is even considering adding another hobby to the list.

In the past, he has taken painting courses at Loyalist College, but the pastime had slid to the backburner. Now, he is considering bringing it back to add another layer of creativity to his life.

Joining groups that share your interests is an important step to take if you are newly retired, according to Wishart. Keeping busy is not only good for preventing boredom; it’s good for staying happy.