with Joe Colasanti Q & A

You have been blessed to have had the opportunity to work side by side with your mother, father, wife, children and grandchildren over the past decades. Describe your experience working with these family members.

Working with my mom and dad was many years ago, back in the ’40s. In those days you enjoyed working and if you didn’t work, you didn’t eat. My parents were good to us and when they said to go out to work, we did. My wife was a good, hard worker on the farm. My kids would come out with us at six in the morning to help out in the fields. Even now, I like working with my kids. They have been very receptive to the way we did things in the past. A lot of new stuff has come along and now I have to be receptive to follow in their footsteps. My grandchildren Lee and Ashley work on the farm. They are good to work with and come through whenever I ask for something.

As a very successful entrepreneur, what part of the Colasanti’s business has brought you the most joy and what part poses or posed a challenge for you?

What I enjoy about this business is that you can talk to people and teach them things and they in turn teach you too. It keeps your mind working. The challenges today are about all the rules and regulations. We can’t do things like we did in the old days. I think working in the old days was more fun, now it is regimented, and you have to watch what you do.

You’ve been involved in numerous charity events and endeavours over the years. Where does this giving spirit come from and describe the satisfaction that you get from this part of your life?

I guess I learned from my parents how to give and how to help other people. I remember in 1946 that we dug a deep well and had some of the best water in the country. The neighbours would come and fill their tanks up with water. They would offer my dad money and he said, “ No, God has given me this water and I just want to pass it on”. I find that doing good for other people eventually comes back to you in one way or another, whether it’s in good fortune or good health.

You will hit the age of 90 years young this coming September. What keeps you motivated to work a daily shift at Colasanti’s even to this day?

It’s something that I’ve been doing for years and it is hard to break away from it. People say why don’t you just retire and walk away. It is something that I helped to start and nurture with my parents, now it’s with my kids and grandkids. For some reason, I have this thing inside me that says I have to go out and see what’s going on or I have to look after something. I look after all of the produce, run errands and make some deliveries. I enjoy the deliveries mostly because I run into people at their house that I haven’t seen in 20 years. It’s a great experience to catch up with people.

You set an example of how one can be active in their senior years. What advice would you give to seniors who are looking for a purpose or passion in their lives?

Every day that goes by, I run into people that say they are ‘retired’. I ask them what they are doing now and they say ‘nothing’. I tell them that if they don’t start doing something, they won’t be here very long. Your body is used to working and then you stop working and your body is going to say that we don’t need this or that. The brain starts shutting down and it needs to be kept active every day, even just a part-time job for two days a week. You have to have a purpose when you wake up in the morning, without purpose you end up going backwards. I think that part of the reason that I’m still here is because I have something to get up for each morning. I have family and I have work to do