A 92 year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by 8:00 with his hair fashionably combed shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. “I love it” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mr. Jones, you haven’t seen the room; just wait..”
“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” he replied.
“Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged, it’s how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away, just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw
from what you’ve put in.”
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories!
Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank.
I am still depositing.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
(And when all else fails, just pray).
Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.
~Author Unknown~
Photo Source: www.signsforyourlife.com
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EXCELLENT !
Thank you Seeker, you are rubbing off on me! I like how positive you are in your blog, puts a smile on my face 😉
Beautiful story beautifully written. Thank you Diana.
Thank you for stopping by Rita. It touched me too. I know I have to make my mind up ahead of time. I think it has helped me change what I am looking at. Do I see the positive? Am I looking for it? I have to bite my tongue now, I can’t believe how easily I find the ‘one thing’ that bugs me. I didn’t even realize I thought that way. But I have to admit, now looking for good, I am kind of excited when I wake up now!
Ohhhh…… Saturday tears. This was soooo good. Thank you for sharing, Sweet Friend!!
Made me cry too, my sister-in-law sent it to me in a email. (Thanks Kris!)