 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed 8 U( O, [% P, s X. t
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
, o/ z( V7 \; e6 V) p+ `" U: f6 \# rshaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a + J5 m% w) C5 \5 c, S/ H) M4 o; J
nursing home today.
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& c! o( ?; v! iHis wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. " V7 E3 }* N. K( u
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, + R1 |+ x$ U! w2 e, B/ c- r* @) H
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. ; n6 {! p. S1 C. G% ]1 I
# y& s# N* R! N+ GAs he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual , P; f" F7 r+ P1 [
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been 1 V! o$ c) E! K! r$ ^3 s8 p1 V) K a6 Y
hung on his window. 9 z+ A% v8 A1 F2 c4 j" l# u6 i p
8 B0 b0 v9 R" l, t T) k4 w1 g"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
3 c1 k; Q7 U8 F# L3 tjust been presented with a new puppy.
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"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."
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"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.
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$ D) h% ^9 I$ M"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
. j1 T# A" n5 K' ]0 w2 N3 S( A+ Droom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how
X, ?1 a/ m4 [$ I4 MI arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."
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It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
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' j# l4 v8 U& k# xI have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I 3 u% V9 P8 C0 ~( G
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed
* {# [6 D; X. S9 zand be thankful for the ones that do. + I1 N6 N0 J& v% L
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Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new 2 {" [1 x0 f! Y. T; d0 i/ E
day and all the happy memories I've stored away. ; D9 J1 r2 A+ v7 C
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Just for this time in my life. ) P. M4 ~' ]8 z4 @" n
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Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. 5 V5 v4 e G8 I+ R; _ ~0 q: R
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So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
' ?5 J U: r" ]+ \4 gaccount of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
4 L8 e5 _. k! ^7 C0 oI am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 4 t; v: B; c& q5 `! \
8 Q) M9 [ [! ~2 z. U 1. Free your heart from hatred. ( I5 {2 F7 k# L4 m% w
2. Free your mind from worries.
1 \# B; c' ?) }! e: T) \ 3. Live simply.
0 h. K; M" m2 C6 W2 j6 P4 T$ W 4. Give more.
4 T) x7 r0 c* K' e3 B% c5 t3 c4 q 5. Expect less. |
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