 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed ( \& X/ G- d: U1 n$ U* G1 z
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
3 A) h! |7 H# E7 ]& _' {1 `( dshaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a 4 v* g' J4 ` G, T( G
nursing home today. 6 ^9 L+ ^3 y. [# m" x9 N( s: t% W
: w8 O) ]; I3 C; H# \: t0 V: u# A8 k
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
( b' a# ~* s1 _& b8 mAfter many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, 2 L! J+ ^' \; { F& d
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
. j- R2 J! \- D4 @4 |, ]
/ S) d! a( P m) j' x' gAs he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual Z N1 p( t, E& Q H6 _- G
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
3 r' b' ^* h1 K4 n2 R) Hhung on his window. ; L5 D9 x* c9 l( {
- K6 [/ k' E: O; y! S1 M' a+ `
"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having ) k8 D" g1 \' ?' S3 P7 g# G6 [; w2 P
just been presented with a new puppy.
% p0 B+ b& R3 Y1 _! V% R
) I5 S1 l+ E- f! S0 Q" N$ i"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."
- V. g, ~ s) W5 s4 L
, W7 L, ` N3 @( y$ {$ q }$ ^"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. ' f" N" M; _) d, Y. H) L& j: |
! M1 w& @9 B) e5 z' l- W
"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
3 a4 z" |- l1 H) ?2 s; G1 F4 Broom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how
& H0 J& |" M2 xI arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." # x/ O% x" n* _
2 K' J! m0 e8 Q
It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. 7 M' c4 I$ x& S
0 C* |) r; A' t: X2 `! C9 U
I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I 2 M! x/ D) Q- H1 y
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed 4 Z4 W' U/ y/ n$ B
and be thankful for the ones that do.
! B2 B, N) I+ v$ T. B5 o: ?- A5 C: a) |$ y4 Z( |" r% x e) i9 p
Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new
% R: ]' t% P5 Q+ f! M4 U, h1 ^day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
0 U* G/ ~. s. g( r" W' I9 m7 A' _7 S& |" }! u2 d; @
Just for this time in my life.
2 q0 Z" ?$ s' V
# x0 p) ]$ p- m/ POld age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. 1 d& R6 t( y$ z5 W% O* a c
( D8 C1 J B" ?% F. ?So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank : q) z! e5 l( o9 ]7 [1 S
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. ! P* i0 J, M2 G B1 K
I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
3 P: c9 X s8 @4 n; X
* |; ?, {) Y7 h 1. Free your heart from hatred. , h4 z4 o8 d+ {7 g2 Z
2. Free your mind from worries. 4 t% r: h) R# Q6 z( `
3. Live simply.
4 ?2 x! I7 K/ _ P* e 4. Give more. 4 O" d' c& D; q8 k! o
5. Expect less. |
|