 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed 7 Z1 T) [/ C2 l4 {! X, T) e) t
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
' q# R; i9 e* S% Ushaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a 0 d- g- L2 B: i
nursing home today.
$ t: A4 N5 J' m, A% I J/ q9 S! ^; _
His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
0 e' }; M. I/ ^( w3 R6 _7 AAfter many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
- B) t c! P \+ w0 Jhe smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 2 h. Z: o8 U- Y: O. X+ L
6 z t! F- ~6 v. G6 S2 u, u
As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
3 `+ S, e7 L# m, q8 s9 n& sdescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
' d) Z L+ W5 T) E3 W& F8 Lhung on his window.
, T" K: c( U* m) y% g. f; I$ V. q( S8 N# r6 W2 R7 p5 Z3 M
"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
! P. L( l/ Q: Sjust been presented with a new puppy. [2 \& U8 F) e7 n
) N% N4 c4 G& L. L i( o4 [& ["Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." & z; Q$ S- A. f& ~
: k( r6 ]7 c) \# N( T! P+ G
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied.
$ j; j2 x* w- B% L
2 |: e$ ~- J9 V/ E2 v' H"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my * L$ A/ p/ W6 l
room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how 9 r9 O* r+ [3 R4 p
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."
5 X, Z; `' p/ p( m, k1 q( ]0 A: d6 i0 R. p$ m* c1 e
It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. & {4 y" D" p7 Y5 Y8 }
E; Z8 Z4 {; N% V( [4 w2 ^* p
I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I ' _# }* a/ T; E& N
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed * i- o% S7 P7 m
and be thankful for the ones that do. ' D$ Y# |# A) j8 V( c+ q% X3 j$ W
5 S7 }8 j$ ?8 v6 t! @6 HEach day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new 0 c& X8 \( t$ N* H0 o
day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
' D0 o: I7 s1 ^9 P& R- o! I% ]: ]; c% h- q9 R% W! {2 p& \
Just for this time in my life.
9 z3 m f( O) j2 g" ^$ z
& \( k$ ]$ y0 W+ LOld age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. ; C5 T0 s8 M% b, S ]
/ A" }: A8 s" [ l7 d+ v) \) g$ X# x
So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank ) m4 w& M2 [+ E1 ^8 x
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
; q; \% U8 o& [- uI am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
2 ?' v- f# ]* y* f: \
/ n& T. V1 E, t1 ^. F 1. Free your heart from hatred.
& p3 {- l! b( _" l3 a, _& m. u 2. Free your mind from worries.
% o; h& s a% i2 P8 {: H' T 3. Live simply.
; s/ N* ]8 z% P 4. Give more. # A P4 G6 J6 i0 L! }
5. Expect less. |
|