 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed ; } f; ]% I7 [3 u9 ^/ |
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and ( Y1 F1 ^; b8 Q
shaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a ! [9 \- ]2 G: }( m! I
nursing home today.
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His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
% N9 e: n; ~5 ^, L) uAfter many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, 6 _) Y3 ~. |: \3 x6 F
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
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As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
4 ^( p7 Q- D* Y q7 D, W7 W! Ydescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been ; R1 M1 c2 L$ P; e& H
hung on his window.
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* y3 m/ d2 c! r1 h! F) W"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
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$ K$ w. f b; n2 e t3 }/ }"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." 0 N3 K' D/ l" V: a
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"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. , b: z1 K$ [6 q& U
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"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
5 V2 Z7 L9 P" k& Q% a0 rroom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how . {7 X. J! B' D. H& h
I 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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I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I
7 T; P9 B; ?- k6 R4 t4 U( Vhave with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed - {( u, K7 h& v' a9 ~
and be thankful for the ones that do.
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Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new
1 A* A) w: C0 C, K# Y W0 r5 t/ qday and all the happy memories I've stored away. 2 \5 A+ `5 B" R7 `+ s
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Just for this time in my life. 5 c! U0 u/ ?" |8 l/ P& [/ Y
" f# |, ?* u) G2 iOld age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
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So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank , h# E5 A/ [0 w$ E/ s8 j
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. 0 k- F9 r* g- b. r
I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy: , I, y$ y. Y& ^
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1. Free your heart from hatred. $ L- M0 h+ L' B' _3 b
2. Free your mind from worries. " a; v( ^6 f0 Z+ {/ S0 ~# [
3. Live simply.
, b: o: h" t. Y4 J7 H* { 4. Give more. 1 R3 ^2 ?' V/ C. e
5. Expect less. |
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