A 92-year-old, petite, legally blind, well-poised and proud lady,
was fully dressed this morning by eight o'clock. Her hair was
fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied. She was moving to a
nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away,
making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in
the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room
was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, she was
provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet
sheets that had been hung on her window.
"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old who
had just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room yet, just wait!"
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she 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.
