鲜花( 29) 鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed
! w( U( t$ K, U! n5 seach morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and , Q, ^) E6 y0 s% B& |. N( v
shaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a - ?& g, Q9 V# b7 k: x( {
nursing home today. 2 r; P4 z% U2 S" f
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His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. " `: c4 g3 m: c- q1 k X7 @! I
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
3 [8 C2 T7 [2 Bhe smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. * U4 r- K" |7 T+ L% [2 U4 B
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As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
$ a" t$ w6 y9 x5 Kdescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been K" g s8 y; @1 C6 Z6 ], F( i% A" s
hung on his window. / E" d" K/ f' L% l* i% D N
9 E# J1 } P/ w"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having : @$ Z( Y$ z4 b6 \4 C
just been presented with a new puppy.
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"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." . |4 c/ c! [' L, z7 W/ Y7 B
- h! J' D1 T0 H8 o"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. 5 o$ _9 `5 }6 N
; A: K' s W% q6 S+ P"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
) ^) N3 X/ `, o& N+ g& |+ groom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how - j! |; C5 A' l5 T
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. ) Z) u* J' H2 _: O
$ s" {+ _$ P8 I; u2 ]I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I 4 o* ]! d) T( y
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed
( d r; }* f# R# `4 d/ r4 tand 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
* b; Y$ \7 h$ Kday and all the happy memories I've stored away. Y2 Z; C7 U* H. e% I5 v9 k2 C
4 a# H9 s6 w: @+ K+ PJust for this time in my life.
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+ I! S& d' `. [! {! D9 HOld age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. 6 X/ P+ d' v2 f! C) L
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So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank 4 ]; q; b3 l* e# i [3 z
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
: q3 H; J- L& X3 i5 e( D- }, oI am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
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1. Free your heart from hatred. 5 d2 `+ g S; B6 |. l) H
2. Free your mind from worries. 6 B5 m/ ^; [, E9 J! f3 d7 J! \
3. Live simply.
! @/ |5 }% n: E$ v5 c6 n 4. Give more.
1 [0 S; Z0 q% K# N; e 5. Expect less. |
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