鲜花( 29) 鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed 5 t& e- f9 d0 F2 f6 r' l9 K/ m
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and : P$ j2 }8 p: x$ @
shaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a ( W2 ^# O4 k8 n: ]* d a$ S: A5 q6 S' W4 U
nursing home today. $ ^7 b9 [: D3 Q* x* ^ ?
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His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. 9 K! J$ x, k) a7 g* T
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
, R% K3 D W' g4 d& \# Jhe smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
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3 d% @. q) e/ u+ PAs he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
: F* K0 M, a1 Y9 Y. tdescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been R) l6 R5 E8 X. q
hung on his window.
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"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having - O# q5 x1 j' [, Z% M0 [
just been presented with a new puppy.
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% `8 u$ o. X7 _"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait."
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"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. # h* h7 l& x! ?/ C7 _: l J1 G. R
. O9 Z6 \) R! s, c& w"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
$ T" Z" h8 r. F( A/ Q6 S( s* ?; Rroom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how 8 h8 v7 w9 ^& [
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." $ [, D% v1 a2 E' P
6 v& _9 b4 d7 d) D. g5 oIt's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. 2 \2 Y2 G! X2 n/ D6 w, d7 q
( B5 b- m2 p% A9 B; u) V" g9 G! ^I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I
V$ G$ N9 [* o6 dhave with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed 4 q- o/ e; L6 p2 ?
and be thankful for the ones that do. 5 _, g: h/ Z7 M; G
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Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new - n9 Q) \7 ~% q
day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
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: [$ g2 v/ D1 ?5 A4 ?) n9 BJust for this time in my life. 4 h0 n. a& i. ^; ~. J
( u {1 J* J4 H* _6 v! F |Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.
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" p8 I! Q( q8 `6 C+ q) pSo, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
6 q$ @% @3 _( t3 I% [1 Eaccount of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
4 h( ^) A7 t. _4 z1 L1 p2 ` V2 QI am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
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1. Free your heart from hatred.
+ |; B7 M8 X5 x5 c/ |) q' `6 S8 e" h- } 2. Free your mind from worries. $ E% z. y3 I: ^8 v
3. Live simply.
. o: |) }4 H* O/ v) S 4. Give more. * k- H" l6 n( V" V1 Q0 L; [
5. Expect less. |
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