Thanks For The Memories
A 92- year- old petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window.
"I love it!" He stated with the enthusiam of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room... just wait."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he 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 it in my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up."
As he glanced aroung the room with a big smile he continued, "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."
With a joyful and contented look in his eyes he said, "Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from it 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. And remember the 5 simple rules to be happy:
- Free your heart from hatred
- Free your mind from worries
- Live simply
- Give more
- Expect less
Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans!
Even the blind CAN see, the deaf CAN hear, the legless CAN walk! it's all about pespective. With the right mind and right attitude... Life CAN be the most wonderful thing to experience. Just be sure to watch what you're depositing in your life's bank account.