 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed ' j* ?' z) ]4 q: P
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and K9 p( |) z: ^, _+ W
shaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a " B; R9 G& j9 i0 a
nursing home today. 0 i# s* s" f2 x+ d. c: w
& j q- a, [9 X% }5 I) i; ?4 m) ~His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. 5 Z0 b3 ~! A1 [; x- U8 U7 E$ G
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, % w+ q. j$ e. V2 u
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
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0 j7 u7 U# z1 O/ [5 i4 MAs he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual # q+ R3 G- H$ I9 u& v& y% Y2 C
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been ( g6 H# I/ V+ }# J4 n# U
hung on his window. # Z1 w* @; Z& b- s+ B# E* x
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"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having 9 p5 v3 Q& c0 H. ^
just been presented with a new puppy.
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"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.
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"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
$ r/ l7 o, C! C+ R h) Uroom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how 4 x2 ^9 Q9 ^6 j0 ]5 Q4 f; t G
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." 0 y* \; m" G4 j) m
6 A6 H) ~% s* }1 l. iIt's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. 0 u* f3 W1 w2 S' i+ o' j
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I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I [( Z q/ F' Z& N' j9 t! _
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed 7 [' y2 ?! e( a( T5 X5 D6 A: I) S
and be thankful for the ones that do. 1 c3 [( C5 S: H# j( P5 f% I
$ e% e1 C2 L( U* cEach day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new ) I; v' f$ {/ F3 I- x0 V9 Q
day and all the happy memories I've stored away. - H7 P; v% c7 x+ p
4 {' O. X w+ M+ x TJust for this time in my life. - `5 b: @8 X) e2 e6 H9 j: K
+ E3 r$ ?3 O! F3 v/ mOld 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
+ e# {) H; X! j5 b: D* E5 Uaccount of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank.
9 a( o$ I2 p! f+ v4 H7 d4 eI am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy: % ?7 t7 X j# E4 u( _; l
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1. Free your heart from hatred. & @% k n& b2 T8 }. N$ M
2. Free your mind from worries. $ R2 R, a, l7 A9 T
3. Live simply.
% }) Z8 ]6 r! C! U, X( L+ j 4. Give more. ' k [$ i7 u5 ?1 I
5. Expect less. |
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