 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed $ u1 V. w& z, M/ n
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
) r# `/ ^+ R+ q- \3 w( M8 sshaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a , x* k" F$ O# Y8 C, ]- k
nursing home today. 3 {' P! x" Y4 D7 g/ O: X" g
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His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. % I: T, B6 L1 A1 T$ Z
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home,
* Z' m0 P; z3 xhe smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. 7 s8 l: `* k$ F
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As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
; m0 ]6 o4 Q* T' g$ ~$ Kdescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been 5 l: x+ x+ {3 h9 O( |
hung on his window. : a. [" f1 Y* F8 C4 Q1 p5 P
' \& r$ P" K R# I4 p) b- e"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
9 u6 g, t' d- j+ A0 xjust 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. * Q0 |. t* h" T5 q! b. R2 b
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"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my . m2 O9 P U+ ~+ T2 U. f% \/ K
room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how 3 z' V( [. Q+ \2 s, V- E
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it."
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1 U/ o1 `' S: D1 h5 eIt's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
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2 x6 d3 [7 |8 a5 O2 v0 |I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I 9 \ b4 } `+ D: b$ s$ ?
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed
! F7 \" m `6 A' d2 Dand be thankful for the ones that do. 2 ~6 p) e9 V/ h! b& m; {4 N
1 U$ {( i. @2 g: M8 x% v0 IEach day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new ' r- B1 \2 S6 J; l% C
day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
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6 B! ^5 T9 B9 M0 \Just for this time in my life.
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& _- V _2 A9 q' A7 D: p0 }Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. : ]( p D! o- _( o0 h9 T; b
9 G$ E( o) b* {3 \% I) ~# S' sSo, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank
+ X5 i) e* l7 u/ Z! D* L ~ [account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. . ]5 `7 ?% j q3 a8 S% x* m
I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
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1. Free your heart from hatred. " b* w- w3 ^; [/ {2 p
2. Free your mind from worries. 4 s! L. f0 P% a! K" A
3. Live simply.
9 }6 A# F5 R. A9 ?( T. } 4. Give more. G; i9 p: {* Y! D* Y7 Q
5. Expect less. |
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