鲜花( 29) 鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed
/ B& Y! v5 z& D( ]" b# R( w3 \' Leach morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
- S' J& l" b3 A$ P/ Ashaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a + u8 k: y: J& G/ T
nursing home today.
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, D# K8 x. [4 b( ?2 UHis wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. 0 M Z9 @3 i4 l4 G4 o$ ]/ K
After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, 5 a# O; D; @: t' Z
he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready.
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As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
6 r/ `. n5 k( I: r9 bdescription of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
) Y( q! B9 e: W6 F" S" `hung on his window.
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"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having ! a: u2 F: `( Q1 H [/ X
just been presented with a new puppy.
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"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." 9 M8 h7 q& ]! Q; ]0 p8 T/ O. ?/ l+ v
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"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. 6 C/ o3 `) G; A. c4 q$ n7 d1 A' Q
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"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my ' ^0 Q; `! v9 E1 \1 B
room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how 4 W0 G) E4 N2 }
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." # T X! P1 ~, L4 S! A
o t0 @! V; ZIt's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
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* R3 `$ I$ H0 [* g: l" Z. ]I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I ~/ t( }/ |4 {+ B6 e$ ^: F6 L
have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed
5 T4 s3 K+ R1 E4 K" Sand 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 . f! p" T6 n# h7 J. M) x
day and all the happy memories I've stored away. 7 x6 W' D& L2 X. `4 H& e
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Just for this time in my life.
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) L0 g& @$ `) COld age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. . K: z$ [4 a- l6 g
0 s, P" z, T. P- V7 [, BSo, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank ) r _' j7 p( T9 C( l# t, O
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. ; u3 c2 A% J8 |2 x0 c" J% j
I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
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S/ U4 r( V( }3 Q 1. Free your heart from hatred.
& l" d1 h' A' P9 `# F% K 2. Free your mind from worries. & y5 x8 A; u6 ~/ g1 C i/ u
3. Live simply. ' k1 I1 L! `# F' R( f' F
4. Give more.
4 n; h/ }& U$ t% b3 k! R' m; T9 f' L# ` 5. Expect less. |
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