
A 92-year-old legally blind man, whose wife of 70 years had recently passed away, was waiting in the nursing home to be shown to the room that would this day become his new home.
He smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, the nurse 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 enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
‘But sir, you haven't seen the room yet; just wait..'
'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied.
He then explained, ‘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 my mind. I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.”
The nurse smiled and listened further.
‘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.”
He continued, ‘Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. I remember to thank myself daily for my part in filling my Memory Bank!’
He lifted his finger with a smile and said to the nurse, ‘I may be a little order now, but I am still depositing!”
The rules of engagement in life are simple!
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
Every single moment of every single day you have a choice to be happy or sad. It is ONLY you who makes you who you are in life. So be vibrational and embrace it!
Debbie A. Anderson
NB: The two amazing people in the photograph are my great grandmother & grandfather!