Rules of Happiness
A 72-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
enthusiasm 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 my mind. I already decided to
love it. 'It's a decision I make every
morning when I wake up. 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.
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!
Thank you for your part in filling my
Memory bank. I am still depositing.
Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.
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