 鲜花( 29)  鸡蛋( 0)
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A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed ) ?4 h3 @; y; y5 P
each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably coifed and
7 i+ l% [! v) F" hshaved perfectly applied, even though he is legally blind, moved to a
% u4 [1 [' @) i5 x8 Lnursing home today.
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* K8 I! S" G# }6 VHis wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.
7 I9 V' k: }6 l9 I5 MAfter many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, 8 A. V6 d* p' v/ c
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 ' o6 A# P. A1 ^; D9 `+ ^" l
description of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been
4 F6 w* X' O" S6 g; X/ \( c: xhung on his window.
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"I love it," he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having
% D+ Q+ A1 J7 R8 ajust been presented with a new puppy. $ L( ?- u9 k1 w% P7 f
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"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait." % n8 t/ S6 d9 v9 X
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"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. 0 [% y- l7 j7 x% W, |* s0 g; e! p
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"Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my
. L" Z$ v7 [% Y Q$ G0 X2 Aroom or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how . A+ A$ s9 k r1 B9 }
I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it." 3 U0 S; x4 Q+ E8 g G0 f$ m
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It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up.
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+ X' j/ D! {# oI have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I
, h$ k. t1 z: Y+ M+ g" N% n& b6 khave with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed
# X( s3 U) A$ a/ e% gand be thankful for the ones that do. 0 z" k. W+ j: t' i C0 j
0 w0 B: ]/ V: u! j6 s- S1 F1 N) dEach day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new + g k0 o' [( z
day and all the happy memories I've stored away.
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& h- S( ^6 u6 K, i6 q- {( dJust for this time in my life. 1 y5 {' X, x! N
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Old 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 + R/ q9 p/ K6 r; Z5 c! D. A4 c
account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. . c7 ~4 w8 A2 @/ ?2 _
I am still depositing." Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
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1. Free your heart from hatred. * z3 M3 y- I& h7 ~1 C! N4 j
2. Free your mind from worries.
: \* e0 g! O; k+ ~* ] \" T9 R7 [$ d 3. Live simply. 8 q* i0 Y: F* O& p' K6 n& h
4. Give more.
. e, s7 ~* I- o* k& k- _& A+ u( Z 5. Expect less. |
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