Monday, January 26, 2009

The Way to Live this Week

Some thoughts to ponder, from an old email foward:

92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is
fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his
hair fashionably coifed and shaved perfectly applied,
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.


Today's short list:

Do laundry with the kids.
Mark spots on wall to hang family pictures.
Make good food.