Bank Account
A 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, 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.
Heal the past; live the present; dream the future.
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