Be happy

[shang 0]

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed

each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and make-up

perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home

today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move

necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she

smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual

description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung

on her window.

I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just

been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs.. Jones, you haven't seen the room, just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it," she 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 thoughts to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the Bank

Account of Memories."

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.