My Auntie Myrna sent this to me today and it is something we should all remember.  

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A 92-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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5 Responses to “Happiness is a Choice”

  1. Kelly Morrisey Says:

    Lisa,

    I couldn’t agree more!

    LIFE IS WHAT YOU DECIDE IT WILL BE!

    If you dwell on the positive…guess what you will get more of…you guessed it…POSITIVE.

    May GOD shower you with as many BLESSINGS as you shower us with!

    Love and Friendship,

    Kelly Morrisey
    http://www.ABetterLifeAfterDivorce.com

  2. Jenny Says:

    Pretty nice post. I just came across your blog and wanted to say
    that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. In any case
    I’ll be subscribing to your blog and I hope you post again soon!

  3. How I Make $300 a Day Posting Links Online Says:

    Cool post, just subscribed.

  4. Sherry Richardson Says:

    Hi Lisa, I look at your posts all the time. This one struck a cord. It is so easy to dwell on the negative. It takes effort to think positive. Thank you for reminding me of the easy steps you can take to think and stay positive.

    Sherry

  5. lisa Says:

    I agree. Being happy is a choice and it really is easy. Thanks for sharing.

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