Decide to Love It

This story was in my email in box this morning. You might think it touching or you might find it sappy but there is a basic, important truth in it that bears repeating. Here goes:

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.”
Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in.

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.

End of story. Now for my postscript:
There are people that I know that are always happy no matter what happens to them, they take joy in life. There are others that can't open their mouths without telling you everything that is wrong with their life. I suspect genetics and chemical imbalances play a part in this but also how we decide to live our daily lives.

I decide to love it.

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