Wednesday, March 5, 2008

BANK DEPOSITS

This is from an e-mail that my 80+ year old aunt sent me today. I do NOT believe that this is a "true" story, but a parable that is worth passing on. The last two weeks have seen my FIL in the hospital twice ( once in Boston for 8 days and two days later in the local hospital for 4 days. My MIL was in the local hospital for 2 days last week) so this struck a chord with me.

  This is something we should all remember.

A 92-year-old, 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 sheers 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.
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.

9 comments:

  1. I love the idea of CHOOSING happiness and gratefulness for the blessings we have! Such a great way to live!

    Happy rest of the week, Janet!

    xoxo

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  2. Janet,
    Aaahhhh such wise words - yes indeed. Thank you for this post...I will start my day on a positive note...and keep this post in the back of my mind...so I don't forget it.
    Hugs,
    Rose

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  3. I just copied your post and will give it to my 88 year old Mother today. She has a tendency to be a bit dismal. Thanks!

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  4. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful...we all need a reminder like this every now and again to keep us thankful.

    One of my favorite quotes is by Walt Disney (go figure): "Happiness is a state of mind. It's just according to the way you look at things."

    Cassie

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  5. I hope your in-laws are both doing well after their hospital stays.

    This is a wonderful attitude expressed by the 92-year-old gentleman.

    I hope the nursing home is a nice place with a caring staff, but I'd like to send out this caution to anyone with a loved one in a nursing home. No matter how good the facility appears to be, you MUST monitor them and make appearances at all hours of the day and night to observe how your loved one is being cared for.

    My mother spent five years in what was supposed to be one of the area's best nursing homes. I could tell you things that would make you sad, and some that would make you cry -- and I'm talking about how the staff cared for the residents.

    I hope this gentleman is one of the lucky ones who is in a facility that won't dampen his enthusiasm for life.

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  6. Great attitude - something we could all benefit from.

    Manuela

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  7. Janet, the aging parent years are definitely tough. I wish all of you the best.

    Loved this post.

    I've just finished reading "Shut Up and Live!" - a 93-Year-Old's Guide to Living to a Ripe Old Age by Marion P. Downs. It's really good.

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  8. Janet, I love this little story, if only everyone felt this way. I have learned so much in just the past few years, that I am amazed I didn't know before. One of these days I will post about what brought me to where I am now. And if you were guessing 54, that is right! And thanks for the sweet comment you posted.
    Cindy

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  9. What a wonderful way to live....if we can only empty our minds of useless nonsense and things that bring us down and live this way, the world would be a much better place.
    Thanks for sending good thoughts my way last night and today about the snow.
    I'm a little behind on responding to my blogger friends who have left comments. I hope to catch up in the next few days.
    XOXO - Judy

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Thanks for stopping by. Please leave me a comment if you have enjoyed my blog. I look forward to "chatting" with you.

Thanks,
Janet