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 manoeuvred 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..."
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