One of my nieces sent this to me recently. It's incredibly good advice, especially for those who have most likely passed the halfway point in their lives.
I'd add to it: Live your life as the real performance, not as a dress rehearsal.
The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady,who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup 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 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.
Comments (9)
That's so true. I'd say that you don't have to be old to draw from happiness.
Happy is an attitude, not something you should feel only because of temporary, fleeting circumstances.
Posted by Texas T-Bone | June 16, 2003 1:56 PM
Posted on June 16, 2003 13:56
Very true words, and the older (more mature...take your pick) I become, I try to live life in a more simplistic fashion that will allow me to be a happy person, as well as to make others happy.
If I can be allowed to add a #6 I would say to try to be less judgemental of others.
When I think back on the life that my now departed Mother used to live, I must say that I believe she did live like this. Thanks for sharing a few provocative thoughts. It is refreshing. A lot of trash is starting to proliferate in blogland if you ask me.
Posted by Dr. D. | June 16, 2003 6:02 PM
Posted on June 16, 2003 18:02
Agreed, you need to live happiness, it won't come to you... it has to be a way of life. Seeing the glass as half full, seeing the good in a rainy day (the air smells great, the grass greens up more) - appreciating what is in your world around you rather than looking for fault.
Posted by Desiree | June 17, 2003 3:34 AM
Posted on June 17, 2003 03:34
I have a young niece who has just hit her teens, and she has a sister who is 15 months younger. I've wanted for some time to talk with her about finding happiness from within. These girls are like night and day in personality. The older one loves to read, swims, plays soccer, plays the clarinet, and is shy. The younger one plays basketball, plays the saxophone, and is very social.
The older one measures herself against her younger sister and finds herself lacking, although she really isn't. That's just her perception. I'd like to find a way to help her see herself, and her goals so that she measures against her own needs, and not against her sister's accomplishments.
It's tough to be a teen, and even tougher to be a teen who doesn't feel they are successful. Furthermore, it will be tough for her as an adult if she isn't encouraged to find what satisfies her heart. I'd like for her to grow to be the strong woman in this story.
T-bone, and Desiree....you're right. Happiness is an attitude that you must create within yourself. Dr. D...your #6 is very important to creating that attitude.
Thanks for your comments!
Posted by Buffy | June 17, 2003 2:44 PM
Posted on June 17, 2003 14:44
Yup...
Posted by -=e=- | June 17, 2003 3:11 PM
Posted on June 17, 2003 15:11
<b>BOO! GET OFF YOUR BLOG!!!! YOU SUCK!!!</b>
You have been officially heckled on <a href="http://www.ericbrooks.com/whuzzup/archives/2003_06.php#001169">International Heckling Day</a>.
No, you were heckled. Do not try to come back with something clever, or I shall return to heckle you some more.
Posted by -=e=- | June 19, 2003 3:43 AM
Posted on June 19, 2003 03:43
This comment is for -e-. Some are just too cloned to put a original comment to anything, so they are forced to go elsewhere to pick up a thought. "Boo" "2" "U" "2"!!
Buffy, nice post. It is good when people realize that they create their own happiness. Happiness is not evasive except when you're searching for it, rather than making it.
Posted by Roberta | June 19, 2003 12:06 PM
Posted on June 19, 2003 12:06
Thanks for your comments, Roberta!
-e-....I guess I should be flattered to be included in your heckling. *G* At any rate, I'd rather be heckled by a friend than a stranger.(hand up, palms facing out) You win! You are the KING of hecklers!
Posted by Buffy | June 19, 2003 8:12 PM
Posted on June 19, 2003 20:12
I think that this stry is so true. When she states "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" it is so powerful. Exspecially for the pezemists out there~Thank You for your story and lessons in it~
~JuLiA~
Posted by Julia | September 6, 2003 11:16 AM
Posted on September 6, 2003 11:16