After many hours of waiting in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, his aide 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, "she said, "you haven't even seen the room yet."
"That doesn't have anything to do with it," he replied. "HAPPINESS IS SOMETHING YOU DECIDE ON AHEAD OF TIME. Whether I like the 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. Old age is like a bank account - you withdraw from it what you put in. So my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in that bank account! Free your mind from hatred and worries. Live simply. Give more and expect less. And always keep depositing."
