Advice From An Old Man

--by brighteyes, posted Jun 16, 2007

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 face 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."

"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."

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.

8127 Reads

Posted by brighteyes
Jun 16, 2007
Comments (16)

Readers Comments

mrsweb wrote: love it

bluqtgyrl wrote: wow, that's very good advice! thanks!

pebbles wrote: Wonderful,truthful and and oh so precious. Pebbles

ieiblue wrote: really!.. the wisdom of old age!!! so perfect!!! :P

Lovebug wrote: Got it, and my choice is to keep it

Roxy wrote: Thanks for the rules. A wonderful story. It inspires me!

afriendlysmile wrote: Hi brighteyes
Wonderful, inspiring story happiness is how you look at life,there are so many blessings we can be thankful for.
Thank you for those wise words.
love and smiles
afriendlysmile:)

speedi wrote: God Bless!
awesome story
thank you for sharing :)

Pearlyshells wrote: Thanks for sharing! What great words of WISDOM to live by! I tucked those words in my heart to be cherished. Thanks!

William wrote: Thanks be to God. This is wisdom. I love it so much

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