Hi Friends...I've been gone for awhile, amidst some changes in life, but I'm back and ready to write again. Hope some (or all) of you are still out there. Sorry for the long hiatus!
My mom forwarded this email to me today and it completely resonated with how I "try" to live. I don't always succeed for sure, but it is what I believe. I believe that life is about the choices we make. We can choose happiness or a life of misery. I know it is not that simple, but in many ways it is. There are always unfortunate things that happen to people....sometimes really, really horrible events, but if we are able to come out of them alive, perhaps even find meaning in them, but more importantly in time let go of them, then we can continue to choose happiness or peace of mind. It's in the holding on and the anger and discontentment that we get stuck. It reminds me of the old saying "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die". I can't remember how many times I've done that... ughh.
My mom forwarded this email to me today and it completely resonated with how I "try" to live. I don't always succeed for sure, but it is what I believe. I believe that life is about the choices we make. We can choose happiness or a life of misery. I know it is not that simple, but in many ways it is. There are always unfortunate things that happen to people....sometimes really, really horrible events, but if we are able to come out of them alive, perhaps even find meaning in them, but more importantly in time let go of them, then we can continue to choose happiness or peace of mind. It's in the holding on and the anger and discontentment that we get stuck. It reminds me of the old saying "Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die". I can't remember how many times I've done that... ughh.
I'm not pretending to have all the answers here, because A) I'm not that pretentious and B) who does?, but I do know that this has worked for me and I hope it might help someone out there who might happen upon this blog. I try to teach my children that they have choices everyday. They can choose to pick up their toys and move on to the next fun activity or choose to go to their room. One option will most likely bring some happy moments, the other probably tears. Well, I've gone on too long ;-). Here is a copy of the email. It gets the point across much better.
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 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. So,my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.
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.
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 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. So,my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.
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.
1 comment:
Welcome back!
I believe with all my heart that we can choose to be happy. It doesn't mean we'll never feel hurt or sad or angry, but those feelings don't have to be our default setting. There are many many more joys in life than pains, so why not recognize all we can?
P.S. Never heard that saying before - that's a good one!
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