March 18, 2014

A Parable


A 92-year-old man was moving into a nursing home. He waited in the lobby for his room to be ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, the Nurse provided a visual description of his room. “I love it,” he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old. “Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.”
“That doesn't have anything to do with it,” he replied.“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. As long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away for this time in my life.

Remember 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. Be kind.
Author Unknown

5 comments:

  1. Love this post! Thanks for sharing it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kathleen,
    Me an you must be kindred spirits. I have read this parable before, and I liked it so much. It is definitely a keeper, and this old man is so sweet with so much gratitude in his heart. I really needed to hear this today because lately my ear has been swishing and that body part of mine is not working well, as the story was saying. So I will try to be thankful for the ones that do work.

    I love the five simple rules too. Have a blessed day, my lovely friend.

    ~Sheri

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will pass this on to the girls today. I think it is something we all need to hear.

    love,
    ~me

    ReplyDelete
  4. Five simple rules is brilliant. Capturing the essence of happiness is something we all try to achieve. Have a happy day!
    Vera

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think I know this man. It is so true!
    During this time of Lent, I have been challenging myself to make little steps in the right direction and just a change in attitude can change one's perspective immediately! Deciding to focus on happiness and gratitude makes such a difference.
    Thanks for sharing.
    pve

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting.
~ Kathleen ~