Happiness Is A Choice

Dear Dr. LeCrone:

I received these words of wisdom from a friend via e-mail and she encouraged me to pass them on. The readers of your column may enjoy reading this powerful message because the five simple rules to being happy can be applied to almost any age.

-A reader in Texas

Dear reader:

I agree with you and will pass the message on.

A 92-year-old, petite, frail, 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 curtains that had been hung on his window.

"I love it!" he stated with the enthusiasm of an 8-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. 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.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright © 2006