5 Simple Rules for Seniors to be Happy

Lara

Lara

Friend of the Arts
Location
Mid-Atlantic Coast
This 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home yesterday. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she 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.”

She went on to explain, “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 Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said:

“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, & enjoy every moment.

~ Alex Steblowsky
Photograph by Karsten Thormaehlen
21430553_1838586886159070_977274737029107045_n.jpg


 

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This lady reminds me so much of my late mother. She passed a year ago at age 92 and she was exactly like this peaceful and beautiful lady all the way to the end. They look identical even. Very young and healthy looking. She had no regrets. My 2 sisters and myself were there by her side at her home.
 
Thank you Lara for sharing memories of your Mother, and telling this wonderful Woman's story of aging with grace. May it serve as an encouragement to us all!:)
 
Although my mom was only 84 when she died last year, she was also very much like this lady.

Sadly, unlike you Lara I didn't get to be at her bedside when she died. I'm glad my baby sister was there though. I'm in California and she was in New Jersey.
 
We both have much to be grateful for Cee Cee...actually, we all do

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life
is thank you, it will be enough ~ Meister Eckhart

21430592_1838122356205523_3864757544374655866_n.jpg
 
Thank you for your replies everyone. Alex Steblowsky is the one who wrote it I think unless he got it from somewhere else. Sometimes it's hard to tell on the internet.
 
Lara said:
This 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home yesterday. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.



After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room …. just wait.”

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it,” she 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.”

She went on to explain, “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 Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still depositing.”

And with a smile, she said:

“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, & enjoy every moment.

~ Alex Steblowsky
Photograph by Karsten Thormaehlen
21430553_1838586886159070_977274737029107045_n.jpg


Click to expand...


What a beautiful woman, inside and out. I'm ashamed to still be in bed at 9 am.
 
grapenutpudding, don't be ashamed of still being in bed at 9am. As we age we don't sleep as well at night, probably due to little aches and pains that we may not even detect but our brains know. So we need to pick up that extra sleep somehow, whether it be an afternoon 1.5 hour nap or sleeping in a little later, or both. Most importantly, you need your beauty rest :)
 
Lara said:
grapenutpudding, don't be ashamed of still being in bed at 9am. As we age we don't sleep as well at night, probably due to little aches and pains that we may not even detect but our brains know. So we need to pick up that extra sleep somehow, whether it be an afternoon 1.5 hour nap or sleeping in a little later, or both. Most importantly, you need your beauty rest :)
Click to expand...

I completely agree with you Lara, Grapenutpudding has nothing to feel ashamed about. Especially now that we're older, we need to rest our bodies and minds, it's restorative and necessary. There are times when I'm up for a few hours listening to a talk show on the radio under my pillow, so when I do feel ready to sleep I sometimes just sleep in later. One of the great perks about retirement, no alarm clocks or bosses to check in with.
 
Thank you ladies but you're too kind! I was being kind of lazy after sleeping well....not really feeling like facing the day. My attitude wasn't very good that day. But I like your perspectives!
 

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