Bank Account

A poignant story with a meaningful message: A 90 year old man who dressed himself each morning, hair combed and perfectly shaved even though legally blind, moved to a nursing home ... his wife of 70 years having passed away. After a long wait in the lobby, he smiled when told his room was finely ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, a staff member provided a visual description of his room. “I love it” he stated with enthusiasm ... "but you haven't seen the room yet" said the staff member.

He responded “That doesn't have anything to do with it ... 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. I have a choice, spend the day in bed recounting the difficulties I have, or get up and be thankful for all the happy memories I've stored away … Just for this time in my life”. 

Old age is a lot like a bank account ... We can only withdraw from it what we put in. 

                          Roger L. Caron