About Me

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I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

Translator!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

What Kind of Plans Have You Made?

First, Buona festa di san Patrizio a tutti! (That's Happy St. Patrick's Day in Italian!)

Second, a friend sent me this. I'm sure with all the stuff sent on the Internet, you might have seen it. But I really enjoyed it and want to pass it on to you today. The last line really made me smile. (Don't cheat!! Take a minute and read the whole thing, for Heaven's sake!)

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 his face shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home. 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, the nurse 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 is 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.

Have a nice day, unless you already have other plans.

9 comments:

Brad said...

I love this story and it is SO true. Unfortunatly I need regular reminders to get rid of the "stinkin thinkin".

whimsical brainpan said...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Lovely story. :-)

happyone said...

What a wonderful attitude to go through life with. I love this story!!

Anonymous said...

What a great reminder to watch your attitude! I really like this story.

Rick Rockhill said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rick Rockhill said...

Yes Yes Yes Kathy, Well said. I always quote Abraham Lincoln: 'Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be".

Purple Flowers said...

1. I love your blog.
2. Thanks for the story. It couldn't come at a better time in my life.

beachgirl said...

I love the thought. I think I will borrow it.

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

fantastic story! I have never heard it before and well, thank you!!

I like your five simple happy's...
so very very true.

:)