Choose to be Happy

Posted by Jerry Lopper Sep 27, 2006

This morning when you awoke did you choose to be happy? I did. I was inspired by a story I read. Perhaps it will inspire you to choose to be happy tomorrow.

A 92 year old man who is dressed and shaved every morning by 8 even though he's legally blind, moved into a nursing home. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, an aide described his tiny room.

"I love it!" he said.

"Mr. Jones, you haven't seen your room," the aide said.

"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."

I summarized this story from a column by Hap LeCrone, Cox News Service psychology columnist.

Each morning I plan to choose happiness for the day. How about you?