The
92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully dressed each
morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coifed and makeup perfectly
applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.
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."
The
Bottom Line: There are a lot of people in this country who are unhappy and who
receive no help from anybody to increase their level of happiness.
The
Solution: I believe that something should be done to remedy this situation:
Over the past century research has accumulated on why people experience
emotional distress as well as what makes people happy. Most Indians
(correction-most human beings) have very little familiarity with this
information. I believe that mental health professionals should disseminate this
information in an easy-to-understand, entertaining, and affordable fashion. In
effect, these professionals should Teach the public how to be happier. We need
to change the focus of psychology from a negative (i.e., illness, pathology, and
disorder) to a positive one (learning skills, changing priorities, getting needs
met, etc.). Ideally, the transition should be: ·
From a Negative focus to a Positive focus
· From a focus on Illness to one of Education
· From Stigma and Avoidance to A Quest for Knowledge
· From using the term Patient to Student
I
believe this approach should appeal to many individuals and The Journey offers
information and guides you through exercises and techniques that will assist you
in discovering your natural role in the Universe. It will help you align
yourself with the Cosmic energy, which will give you the power to materialize
your deepest aspirations and your heartfelt desires.
The
Journey will help you to become mindful of your own powers and to savor the
ultimate potentiality that every moment in your life represents. It will guide
you to spiritual fulfillment.
