After the passing of his wife, Mr. Simon needed to move to an old age home. He had been a vibrant and animated fellow, but at the age of ninety-two, he was blind and could no longer care for all his needs. By going to an old age home, he would have his basic needs taken care of.
When he first arrived, he was told he had to wait in the front lobby before he could be directed to his assigned room. It wasn’t yet ready, as the previous patient had just been discharged, and his room was being prepared for him. While waiting in the lobby, he asked the nurse to describe to him what type of room he would be given.
She started explaining all the details of his new living quarters. The thrill on his face was palpable. Hearing the details of the color of the carpet and the shower curtain brought him great excitement.
She continued by explaining the art hanging on the walls, which brought his excitement to an even higher level. The nurse never saw anything like this before. He was getting excited over his room as an eight-year-old would be excited over a lollypop.
What puzzled her even more was that he was showing immense happiness over the details of the room while he himself would never get to see it or enjoy it.
“Why are you getting so excited over your room?” she inquired. “You haven’t even seen your room yet. Wait a bit until you get to your room, analyze it, and you’ll see for yourself how you’ll take to your accommodations.”
“Seeing the room has nothing to do with my mindset toward it,” responded Mr. Shimi. “Not because I can’t see my room, but rather for an entirely different reason. What is going to determine my attitude about my room is my mindset toward it. Now, before I get in, I am determining my mindset to be happy with my accommodations, ensuring me that whatever I’m actually given will indeed bring me great joy.”
Mr. Simon was sharing with her the most valuable piece of information: that to bring one to joy, deciding before facing the situation that the situation is good in and of itself will make it better. It’ll allow us to face it with joy, cheer, and happiness. (Heard on Stories to Inspire, R’ Avi Wiesenfeld)
