My friend who spends a lot of time throughout her week with the elderly, the widows, the sick, and the lonely, often shares little snippets of the cutest stories with me. Her enjoyment of the time she spends with people is such a gift to her, and I’m the lucky recipient of some of the wisdom she passes along from her friends to me! Some of it gleaned from spending time with those who are bitter at the end of their lives, but often from those who are cheerful at heart, even when their life seems to be coming close to the end.
A while back, she shared a story with me that I have told and retold, and retold again. The reason I’ve retold it is because I so hope to have the attitude of the 94-year-old woman who belongs to the story!
They were sharing lunch together at the nursing home when this sweet 94-year-old woman bit into a little red apple, and both of her front teeth broke right off!
My friend gasped, and said that she expected her to be disgusted thinking about an emergency dental appointment at the emergency dental care unit and a bill to follow that. I mean, come on – what an inconvenience! Certainly that would have been mine or your response to both front teeth breaking off, right?
But no….. not Beverly.
This cheerful young 94-year-old woman’s response was “Well! Those front teeth of mine certainly lasted a long time!” followed by a good long laugh as she finished the rest of her meal.
I’ve come to believe we really do have a choice when it comes to our attitude. And who we surround ourselves with helps to feed it, one way or the other. I want to be cheerful and able to laugh at myself when I’m 94 with broken teeth, wrinkles, white hair, and a failing memory.
Don’t you? Toothless & still smiling!
“A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
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