A 92-year-old man is moving into a retirement home after his wife passed away. As he walks to his new room, he tells the staff that he already likes the room, having decided in advance to be happy no matter what. He says happiness is a choice based on perspective, not external factors. The man advises depositing happy memories into your "bank account" for later life.

1. 智慧老伯的一席話
原稿: 溫Sir
中譯 : 老柳2008.2
中譯潤稿：風刀雨箭2008.5

2. A man of 92 years, short, very well-
presented, who takes great care in his
appearance, is moving into an old people’s
home today.
一位92歲的老伯今天要搬進仁愛之家。
他個頭不高，衣著整潔，非常注重外表。
His wife of 70 has recently died, and he is
obliged to leave his home.
他那70歲的太太最近剛過世，他不得不離開老家。

3. After waiting several hours in the retirement
home lobby, he gently smiles as he is told
that his room is ready.
他在仁愛之家大廳等了幾個鐘頭，當他聽到房間
已備妥的時候，臉上露出溫和的微笑。
As he slowly walks to the elevator, using his
cane, I describe his small room to
him, including the sheet hung at the window
which serves as a curtain.
他拄著柺杖，我帶他緩步走向電梯，一邊描述他的小
房間給他聽，包括那條掛在窗戶上當作窗簾的床單。

4. - "I like it very much", he says, with the
enthusiasm of an 8 year old boy who has just
been given a new puppy.
他說: “我很喜歡這個房間。” 他熱絡的神態，就好像一個
八歲小男孩剛拿到一個新玩偶一樣。
-"M. Gagné, you haven’t even seen the room
yet, hang on a moment, we are almost there. "
“老伯，房間您看都還沒看呢。等一等，我們就快到了。”

5. " That has nothing to do with it ", he
replies.
老伯回答說:” 有沒有看都一樣啦。”
" Happiness is something I choose in
advance. Whether or not I like the room
does not depend on the furniture, or the
decor – rather it depends on how I decide
to see it. "
“快樂，是我早就決定要的東西。我會不會喜歡那個房間，
並不在於它的傢俱或裝潢好不好，而在於我決定怎麼看它。”

6. " It is already decided in my mind that I like
my room. It is a decision I take every
morning when I wake up. "
“我心裏早就決定要喜歡我的房間了。
這是我每天早上起床都會做的決定。”

7. " I can choose. I can spend my day in bed
enumerating all the difficulties that I have
with the parts of my body that no longer
work very well, or I can get up and give
thanks to heaven for those parts that are still
in working order. "
“我是可以選擇的。
我可以整天躺在床上，數著身上有多少器官已經不靈光；
也可以站起身來感謝上蒼
－－我身上竟然有那麼多器官還管用。”

8. " Every day is a gift, and as long as I can
open my eyes, I will focus on the new
day, and all the happy memories that I have
built up during my life. "
“每一天都是神的恩賜。只要我還能睜開眼睛，我都會
專注於這新的一天，並回憶著我這一生的快樂時光。”
" Old age is like a bank account. You
withdraw in later life what you have
deposited along the way. "
“老年就好比銀行的帳戶，你下半輩子提領出來的
快樂，都是你上半輩子存進去的。”

9. So, my advice to you is to deposit all the
happiness you can in your bank account of
memories.
所以嘛，我要提醒你趁早將你的快樂，存進你
的回憶銀行。
Thank you for your part in filling my
account with happy memories, which I am
still continuing to fill…
感謝你在我的回憶銀行中也存入了一些快樂，
我也將繼續儲存快樂。

10. Remember these simple guidelines for happiness.
請記住下面簡單的快樂原則
1. Free your heart from hate.
1. 心中無恨
2. Free your mind from worry.
2. 腦中無憂
4. Give more.
3. Live simply.
4. 多些付出
3. 生活簡單
5. Expect less.
5. 少些期望

11. If you would like, send this message on….it is the
way we touch each other with simple truths that
spreads goodness in the world. Who knows, a
miracle may happen as a result….
您願意的話，把這訊息傳遞出去吧！
這是我們互相聯繫、廣傳善念的途徑。
說不定，有一些奇蹟會因此而出現…