“Beans . . . beans . . . beans . . .”

We heard our white-haired host repeating the above as he walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway, where he disappeared into a room. When he returned to the kitchen, he was holding a can of beans. 

Finding us looking at him, he laughed contagiously and explained that it was his “mind’s way of exercising his body.” As our host opened his coveted can of beans, he explained that he had turned the closet into a backup pantry. And he chuckled again. 

Now, he could have felt embarrassed at having launched into his “beans, beans, beans” soliloquy in front of an audience. 

He could have been dejected about how his memory wasn’t as sharp as it once was. 

He could have gotten angry. 

He was none of these. At some point in time, he decided not to give in to anger, sadness, or wistfulness when faced with declining faculties. He would use humor. What a delightful gift, not only for himself but for all those around him!