Fresh Air

    It was a bright, beautiful day and several of the occupants whose faces I knew were out on the "porch" enjoying the sunshine. One sweet old gentleman waved at me and declared, "She's not here today."
    I thought for sure he was joking, and laughed. "Well, I'd better check," I told him, and started in through the front doors. On the other side of the glass, hidden by the corner of the entrance, I saw Nellie peeking at me--delighted at her own prank. Unable to help laughing again, I shook my finger at her and hurried back outside where all the conspirators were giggling like mad for the fun of playing a trick on me. We sat happily in the sun for a few minutes and then retired to Nellie's room for tea.
    "Did you notice I'm in a much better mood today than I was last week?" she asked me toward the end of my visit. As a matter of fact, I had noticed. The previous week she had been a mess, so I nodded and asked her what was different.
    "Well, I was feeling so sad and depressed that I thought to myself, 'Maybe this is the end. Maybe I'll just die pretty soon.' I told my nephew, and he said to me, 'No, no, you're not going to die. You just need some fresh air!' And so every day I've been sitting outside for a little while, and see what a difference it makes!"