Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital
room. One man was
allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to
help drain the
fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s
only window. The other
man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men
talked for hours on
end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes,
their jobs, their
involvement in the military service, where they had been on
vacation.
Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window
could sit up, he
would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the
things he could
see outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour
periods where his
world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity
and color of the
world outside.
The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and
swans played on
the water while children sailed their model boats. Young
lovers walked arm
in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the
city skyline
could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all this in exquisite
detail, the man on
the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine
the picturesque
scene.
One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade
passing by.
Although the other man couldn’t hear the band – he
could see it. In his
mind’s eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it
with descriptive
words.
Days and weeks passed.
One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for
their baths only to
find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had
died peacefully in
his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital
attendants to take the
body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he
could be moved
next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch,
and after making
sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.
Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to
take his first look
at the real world outside.
He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside
the bed.
It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could
have compelled his
deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things
outside this
window
The nurse responded that the man was blind and could not
even see the wall.
She said, ‘Perhaps he just wanted to encourage
you.’
Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy,
despite our own
situations.
Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared,
is doubled.
If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you
have that money
can’t buy.
