.JPG)
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the 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 colour
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 of the rainbow.
Grand old trees graced the landscape, and a fine view of the city skyline
could be seen in the distance.
As the man by the window described all of 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 world outside.
Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it for himself.
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. Today is a gift, that"s why it is called the present.
