by Dianne
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 details, the man on the other side
of the room would close his eyes and imagine this picturesque scene.
One warm
afternoon, the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the
other man could not hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the
gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.
Days, weeks
and months 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 besides 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 is why it is called The Present .'
