Two Men In A Hospital

[JRluvsLhyn 0]

Two Men In A Hospital

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.

And 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 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 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 of the things

you have that money can't buy. "Today is a gift, that's why it is called the

present."