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/ Moral:
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 .'