A Tale of Two Men
Posted by: clean-hewmor <clean-hewmor@...>
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 andfamilies, their
homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, even 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 in similar fashion.
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 to
describe 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.