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.
