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."
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