Two Men Sharing a Hospital Room – author unknown
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.”
