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Words of Encouragement
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 room-mate 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.
Then unexpectedly, a sinister thought entered his mind. Why should the
other man alone experience all the pleasures of seeing everything while he himself never
got to see anything? It didn't seem fair.
At first thought the man felt ashamed. But as the days passed and he
missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour. He
began to brood and he found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that window - that
thought, and only that thought now controlled his life.
Late one night as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window
began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man watched in the
dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the button to call for help.
Listening from across the room he never moved, never pushed his own button which would
have brought the nurse running in. In less than five minutes the coughing and choking
stopped, along with that the sound of breathing. Now there was only silence-deathly
silence.
The following morning the day nurse arrived to bring water for their
baths. When she found the lifeless body of the man by the window, she was saddened and
called the hospital attendants to take it 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 all 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."
Epilogue. . . .
You can interpret the story in any way you like. But one moral stands out:
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.
~Unknown~
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