A Room with a View

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A Room with a View

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."

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.