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 worldoutside.
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 otherside of the room would close his eyes and
imagine the picturesque scene.
Onewarm 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.