Hospital Windows
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."Author Unknown
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