The man by the windows...

The man by the 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 and hours. 

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 when his world would be broadened and cheerful by all the activity and color of the world outside. The window overlooked a green & beautiful park with a lovely lake full of water. The lake was full of different colors of lily & Lotus flowers and leaves. Ducks and swans played on the water coupled. Children sailed their model boats and they were very happy seeing their moving boats and lights. Young lovers walked arm in arm, some were sitting very closely below the flower plants and bushes. Flowers of many colors were  bunched together and spread across forming a natural rainbow. Grand old trees make more attractive 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 extreme beauty 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 sketched it with descriptive words.

Days and Weeks passed by. Then, unexpectedly, a dark and sinister thought entered in the mind of the person who was placed at the other side of the window. Why should the man by the window

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, and 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 very saddened. She 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 by himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed. To his surprise, 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, "The earlier man was blind and could not even see the wall....Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you through his words." 

This is a story by Harry Buschman with a great moral. It says there is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.Lets all think about one way we can bring someone  happiness....

Cheers !