THE HOSPITAL WINDOW
A great note for all to read it will take just 37 seconds
to read this and change your thinking !
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. 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 colour 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 colour 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 real world outside. He
strained to slowly turn to look out of 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. 'Epilogue: Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy. 'Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.' The origin of this letter is unknown, but it brings
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