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.”