Two Men In A Hospital

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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, and even where they had been on their vacations.

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 toy boats. Young couples 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 detail. Days and weeks passed by........

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 and 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 brick wall!

The man asked the nurse what could have possibly compelled his deceased roommate to describe
such wonderful things outside his window, when they weren't even there at all!

The nurse responded in tears, that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said with tears flowing from her eyes, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."

~Author Unknown~

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