The Hospital Window

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 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 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 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."