Sight Beyond the Eyes
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 all of 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."
Epilogue. . . .There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own
situations. Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled. If you
want to feel rich, just count all of 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.
