Two men, both seriously ill,
occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his
bed for an hour a day to drain the
fluids 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 next to 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 would live
for those one-hour periods where his
world would be broadened and enlivened
by all the activity and color of
the outside world.
The window overlooked a park with a
lovely lake, the man had said.

Ducks and swans played on the water while
children sailed their model boats.
Lovers walked arm in arm amid 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 could not
hear the band, he could see it in
his mind's eye as the gentleman by
the window portrayed it with
descriptive words.

Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered
his head: Why should he have all the
pleasure of seeing everything while
I never get to see anything?

It didn't seem fair.
As the thought fermented,
the man felt ashamed at first.

But as the days passed and he missed
seeing more sights, his envy eroded
into resentment and soon turned him sour.

He began to brood and found himself
unable to sleep.
He should be by that window ---
and that thought now controlled
his life.
Late one night, as he lay staring
at the ceiling, the man by the window
began to cough.

He was choking on the fluid in his lungs.
The other man watched in the dimly lit room
as the struggling man by the window groped
for the button to call for help.

Listening from across the room,
he never moved,
never pushed his own button,
which would have brought the nurse running.

In less than five minutes,
the coughing and choking stopped,
along with the sound of breathing.
Now, there was only silence-deathly silence.

The following morning the day nurse
arrived to bring water for their baths.
When she found the lifeless body of the
man by the window, she was saddened and
called the hospital attendant
to take it away-no works,
no fuss.

As soon as it seemed appropriate,
the 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.
Finally, he would have the joy of
seeing it all himself.

He strained to slowly turn to look out
the window beside the bed ......

It faced a blank wall.
Friends are always there to bring joy,
warm and laughter to our lives.
Sometimes it becomes so unconditional
and natural that many of us fail to
appreciate it.

So treasure your buddies cause
they will be a helping hand
to hold you when you fall.

Labels: story