Hospital Window

Hospital Window Short Story

There were two men in one hospital room, both seriously ill.

One man was allowed to sit in bed for an hour each day to help clear fluid from his lungs.
His bed was by the only window in the room.

The other man had to lie on his back all the time.

The men talked for hours.

They talked about their wives and families, about their home, about their work, about their participation in the military service, where they were on vacation.

Every day when the man in the bed by the window could sit down, he spent time describing to his roommate everything he saw outside the window.

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The man in the other bed began to live during those hourly periods when his world expanded and was enlivened by all the activity and colors of the outer world.

The windows overlooked the park with a beautiful lake. Ducks and swans played on the water, and the children rode their model boats.

Young lovers walked hand in hand among flowers of all colors, and in the distance, they could see a beautiful view of the city skyline.

While the man at the window described all this in great detail, the man at the other end of the room closed his eyes and imagined this picturesque scene.

One warm day, a man at the window described a procession passing by.

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Although the other person could not hear the orchestra, he could see it in his mind’s eye when the gentleman at the window portrayed it in descriptive terms.

Days, weeks, and months passed.

One morning, the day nurse came to fetch bath water, only to find the lifeless body of a man by the window, who died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the paramedics to remove the body.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, another man asked if he could be moved to the window. The nurse was glad to switch and, making sure he was comfortable, left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on his elbow to get his first glimpse of the real world outside.

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He strained to slowly turn around and look out the window next to the bed.

He was facing a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what might have motivated his late roommate, who was describing such wonderful things outside that window.

The nurse replied that the man was blind and could not even see the wall.

She said, “Maybe he just wanted to cheer you up.”

Hospital Window Short Story Moral

Making others happy is a great happiness, despite our own circumstances.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness, when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count everything you have that money can’t buy.

“Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the Present.”