The window, An interesting story with a twist!

[CelticRadio]

 

The Window There were once two men, both seriously ill, in the same small room of a great hospital. Quite a small room, it had one window looking out on the world. One of the men, as part of his treatment, was allowed to sit up in bed for an hour in the afternoon (something to do with draining the fluid from his lungs). His bed was next to the window. But the other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. Every afternoon when the man next to the window was propped up for this hour, he would pass the time by describing what he could see outside. The window apparently overlooked a park where there was a lake. There were ducks and swans in the lake, and children came to throw them bread and sail model boats. Young lovers walked hand in hand beneath the trees, and there were flowers and stretches of grass, games of softball. And at the back, behind the fringe of trees, was a fine view of the city skyline. The man on his back would listen to the other man describe all of this, enjoying every minute. He heard how a child nearly fell into the lake, and how beautiful the girls were in their summer dresses. His friend's description eventually made him feel he could almost see what was happening outside. Then one fine afternoon, the thought struck him: Why should the man next to the window have all the pleasure of seeing what was going on? Why shouldn't he get the chance? He felt ashamed, but the more he tried not to think like that, the worse he wanted a change. He'd do anything! One night as he stared at the ceiling, the other man suddenly woke up, coughing and choking, his hands groping for the button that would bring the nurse running. But the man watched without moving - even when the sound of breathing stopped. In the morning, the nurse found the other man dead, and quietly took his body away. As soon as it seemed decent, the man asked if he could be switched to the bed next to the window. So they moved him, tucked him in, and made him quite comfortable. The minute they left, he propped himself up on one elbow, painfully and laboriously, and looked out the window. It faced a brick wall! Author Unknown And life is what we make it, always has been, always will be - Grandma Moses

[Cabbagehome]

Wanted to bump this back up to the top. We all need to remember we have the same clothes to get happy in.

[Angel Whitefang (Rider)]

Smiles... He had a true Friend

[myriad]

I both love and hate this story. It is sad when you think what that man must feel now that he knows the truth and realizes what he has lost. The human emotion can do such wonderful and horrible things to us. The desire to see things from anothers' point of view and then to reach that view and realize it was the others' attitude and contentedness, his selflessness that gave the view such meaning rather than the view itself can be difficult to understand. His heart was not about complaining because all he could see was a brick wall, it was about serving another in whatever way he could in his current circumstance. Humanity should look more for ways to view our current environment and circumstances positively than to think a change in them will offer the pleasure for which we seek.

I am one who struggles with these very things.

[Angel Whitefang (Rider)]

Myr,
I think we all struggle with these things, though I doubt that most people would admit to it. We have been taught to think of "SELF" and not care about what ever else happens. This is a negative emotion that I deal with constantly. It is very hard to think outside the box. Once you do though you life changes. It is never easy to think about all the people one decision you make will effect them.