Monday, February 06, 2012

Short Story: The Window



The Window



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 hehave 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 the body away.. no words, 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.


- Author unknown





Moral of the story:

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice It is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. We may not see, hear or own everything, but it is our choice to be happy. Life is indeed beautiful and there is much to rejoice about. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.





Source: Inspiring Stories



35 comments:

  1. That is quite the bittersweet story. I was expecting the view to be rather plain, not something like that. He lost a good friend who cared enough to do what he did, and all for nothing.

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  2. I felt sad after reading this..we should really appreciate what people do for us, but most of all appreciate what we have.

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    1. So true. The man did not even appreciate the goodness of the other.. Nainggit kasi. :(

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  3. Doing best with what you got. If you can do that, then you pretty much got one of the best lives out there.

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  4. that was called greedy by the other man

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    1. Yep.. greedy and envious, that man. Hindi man lang sya tumulong.. :(

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  5. nakakalungkot naman... dahil lang sa inggit hinayaan nyang mamatay yung isa, tapos for what? for nothing lang pala.. yeah we should learn always to be contented with what we have.

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    1. Oo nga po.. Kung sana, pinindot nya yung help button nya, siguro buhay pa yung tao. Kaso, dahil lang sa inggit, hindi siya tumulong..

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  6. To describe something with so much detail that it becomes so real as to evoke strong emotion is the goal in all of my story-telling. Thanks for posting this.

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    1. You're welcome.. This is an inspiring story, worthy to be shared over and over again..

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  7. What a beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Choose to be happy.

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    1. Choose to be happy.. and make the most of what you have. Greed and envy could lead you to a dark road.

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  9. such a bittersweet story...

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    1. Yeah, it is.. The first time I found it on the net, and read it... I actually shed a tear.

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  10. i've read this story before, but i forgot the title of the book. this is quiet a beautiful story indeed. :)

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  11. though very sick and near death, the man by the window still see the good life, this is a very remarkable story

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    1. Yes, ms Joy. It sure is.

      I actually thought that he really did see those beautiful things outside his window.. Imagination lang din nya pala. He chose to see it, and the person he's telling imagined it.. Kakalungkot lang kasi that person got envious.. :(

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  12. Awww... :( Nainggit kasi si Kuya. This is a good example that envy could kill people. We all should learn to be contented and be happy of what we have. Isa din ton sa nakita kong moral o ewan lang din.

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    1. True, true. I agree, Josh. Envy is one of the seven deadly sins.. It can kill.

      Be happy and be contented. Make the most of what we have. Thanks, Josh.. :)

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  13. This story is brilliant! :) Thanks for sharing this Leah!

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  14. my question was, how do I stand up and find what my heart really desires....

    then i found out, that i must prioritize what I have promised a long long time ago...

    and that is to dedicate my life in service for God,

    and it turns out, I become really happy :)

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  15. the happiest people are not those with no problems. The happiest people, they have problems, too. The difference is, they don't dwell on their problems, instead, they work the hardest to make their dreams come true.

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  16. That is sad. The man was defeated by his envy and thus losing a dear friend. I was once in a similar situation like this. Though ndi naman umabot sa punto na someone died or anything. But because of envy, a friend of mine stopped talking to me. What she didn't know, was that the thing that she got angry about was actually something that I was doing for her. I tried to explain but she wouldn't hear it. She left with her family ang migrated to the US and I haven't heard from her since then. :( (sorry i can't disclose what that "something" is.. too personal for me)

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  17. this sad and heart breaking dear! mababaw p nmn luha ko hehe

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