HAPPINESS: You can give it

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.. 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
colour 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 colour 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
details, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine this 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.

Days, weeks and months 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 real world outside. He strained to slowly turn to look
out the window besides 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.'

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 the things you have that money
can't buy.
Today is a gift, that is why it is called The
Present