Two men, both seriously ill, were hospital roommates.
One man, whose bed was next to the room’s window,
sat up for an hour everyday for treatment.
The roommate had to lie flat on his back.
The men talked for hours about their lives.
Every time the man sat up, he’d describe everything he saw outside.
The roommate enjoyed listening to each vivid detail from the lake to the flowers.
He’d close his eyes and imagine each picturesque scene.
Months passed.
One morning, the man by the window died peacefully.
The roommate asked to move beside the window.
Slowly, painfully, he got up to see the world outside.
It faced a blank wall.
He asked the nurse, “Why did he deceive me?”
She said the man was blind.
She added, “Perhaps…
He just wanted to encourage you.”