Happiness You Share with Someone is Joy Doubled
My long-time friend, Paul Crowe, recently sent me a story. We don't know where exactly this story came from. But it came with the promise of "changing my way of thinking" in just 37 seconds. How can you not be intrigued by something like that? So, I read on.
It talks about two men, both seriously -- possibly terminally ill -- who 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. The other man, however, had to spend all his time flat on his back. The man who was allowed to sit up had the only bed in the room that was next to a window.
Every afternoon, for an hour, the man would sit by the window and describe scenes from the outside world to his roommate. And as it turned out, those descriptions kept the bed-ridden man going. Everyday, he would wait for that one-hour period in the afternoon when he could hear about the park and lake outside, the ducks and swans that frolicked on the water while children sailed their model boats. He yearned to hear about the colorful flowers, young lovers walking hand in hand and the glorious cityscape. These details put a smile on the face of the man who would lie on the bed, close his eyes and visualize these picturesque scenes.
One morning, the man by the window died. The other man quickly asked the nurse if he could occupy that window-facing bed left vacant by his now deceased friend. The nurse agreed and the man moved. But when he did, he was shocked to find that there was no park, no lake, no parades and no cityscape. All he saw was a blank wall. He wondered why his friend might have made up those beautiful scenes and stories. What's more, he learned that his friend was also blind. He couldn't even see that blank wall outside his window!
Why did the blind man tell those heart-warming stories? One can only guess that he knew that they made his ill roommate happy. He got tremendous joy from making other people happy, irrespective of his own situation. When you share your sorrow, no one wants any part of it. But when you share happiness and joy, others around you feel it too. Count all the things that you have, which money simply cannot buy. The love of your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, the times you spend with friends -- you cannot put a price tag on any of that. As they say: Yesterday was history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift. That's why it's called "The Present."
My friend, Paul Crowe, who sent me this beautiful story, reminds me of the blind man by the window. Paul is the kind of guy who has been sharing happiness with his friends for the 40 years we have been buddies. Thank you once again, Paul, for reminding me of "The Present!"
