The Present

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 color 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 color 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.'

Epilogue:

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…”

November Updates

It seems my previous post about palm trees being in my future was premature! With DH's travel schedule it just won't happen. We will still go in spring though, like usual, only longer. Maybe two whole weeks for our anniversary!

And, speaking of his schedule... he came home last Thursday and left again on Monday. This month, he will be gone all week and home on weekends before he takes off for another 2-3 weeks on the West Coast. We are trying to make the most of it but it is still hard and it is slowly taking its toll on both of us. Two days a week is not enough! In fact, this weekend is already completely full! In addition the the usual house stuff to take care of (I hate fall chores by the way - picking up leaves, ick!), we have to go to the garage with both cars for oil and tires and we have some family obligations to take care of as well. Even going to the garage together is a luxury at this point because we would usually just do it ourselves!

In order to spend some time together this weekend, I just booked a couple of massages early Sunday morning. Ironically, our time together will be spent apart but we both need this right now! No distractions, no interruptions, no cellphones, no family or friends... just peace and quiet. I am not even going to say which spa I booked for fear of people looking for us! It is one of the three I frequent, maybe... have fun hunting!

Actually, booking the spa was amusing. After choosing your package, they ask if you want a male or a female masseuse. By default I asked for female, but then I hesitated and was tempted to ask if their males were built like roman gods! Hey, I wouldn't mind! But I stuck with female for both of us... sigh.

Recently someone commented on how often we splurge (in their opinion) and they mentioned that they felt it was a bit excessive. And, you know what, to many it might be; but when you balance a once in a blue moon spa outing with weeks apart from one another - I don't think it is. We work hard for what we have, and while it might seem like splurging to some, I can assure anyone that our savings are just fine! I am not a millionaire, but I know how to manage my finances thank you very much.

Honestly, this "lifestyle" does kind of sucks right now... but I am thankful; for my home, DH, the people surrounding me, the support I have, and the opportunities I get the rest of the year because of our successes. I take the bad with the good I suppose and I am hardly ungrateful. It is what it is!