InfornnI Corornfo CommunIcnfIon

1he ursu|t of napp|ness

InfornnI Corornfo CommunIcnfIon
1wo men boLh serlously lll occupled Lhe same hosplLal room Cne man was allowed Lo
slL up ln hls bed for an hour a day Lo draln Lhe flulds from hls lungs Pls bed was nexL Lo
Lhe rooms only wlndow 1he oLher man had Lo spend all hls Llme flaL on hls back
1he men Lalked for hours on end 1hey spoke of Lhelr wlves and famllles Lhelr homes
Lhelr [obs Lhelr lnvolvemenL ln Lhe mlllLary servlce where Lhey had been on vacaLlon
And every afLernoon when Lhe man ln Lhe bed nexL Lo Lhe wlndow could slL up he would
pass Lhe Llme by descrlblng Lo hls roommaLe all Lhe Lhlngs he could see ouLslde Lhe
wlndow
1he man ln Lhe oLher bed would llve for Lhose onehour perlods where hls world would
be broadened and enllvened by all Lhe acLlvlLy and color of Lhe ouLslde world 1he
wlndow overlooked a park wlLh a lovely lake Lhe man had sald ucks and swans played
on Lhe waLer whlle chlldren salled Lhelr model boaLs Lovers walked arm ln arm amld
flowers of every color of Lhe ralnbow Crand old Lrees graced Lhe landscape and a flne
vlew of Lhe clLy skyllne could be seen ln Lhe dlsLance As Lhe man by Lhe wlndow
descrlbed all Lhls ln exqulslLe deLall Lhe man on Lhe oLher slde of Lhe room would close
hls eyes and lmaglne Lhe plcLuresque scene
InfornnI Corornfo CommunIcnfIon
Cne warm afLernoon Lhe man by Lhe wlndow descrlbed a parade passlng by AlLhough Lhe
oLher man could noL hear Lhe band he could see lL ln hls mlnds eye as Lhe genLleman by
Lhe wlndow porLrayed lL wlLh descrlpLlve words unexpecLedly an allen LhoughL enLered
hls head Why should he have all Lhe pleasure of seelng everyLhlng whlle l never geL Lo
see anyLhlng? lL dldnL seem falr As Lhe LhoughL fermenLed Lhe man felL ashamed aL flrsL
8uL as Lhe days passed and he mlssed seelng more slghLs hls envy eroded lnLo
resenLmenL and soon Lurned hlm sour Pe began Lo brood and found hlmself unable Lo
sleep Pe should be by LhaL wlndow and LhaL LhoughL now conLrolled hls llfe
LaLe one nlghL as he lay sLarlng aL Lhe celllng Lhe man by Lhe wlndow began Lo cough Pe
was choklng on Lhe fluld ln hls lungs 1he oLher man waLched ln Lhe dlmly llL room as Lhe
sLruggllng man by Lhe wlndow groped for Lhe buLLon Lo call for help LlsLenlng from across
Lhe room he never moved never pushed hls own buLLon whlch would have broughL Lhe
nurse runnlng ln less Lhan flve mlnuLes Lhe coughlng and choklng sLopped along wlLh
Lhe sound of breaLhlng now Lhere was only sllencedeaLhly sllence
InfornnI Corornfo CommunIcnfIon
1he followlng mornlng Lhe day nurse arrlved Lo brlng waLer for Lhelr baLhs When she
lound Lhe llfeless body of Lhe man by Lhe wlndow she was saddened and called Lhe
hosplLal aLLendanL Lo Lake lL awayno words no fuss As soon as lL seemed approprlaLe
Lhe man asked lf he could be moved nexL Lo Lhe wlndow 1he nurse was happy Lo make
Lhe swlLch and afLer maklng sure he was comforLable she lefL hlm alone
Slowly palnfully he propped hlmself up on one elbow Lo Lake hls flrsL look llnally he
would have Lhe [oy of seelng lL all hlmself Pe sLralned Lo slowly Lurn Lo look ouL Lhe
wlndow beslde Lhe bed lL faced a blank wall
InfornnI Corornfo CommunIcnfIon
,ora| of the story
1he pursulL of happlness ls a maLLer of cholcelL ls a poslLlve aLLlLude we consclously
choose Lo express lL ls noL a glfL LhaL geLs dellvered Lo our doorsLep each mornlng nor
does lL come Lhrough Lhe wlndow And l am cerLaln LhaL our clrcumsLances are [usL a small
parL of whaL makes us [oyful lf we walL for Lhem Lo geL [usL rlghL we wlll never flnd
lasLlng [oy
1he pursulL of happlness ls an lnward [ourney Cur mlnds are llke programs awalLlng Lhe
code LhaL wlll deLermlne behavlors llke bank vaulLs awalLlng our deposlLs lf we regularly
deposlL poslLlve encouraglng and upllfLlng LhoughLs lf we conLlnue Lo blLe our llps [usL
before we begln Lo grumble and complaln lf we shooL down LhaL seemlngly harmless
negaLlve LhoughL as lL germlnaLes we wlll flnd LhaL Lhere ls much Lo re[olce abouL