The Pursuit of Happiness

Two army veterans, both seriously wounded in the Iraq war, occupied the same hospital room. One man  was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour a day to drain the fluids from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other manhad to spend all his time flat on his back on the only other bed in the room.

The two soldiers talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives,children and  families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military  service, where they had been on vacation.etc. And every afternoon when the  man in the bed next to the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his room mate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed would relive in those one hour periods,  his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and  colour of the outside world. The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake, the man had said. Ducks and swans played and frolicked  on the water while  children sailed their model boats. Lovers walked arm in arm amidst the  flowers of every colour of the rainbow. Grand old trees graced the landscape, 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  detail, the soldier on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the 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 visualise in his mind as the soldier by the window portrayed it with descriptive  words. Unexpectedly, an alien thought entered his head: Why should his room mate  have all the pleasure of seeing everything while he never got to see  anything? It didn't seem fair. As the thought fermented, the man felt  ashamed at first. But as the days passed and he missed seeing more sights, his envy eroded into resentment and soon turned him sour,bitter and angry. He  began to brood and found himself unable to sleep. He should be by that  window - and this only thought now controlled and preyed on his life.

Late one night, as he lay staring at the ceiling, the man by the window  began to cough. He was choking on the fluid in his lungs. The other man  watched in the dimly lit room as the struggling man by the window groped for the bell button to call for help. Listening from across the room, the other man  never moved, never pushed his own button which would have brought the doctor or the nurse running. In less than five minutes, the coughing and choking  stopped, alongwith the sound of breathing.Now, there was only silence—a deathly eerie silence. The following morning, the day nurse arrived to bring waterand towels  for their baths. When she found the lifeless body of the soldier by the window, she was saddened and called the hospital staff to take the man  away--no  words, no fuss. As soon as it seemed appropriate, the man asked the nurse 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 the room.

Slowly and  painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his  first look in six months out the window. He thought-finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.It faced a blank and dirty wall…………….

 Moral of the story:

The pursuit of happiness is a matter of choice...it is a positive attitude we consciously choose to express. It is not a gift that gets delivered to our doorstep each morning, nor does it come through the window. Our circumstances are just a small part of what makes us joyful. If we wait for them to get it just right, we will never find lasting joy.

It is easy to be negative about past mistakes and unhappiness. But it is much more healing to look at ourselves and our past in the light of experience, acceptance, and growth.

Make every day count. Appreciate every moment and take from it everything that you possibly can, for you may never be able to experience it again. You can make of your life anything you wish. Create your own life and then go out and live it. Appreciate yourself by allowing yourself the opportunities to grow, develop, and find your true sense of purpose in this life. Don't stand in someone else's shadow when it's your sunlight that should lead the way.

 The pursuit of happiness is an inward journey. Our minds are like  programmes, awaiting the code that will determine behaviours; like bank vaults awaiting our deposits. If we regularly deposit positive, encouraging, and uplifting thoughts,  if we shoot down the seemingly  negative thought as these germinate, we will find that there is much to rejoice about….making our pursuit of happiness all the fulfilling,comforting and enduring.

“We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge. People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.Pause and ponder. Think before you act. Be patient. Forgive & forget. Love one and all.If you judge people, you have no time to love them”…Mother Teresa