I just came from visiting my friend’s grandmother who is recovering from major surgery. As I sat and talked to her for nearly an hour, I was amazed by her humor and optimism. In spite of her immense pain and sudden incapacity, she was able to keep my friend and me laughing. When I commented on the beauty of her spirit, she replied matter-of-factly, “If you can’t make people laugh, what good are you?” A few minutes later, a gospel song came on the cafeteria radio. Soon after, the empty stares and pained moans that filled the room were transformed into bright smiles and faithful hums.  Although it was impossible for me to leave without considering the tragic state of American health care and the inevitability of my own physical decline, I left with something more important. I was reminded of the buoyancy of the human spirit and our uncanny ability to find meaning, possibility, and hope in the most absurd of circumstances.