Laughter, The Best Medicine
By Margery McCurdy Plummer

Sitting in a doctor’s waiting room is no fun at any time, if for no other reason than the fact of the appropriateness of it’s “waiting room” name, and here I sat for a routine but couldn’t postpone appointment. I wasn’t enjoying myself at all on this beautiful day that had seemed to break the spell of what seemed like forever winter.

All I wanted to do was to be outside all day enjoying the sun and warm breeze, and it seemed that I could be trapped for a long while just waiting.

The room was filled with sick people, some in wheel chairs, some on walkers and others who just looked as though they felt miserable.

There were three young women and a male assistant behind the long counter getting patient information, filling out forms and making appointments and just doing routine paper work in general. I noticed one of the young women at the end of the counter was talking with a young man in a white jacket. Shortly afterward, he disappeared behind a partition. I started again trying to concentrate on some outdated material often found in waiting rooms.

Suddenly, I heard applause and light laughter and not understanding the reason for it, I asked a young woman seated beside me the reason for this unusual cheerfulness. She said that the young woman had introduced the man in the white jacket to the patients as an intern, a new member of the staff.

I looked up and saw this tall, slender, dark haired man with flashing dark eyes and captivating smile lift his hand in a brief acknowledgement.

I didn’t know what to think of it. I knew I’d never seen this done before, and I wasn’t sure the powers that be would approve it or that it was even appropriate. On second thought, though, it seemed to me to be just a light hearted introduction that the young intern had agreed to and that this room full of weary, sick people smiled and applauded because his very presence, his friendliness, and his smile represented some kind of healing and maybe gave them a little bit of hope for a better day. I could almost sense it. Just observing, I felt better, and I wasn’t even sick.