Imperative 6
To be joyful.
Laughter and joy can be a more effective medicine than anything we hope to produce in a laboratory. The joy of medicine was given to me by my patients. I will always remember the day I sat in the bedroom of a hospice patient who was surrounded by his immediate family. For some reason, something someone said caused us all to laugh. It went from the giggles to gut-wrenching laughter, especially the patient. I am not suggesting that we all become a Patch Adams, but joy can suffuse even the most difficult of situations.
from Dr. Walter Hunter’s 12 Imperatives for Working with the Dying