He shuffled out of the ER with his dignity stained a faint shade of indigo and a new cautionary tale about discount denim. The only lasting injury was to his pride, and even that healed quickly once the absurdity sank in. His “symptoms” became a story he’d tell on repeat, each retelling loosening the grip of the fear that brought him there.

Around him, others were quietly collecting their own medical misadventures: the patient who forgot their underwear and now recounts the mortification like a practiced comedian; the child whose terrified “cough” came out as a thunderous burp, detonating the tension in the room; the family who turned a missing pair of pants into legend. In these moments, medicine steps aside and something softer takes over. We cling to laughter, to odd compliments, to ridiculous mishaps, because they prove that even at our most fragile, we are still gloriously, stubbornly human.