Meghan Trusley

Laughter. The tangible expression of joy. An art I have perfected.

For as long as I can remember, I have used laughter to bond with other people. After all, who can't like you if you laugh at all of their horrible jokes? I mean, if the saying that laughing makes you live longer is true, I guess I'll never die. Yes, I'm that obnoxiously loud girl who graces everyone with her booming laugh as soon as she enters a room. I'm the girl who laughs at everything, no matter the degree of humor or the setting. I'm the girl who can be heard from miles away.

In having a wonderfully obnoxious laugh, I have managed to draw into my life people that could have never spoken to me, had I not have had a contagious giggle that could be heard from across the room. Laughter is a connection. It bonds people in ways that smiling or shaking hands never could. It rids me of nervousness. It brings me joy on the hard days. Laughter is my rest.

Laughter is universally understood, a language that speaks without any letters or syllables. Laughter is a long space of silence as I laugh so hard that I can't catch my breath. Laughter is the squeak I make when someone makes a hilarious joke in a place where it is inappropriate to laugh. Laughter, for me, is a breath of fresh air in a polluted world full of sadness and worry.