I had posted a picture of me mid-laugh on Instagram, and a friend commented how she can hear my laughter so clearly through her phone, just by looking at the image. When I relayed that to my boyfriend, he said it made sense, considering how it's my most recognizable expression.
If I heard this comment a while ago, I don't think I would have appreciated it as much as I do now.
I have a very distinct laugh. Since I was a kid, I've had a loud, in-your-face laugh that you could always hear. I laugh with my whole body, and it doesn't take much for me to do so. If I am in a room, and you couldn't find me, you could probably use my laugh as a GPS signal.
As a kid, I didn't appreciate how much my laugh stuck out. In general, you don't want to stick out during that age, so I wasn't thrilled about this unique trait. On my sweet 16, my friends roasted me (with good intentions, I'm sure) and compared my laughter to that of a hyena. I'm sure you can understand my teenage wariness.
My mom and I actually have similar laughs. She's always joked about how I've gotten so many of her bad traits, including migraines and body hair. When I was younger, I probably would have added this laugh to the list.
But now, when I hear how people know my laugh, no matter where I am, it means something more than just being loud.
It means that they, more often than not, see me laughing. They see my sincerity, my joy when I'm in their company, and they appreciate it. Because it is the most obvious sign of happiness, so they know that I'm truly happy.
I'm glad that my happiest expression is my most recognizable.
