I sit and read outside in the town park.  A sound catches my ear. The sound of laughter. Not just any laughter, the really good kind. The kind that makes your eyes crinkle and water. The kind where you can just tell that whoevers laughing, their belly is hurting. Looking up, I see a little girl, grinning from ear to ear, revealing the deepest dimples and a gummy smile. She’s playing with her friend, their arms interlocked, and skipping away. 

Life without laughter would be inconceivable. Without laughter, there would be no universal expression of happiness. The days would be duller. The days wouldn’t have snippets of a bubbly giggle or a loud guffaw. The days surrounded by your closest friends with jokes and fun would no longer be the same, but missing something vital. 

It’s uplifting to laugh or even just seeing and hearing it around you. I have many memories of laughter, like when I was little and my brother would chase me around the kitchen table, or when he would tickle me. I hated it, but I couldn’t help laughing the whole time. More recently, I find myself driving my friends around. The car is filled with laughter every time. 

My dad always told me stories of him embarrassing himself and learning to laugh it off. Those words have stuck with me ever since he said it. “You just gotta laugh it off”, he smiled. Now, when I do something embarrassing or strange, I try laughing it off too. I find that it’s much better to brush it off, rather than keeping it all bottled up. 

Without these memories of laughter, my life would be monotonous and bland. I wouldn’t have fun times to look forward to with friends and I wouldn’t be able to turn to laughter in order to de-stress.