We all have something that defines us. That one thing that makes a person who knows you stop and say, “Yep. That is so and so.” For me, it is my laugh.
This is both a blessing and a curse. I love to laugh. I try to do it often, but I have very little control over the volume of my laugh. Honestly, I have very little volume control in general. I’m a loud person and do not have the ability to whisper. My laugh is VERY loud and very distinct. People have tracked me down in large buildings just by following the sound of my laughter.
For those of us loud laughers out there, we really appreciate others with the same gift/affliction. Get a few of us together and a good time is sure to be had. Granted, we may cause a large number of innocent bystanders to run for the hills, but we know there is lots of fun on the horizon. (I’m looking at you Lew.)
For a while, I was slightly sensitive about my laugh due to years of being shushed as a child. It gave me a complex and began taking the joy out of one of my favorite things. Fuck that. I’m now an adult. I laugh how I laugh. If you don’t like it, I suggest you keep your distance. I laugh loudly and I laugh often.
I will try to keep it stifled if it is inappropriate laughter. This is also an affliction of my whole damn family. At my grandfather’s funeral, my Granny threatened to throw me, my mom, my sisters, and my aunt out of the funeral home for our uncontrollable laughter. Here’s the thing, my grandfather was hysterical and he would have loved we were cracking up telling stories about him. So, we laughed as quietly as we could and Granny shot us dirty looks for three hours.
In the last several years, I discovered that my laugh is actually my superpower when it comes to community theater. I’m very active with a local theater group and attend almost every play. I usually know the director and most of the actors. It is my happy place.
If the play is a comedy, someone usually asks me which performance I will be attending. I found this curious at first, but I later learned I was something of a plant in the audience. Apparently, laughter really is contagious and if my big mouth was there, the cast felt sure it would be a good show. I will laugh at just about anything.
This is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received. It has completely helped me embrace my gift and learn to tell anyone who tries to shush me to fuck off.
I was at a play a couple of weeks ago. It was hilarious. I howled the entire performance. After the show, most of the cast hugged me and told me how glad they were to hear me in the crowd. The director, who is one of my dearest friends, said the show I attended was the best performance. I do what I can.
We all have our thing. The thing that is uniquely ours. We need to appreciate this special gift and use it for good. Don’t run away from it, stifle it or try to hide it. Let your freak flag fly. The folks who appreciate it are your people. Never let them go.
Angela Traver
What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.
