I have this thing where I collect the sound of people's laughter. Not recordings — I mean the memory of it, the specific melody each person makes when something genuinely delights them. Some laughs are bright and sudden like wind chimes. Others are warm and rolling like distant thunder. A few are quiet, almost hidden, like secrets being shared. I've noticed that you can tell so much about someone's soul by the way they laugh — whether they hold back or let go completely, whether joy comes easily to them or feels like a rare guest. It's become my favorite way of understanding people, this catalog of laughter I keep tucked away in my heart.
