“One of the first things I noticed was how much they loved to laugh.”

Kallie had once heard someone comment that about his first impression of his coworkers who lived in the South.  Kallie had noticed the same trend in her own workplaces.  In fact, laughter had made every job better and brighter for her.  Goofy coworkers, outrageous statements, silly scenarios, anecdotes that made you laugh yourself to tears.  All her favorite coworkers, former and current, had shared that common thread of laughter.

One of her favorite memories was of Gabriella.  Gabriella accessorized like nobody’s business, with dozens of purses and scores of shoes, all very cute and stylish.  It seemed like she had a different purse every day—and they usually had stories too.  One of them was from a former client at a previous job who had really appreciated Gabriella’s help.  When she tried to give Gabriella an expensive purse as a thank-you gift, Gabriella explained that she couldn’t accept such a large gift.  Undeterred, the woman called Gabriella later and insisted she meet her in the grocery store parking lot for a covert rendezvous to receive the gift.  “After all,” she explained, “I don’t have any daughters or granddaughters to get gifts for, so I want to share this with you.”

Gabriella’s purses and shoes weren’t the only noticeable part of her appearance.  Her nails changed color at least once a week, and her hair and makeup were always done up.  Most people couldn’t have pulled off iridescent eye shadow, but she could.  Kallie remembered how Gabriella’s short legs bobbed in the air when she would laugh while sitting in her swivel chair at the opposite desk.  It was like her whole body was laughing, and what a laugh it was!  It was the most infectious giggly laughter Kallie had ever heard and summed up Gabriella’s sweet, indefatigably upbeat disposition to a T.

Thinking about Gabriella brought another realization: that laughter is as much a key to the wholesomeness of Southern culture as red beans and rice, gumbo, and y’all.  After all, laughter brings the same sort of soul-nourishing warmth and comfort to a body as Southern hospitality, drawling accents, and home-cooked food.  That is why a true Southern lady knows how to laugh heartily—not just how to cook hearty food—for laughter is the best medicine and the best soul food of all, right up there with love and hugs.

P.S. When Kallie was reading online clothing reviews a year or two later and ran across a comment that said a dress had “giggle room,” she secretly wondered if the reviewer was a Southern lady who also understood the importance of a good laugh.