Every year around this time, I’m asked the same inevitable question: “What are you thankful for this year?”My answer is always standard: friends, family, health.

This year, I made it a goal to be thankful for things that aren’t as obvious or constantly celebrated. I want to be thankful for the parts of my life that go unappreciated.

After the difficult past year, I find myself grateful for the laughter that carried me through hard times. It offered a connection to those around me, in a time when the meaning of connection entirely shifted. Whether over phone call or face to face, the sound of laughter remained constant during times of enormous change.

I’m thankful for laughter in all forms: for the barely contained, whispering laughter shared with my friends in the late hours of the night; for the giddy laughter shared with classmates when we’re supposed to be silently working; for the deep belly laughter that makes my sides ache as I gasp for air; for the relaxed laughs that come out in the presence of those you are most comfortable with, the accidental snorts and cackles.

And most of all, I am thankful for the feeling of uncontrollable, contagious laughter. The kind of laughter that brings people together. Now, as life is returning back to normal, laughter plays the same crucial role in my life.

Laughter connects me to my relatives who don’t speak the same language as I do. No matter the different language spoken, laughter is universal. Laughter connects me to old friends who I haven’t spoken to in months, breaking the ice and bringing us back to old memories. Laughter connects me to strangers I have just met, creating a bond and foundation for friendship.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for my loved ones, for health and for freedom. But I am also newly thankful for uncontrollable laughter, the kind of laughter that allowed me to foster connections during a time of disconnection.

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