“There’s nothing better than a world where everybody’s just trying to make each other laugh.”

Those are words that probably sound really simple to most people because let’s be honest, with everything that’s happening in the world right now, with everything that’s always happening in the world, making someone laugh just doesn’t seem like the largest feat to accomplish in life.

At least, that’s what I thought for a long time, until I watched a twenty-four year old guy sit in a New York City coffee shop and talk about life for the first time.

Now, don’t go getting the wrong message or anything! I was one of those really optimistic, go-lucky Broadway theater nerds growing up, so it’s not that I didn’t know the impact a smile could have on someone’s life or anything like that. In fact, I’ve genuinely always thought that seeing a smile from the person you love is mostly the greatest miracle you can be granted, really.

Especially if you’re the lucky one who's getting to make that special person, no matter what role they play in your life, feel that happy.

I just never really entirely believed laughter always carried that same type of weight.

And I think a large part of me thought that because, well, I’ve never really been too terribly good at making anyone laugh. 

Which I know probably sounds a little overdramatic to say, but it’s kinda just how I felt about myself, to be honest.

Of course, I found other ways to make people smile. 

I try my best to always be there for anyone who needs a shoulder to cry on and support my friends and family when maybe they’re not feeling the most confident in themselves. 

And I make people happy by providing connection through the poems and stories I create with my imagination and sometimes, solely only my own emotions.

Those are the things I’m good at. The things that make me happy; Loving the people around me.

But that doesn’t change the fact that there’s a certain unique magical touch to watching a smile slip onto someone’s face after you make them laugh that nothing can replace. Because in that moment that you’re giggling nonstop about an unexpected joke someone made, you’re not worrying about anything. About what anyone thinks of you, about what you think of yourself. 

You’re just…well, you’re just living.

You’re living your life without concerning yourself about passing the unattainable expectations someone else set for you. Or maybe, you set for yourself. 

Because there, in that moment, you’re welcoming that feeling of happiness with open arms.

You’re doing that, by laughing.

And one of the biggest reasons why I believe that is because of Chandler Bing.

                                                                  Because of Matthew Perry.

I didn’t grow up when ”Friends” was airing on TV, but the impact his character has had on my life is something I haven’t felt with any other show before. 

Which probably sounds insane because I’m not even an adult yet myself so it’s not like I’ve gone through all the experiences Chandler did or anything near them at this point, really.

But that didn’t change how connected I felt to the show.

And to his character.

Because the connection I shared with him only relied on two things; Happiness and inspiration.

Every time I watch any of his scenes, even if I’m just walking through my parents’ bedroom and happen to overhear one of his many famous sarcastic quips like, “I’m hopeless and awkward and desperate for love!” or, “I say more dumb things before nine A.M. than most people say all day,” I quite literally cannot stop myself from bursting out into laughter.

It doesn’t even matter if I’ve been smiling all day or if I just was crying five seconds before hearing it.

Either way, I laugh.

And maybe that sounds a little crazy, but that sure feels like magic to me.

All of those things and so very, very many more reasons are why Chandler Bing inspired me to, well, try and find my inner comedian, too. 

He taught me that I don’t always have to look at the moments of my own stupidity (we all have them. That’s just a part of life) as a failure I should be self-conscious of, but rather, as just another way I can spread joy.

Because sure, I can take every single thing I do seriously and spend hours and hours wondering what I could’ve done to do something better.

Or I can just let myself be me.

My imperfectly amazingly sweet, and sometimes, dumb or weird self, too. 

I mean, my motto in life is to always strive to just make one person smile.

So who says I can’t do that by telling a joke?

And the only reason that I know that is because it’s the way I felt watching Matthew Perry on-screen.

Everything he did was just so funny and relatable and, well, as silly of a thing as it may be to say, it makes me smile.

It makes me happy.

It gives me this show to always come back to when I just need to relax and stop thinking about everything.

And honestly, I don’t think that’ll ever change no matter how old I get.

Which is why it breaks my heart so much to know that I’ll never get to meet the person who changed my perspective on humor now.

But what I can still say is, thank you.

Thank you for being a fictional friend to me.

Thank you for spreading happiness to so many people in this chaotic world.

Thank you for always putting everyone else’s joy first.

Thank you for showing me that I’m funnier than I thought I was.

Thank you for dedicating so many years of your life to doing what you love.

And lastly,

Thank you for making me,

And so many more,

Smile.

Rest in peace, Matthew Perry.

The world was truly that much brighter of a place because of the laughter you gave to it.