I just had a conversation where, as someone who is hard of hearing in one ear, and grew up with my hard of hearing grandparents plus their loud families, I naturally just have no accurate Gage on how loud I'm being until I'm suddenly accused of yelling, being told to quiet down, or otherwise being told to stop showing my excitement in public places (I always ensured we were sat outside at restaurants or bars and chose not to be in enclosed areas so my voice wouldn't be of issue).

I would naturally have my voice raise as I talked about things I was excited about or loved and there's nothing quite like being suckerpunched with a "stop yelling. You're being too loud. Quiet down. I'm right next to you." when you're in the middle of a particularly exciting topic or memory. It's like being scolded by a parent when you're telling them about something cool as a kid. It's like, half embarrassing, half depressing. Feels like being a scolded child.

So, here's to anyone who has an issue with gaging how loud they're being, who get excited about things in this life and Want to share them with others, who get told to quiet down too often or don't feel like you get to express those big, happy emotions since you celebrate differently than others.

Don't let people take your joy away.