The part of the movie where everyone's happy

This afternoon was perfect and sunny and the first day that might, maybe, have been considered spring. Brandon's folks were here, and we had a lazy morning lounging, brunching, making poundcake, eating too many donuts, etc. Later, as the afternoon sun streamed into our kitchen and sunroom, I stood out on the porch talking to a medley of neighbors, all of us leaning over the railings on our different landings. Michelle said, "it feels like Sesame Street out here," and someone started singing "who are the people in your neighborhood?" and we all laughed.

I came inside. I put some frosting on a graham cracker, which is pretty much the world's most perfect food, and put the soundtrack to the Big Chill on the stereo. And somehow a minute later I was holding Elliot, eating my snack, singing along to the lyrics: "Tell him that you're never gonna leave him/ Tell him that you're always gonna love him/Tell him, tell him, tell him, tell him right now." And I just thought: if my life were a movie, this would be the part they would show in the preview so that everyone knew, even without knowing what might happen later, my life was good.