"Hi, Neighbor!"

I had a happy encounter today on my neighborhood's busiest boulevard. I'd just been to the dentist -- that tooth sensitivity I'd experienced earlier in the week turned out to be nothing (yea!) -- and was headed to Target when a couple half a block ahead of me turned around and the woman said, "Hi, Neighbor!"

I think they forgot my name. I know I forgot theirs. But we lived next door to one another for a few years, until they moved out about three neighbors ago. We had a lovely moment when their daughter was born, just after my mom died. I told them how happy it made me to hold a baby, when I was mourning. Also, since my mom loved both The Brookfield Zoo and babies, I gave their newborn a teeny-tiny t-shirt I'd picked up at my first trip to the zoo after my mom died. I did it more for myself than for them, really. It felt right and helped me heal. But still, it meant a lot to them. Funny how little things make an impact, isn't it?

Anyway, that baby girl is now in first grade and they wanted to share photos. In the February cold, we stood there together as scrolled through their phones and showed me pictures of her. I noticed that, in all of the recent ones, she was wearing a Gryffindor scarf, so I know she's a young Harry Potter fan. They told me that she's attracted to the magical and supernatural, but is learning to make choices. When something scares her, she turns it off herself.

Anyway, between the blissful outcome at the dentist and my encounter on Main Street, I was happy. Happy is good.