A few years into our relationship, Gabby and I started a shared playlist of songs simply called “happy songs!” It must’ve been after we watched the movie Stepmom, because the playlist opens with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” (1/5)

Over several years, we kept adding songs one at a time until it was over 50 songs long. I can’t really explain the criteria for what made it onto the playlist, beyond saying that I think George Benson’s “Turn Your Love Around” would’ve been in there. (2/5)

This playlist was essential to us because these were not just happy songs, but happy songs to us. We were the only audience for that playlist — that is, until we got married, when many of the songs made it into our wedding playlist. (3/5)

But “happy songs!” was a precursor to all that, or more like a vehicle for starting to think that way, of us as a unit. (4/5)

Like when we bought a shitty projector in college and celebrated because we saw it as our first major purchase (read: >$100) together. (5/5)