Angelo's & Vinci's, Champagne & Brunch, Love & Squalor

On Sunday I was at my favorite brunch restaurant (www.angelosandvincis.com) to celebrate the engagement of two incredible people (www.stuckonheads.blogspot.com).

I've been thinking a lot about timing lately, and what it means to have things happen at the "right moment," if there is such a thing, and about all those things that "fall into your lap," "happen for a reason," or "just happen" and if they really do truly add up to being where "you're supposed to be." But the good thing about engagements (and dining with good friends) is that they affirm my faith in time. Whether it's two people picking the right moment and celebrating it, or many people slowing down at a table together to catch up, it makes everything feel right.

I especially love that this restaurant is not romantic. It's a mix of many many things, and doesn't take itself seriously. Even our table decor was welcome. The juxtapositioning of things, and then fully embracing them is what love is all about after all. I think Salinger's phrase "love and squalor" says it best. I haven't been able to get this dialogue out of my head: "What is it like to be in love?" "It hurts. It hurts." Shortly after the engagement brunch, I learned that one of my friends had been dumped. He's heartbroken. It just goes to show that while the timing is right for some, it can also mean time is up for others. On a day where I witnessed both the highs and disappointments of others I was glad to have stood in the middle, receptive to both. Amid love and squalor, champagne and brunch, happiness and hurt, I felt like I was where I was supposed to be, where I was needed most.