Published January 23, 2026

Watching all of the credits at the end of a movie became an unshakable habit of mine decades ago. I suppose I was a snob about it early on, but over time it increasingly felt like the least I could do for all of the people involved in such an endeavor.

Last night I found myself in tears during the climactic scene of a motion picture I’ve seen several times. I was watching on my computer, not in a theater, but I sat through the credits all the same. When it ended, I downloaded the soundtrack and the image above and wrote what I suppose is an homage to all of the creative people out there.

One friend long ago made sure to spot the name of the key grip in the credits. Maybe even the gaffer. We all have our psychic anchors that get us through life.

Streaming services seem to want to push you forward to the next thing in your watchlist or the next popular TV show almost as soon as the credits have started rolling. I had to work to figure out how to persuade Apple TV to let me hear all of the song at the end of an emotional documentary after it blew past it to tee up a comedy I had no interest in seeing.

Not now, knuckleheads. Let me hear the song I’d been waiting for.

That’s the song.

The documentary is one of the best I’ve ever seen. The title, “Come See Me in the Good Light,” sounds like something I’d say.

This next quote also sounds like a thing I plan to say, maybe today and every day after it.

Stay with me, y’all, because my story is one about happiness being easier to find once we realize we do not have forever to find it.”

I seem to have taken a detour

This part wasn’t planned, but maybe it was meant to be here? And no, that was not the movie I watched last night. That movie is 36 years old.

You’ll have to work out what this part has to do with anything, but think about your life. How long would the credits take from start to finish?

I think about that often, and I sit through as many of the credits, in all their variations, as I can.

Sending love. Protect your peace.

Featured image by KIM JIHYUN via Shutterstock.

♥

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