Day 4 | Matcha with vanilla… and a smile!

Dear Self,

I met someone today...well, met might be a stretch. But we shared an elevator. And a moment.

That counts, right?

It happened around 11:30. I’d stepped out to get some air (and oat milk – priorities). On my way back, the elevator stopped at the sixth floor, which it almost never does. And there he was. Holding a cactus. A small, spiky cactus in a terracotta pot.

He stepped in and smiled, like we were both in on a quiet secret. I smiled back because what else do you do when someone’s carrying a cactus as if it belonged exactly there? He didn’t press a button. Just stood, steady and calm, humming under his breath. Floor by floor, the silence wrapped around us like the inside of a book. Comfortable. Oddly cinematic.

“Arin,” he said just before I stepped out. Then, with the faintest grin, “This is Spike.” And just like that, the doors closed.

The rest of the day moved in its usual rhythm... emails, snack breaks, half-listened playlists. But something about that tiny moment stayed. Not because it was romantic or strange. But because it reminded me that life still has these odd little corners. Places where quiet magic lives, if you’re paying attention.

Tonight’s matcha felt extra warm. I added a splash of vanilla. Sat by the window. Let my mind wander back to the sixth floor, the humming stranger and his cactus. 

Not every story begins with fireworks. Some begin with silence, a stranger and a cactus called Spike. 

Love,
Nokū

🫖 Today’s Little Ritual
Matcha with oat milk, vanilla and a swirl of wondering. Stirred slow, sipped slower.

🎧 Currently Listening To
“Coffee” – Beabadoobee