🌈1383 – Sunday, 30 November 2025, 21:58

London

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful day today. It was grey, but the sun was out.

I woke up from a dream this morning, but I can’t remember it now. I wish I had written it down.

Hello “Mind,” please make a note: next time I wake up from a dream, write it down quickly -either on the piece of paper that is already by the bed on the right side on the floor, or in the notepad on the phone.

I checked my phone and had a text from Cxxxx, my dear old friend. I saw him three days ago when he was visiting town. We were very close until 2017, when he went back home to the US for work. His text said he was going to the Columbia Road flower market, and if I wanted to join, we should meet around 11:30 or 12.

I had a long conversation with my brother last night, and for some reason, he asked how this friend was. So I felt I should go and hang out, take some time out, because he won’t be in town next week, and I will still be doing my own things.

I needed to tidy up the home this morning first, since I had spent so much time at home since Friday, and things had been moved around. I got ready and left the house at 11:50. I walked to Green Park station, took the Victoria line to Highbury & Islington, then the Overground to Hoxton. I got off there. My friend was waiting outside the Museum of the Home; he had just been inside, and we didn’t go back in. We walked straight toward the Columbia Road flower market. The flowers were beautiful. It was pretty crowded, but still nice. I picked up a Christmas tree from there.

We were catching up and talking about all the people we used to know – the friends we hung out with, the places we went. We also talked about one of our old flatmates we lost contact with, how much we missed him, and how nobody has seen or heard from him since 2017.

The tree was too heavy to carry, but it was a good one. I’d been thinking of having a Christmas tree in my beautiful home. I want to decorate it more and be more grateful for it. I left the Christmas tree by the entrance to the farm, hoping nobody would take it.

We walked to Hoxton Farm and saw animals – pigs, goats, small cows, some ducks, and some birds. It was fun to see animals, since we don’t get to see them often. The pigs looked too hungry and were searching for food. God, please feed those pigs. I’m sorry – I can’t stand seeing them hungry.

We walked out, and the Christmas tree was still there. By then, we were hungry, so we walked to Bistrotheque in Bethnal Green for lunch. We got Sunday roast and pancakes, and they were very good.

As we left and kept walking, my friend saw something he liked and bought socks and a Burberry scarf. We were walking to get the tree and head home, and some people behind us were talking very loudly. For a few minutes – maybe 100 meters – we let them walk behind us. Then I said to my friend, “Can we just let these people behind us go ahead?” He agreed. They passed us on the right side. We looked, and both of us shouted the same name at the same time: “John.” It was our long-lost mate. Of all the people on the planet, somehow we managed to cross paths again.

I had met his girlfriend once in the past; they were married now. The four of us walked together for the next 20 minutes. On the way, we picked up the Christmas tree again – it was still there. We walked them to their street. Then my friend and I walked back to The Ned hotel Bank branch, where he was staying. We had two passes, so we went to the spa. We changed, sat near the chairs, and then realised the gifts my friend bought were left at the restaurant.

An Uber driver was able to pick them up, so we waited until they arrived, collected them, then went downstairs to the sauna for a bit, then the steam room, then jumped in the pool. I only did a few breaststrokes. We left the place, said our goodbyes, and I took the tube back home.

Not sure this is how the day was supposed to go – meeting an old friend, talking about all the people we used to hang out with, most of them now married with kids, then having lunch at that fancy hidden place, going to the farm, seeing animals, and then running into another long-lost friend, followed by the steam room. What a day! Nothing was planned, nothing expected. Life gives you lemons – make the best of them, add a pinch of salt and sugar, and be grateful for every moment.

Sometimes the best days are the ones you don’t plan. Old friendships have a way of finding their way back to you when you least expect them. That gratitude makes even a simple day feel memorable. Being open, present, and willing to step out of your routine can lead to the most surprising and joyful moments. Keeping your home, your mind, and your heart in order opens space for unexpected blessings. That small choices – like saying yes to a message or going for a walk – can shift the entire course of a day.

This exact day will never come again, and neither will the lessons it carried with it.

3 things I felt grateful for today:

• Graeful for bumping into that old friend of ours after a long time.

• Grateful for the food at the restaurant – it was so good.

• Grateful for the day – unplanned, unexpected, but truly memorable until I see my mate again after a year or two..

What would it take for me and for you to wake up 10 times bigger, stronger, more muscular, energetic, confident, happy, grateful? To wake up early, make it to the workout, have a good workout, have everything be okay with family, friends, and everyone around us, and then have a relaxing, relaxing, relaxing yet productive day tomorrow?

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Goodnight, good luck!

Ash Khaleem