I spent the late afternoon soaking in a quiet corner at The Breeze, enjoying a little slice of me-time. It felt rare and luxurious, sitting there with Okki Sutanto’s Yang Tak Terkatakan Tentang Menuju Dewasa in my hands. The breeze carried a soft hum of the evening crowd, but somehow my world stayed still with every page I turned. A moment to breathe, to exist, to be gently reminded of the things we learn on our way to becoming an adult, again and again.
I headed home when Maghrib approached, just as my husband wrapped up his four-hour office webinar. We exchanged that familiar tired-but-happy smile, the kind that says “long day, ya?” without needing words. I lay down for a quick thirty-minute rest, letting my body soften into the bed before the next thing on the schedule called me back.
And then we went downstairs for our biweekly DATE komsel gathering in the apartment’s function room. I thought it would be the usual small circle, but as soon as the door opened, I froze for a second. The room was packed. Warm faces everywhere. Laughter bouncing against the walls. Also surprise guests, the DATE leader couple from a previous combined session, was there too. The kind of crowd that instantly makes you feel like you came to the right place.
Honestly, I can’t even remember what we talked about. Not because it wasn’t meaningful, but because it was too fun, too random, too full of those spontaneous moments that stitch people together. Even after we wrapped up, we continued lingering by the hallway, still talking, still laughing, still reluctant to call it a night.
And the food. Oh, the food. It was abundant in the way only church community gatherings can be. Plates full, refills unlimited, leftovers packed into containers for everyone to bring home. My tummy was full, my heart even fuller.
Somewhere between the noise, the warmth, and the take-home snacks, I checked my phone and realized something small but sweet. My Instagram followers had finally rolled into a clean 25,000. It took ages to get here, but that’s okay. It feels gentle, organic, like the kind of number that arrived without shouting.
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