Monica Akemi @MaxPowerMezzo

Standing in line at the post office in Shibuya, old woman in front of me struggling with a package. Clerk: This is too heavy. You need different box. Woman: But this is only box I have. Me: (without thinking) I have a box. You can have it. Woman: (turning to me) You would do that? Me: Sure. ran to my apartment (5 minutes away), got a box, came back. Woman: (nearly crying) You are very kind. Clerk: Very rare. Most people don't help. Me: It's just a box. Woman: No. It's more. she insisted on taking my address. "To send thank you." Me: That's really not necessary. Woman: It is to me. two weeks later: package arrived. homemade cookies and a note. "Thank you for the box and for restoring my faith in young people. -Yamamoto" Me: (to roommate) This is very sweet. Roommate: You made old lady's day. forgot about it. month later: another package. more cookies and a note. "I made extra. Thought you might enjoy. -Yamamoto" Me: She's still sending cookies? Roommate: Don't question free cookies. became a regular thing. every month, cookies arrived. different types: - chocolate chip - matcha - black sesame - "mystery flavor" (still don't know what it was) me: (to roommate) Should I tell her to stop? Roommate: WHY? Free cookies! Me: It feels like too much. Roommate: Send her a thank you note then. sent a note: "Thank you for the cookies. You really don't have to keep sending them, but they're delicious." next package: DOUBLE the cookies. note: "You said they're delicious. So I sent more. -Yamamoto" Me: I'VE CREATED A COOKIE MONSTER. year of cookies. I was drowning in baked goods. shared with neighbors. they LOVED them. Neighbor: Where do you get these? Me: Old woman I helped at post office. Neighbor: I WANT OLD WOMAN COOKIES. Me: GET YOUR OWN OLD WOMAN. two years of cookies. then they stopped. Me: (to roommate) No cookies this month. Roommate: Maybe she forgot? Me: She's sent them for 24 months straight. Something's wrong. looked up her name, found an address. went to visit. her daughter answered. Daughter: Can I help you? Me: I'm looking for Yamamoto-san. She's been sending me cookies. Daughter: (eyes widening) YOU'RE the box boy! Me: ...yes? Daughter: Come in! She talks about you constantly! Yamamoto: (from living room) WHO IS IT? Daughter: THE BOX BOY. Yamamoto: (shuffling out) You came! Me: I was worried when the cookies stopped. Yamamoto: Arthritis. Hands don't work so well anymore. I'm sorry. Me: Please don't apologize. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Yamamoto: (crying) You remembered me. Me: Of course. You've been sending me cookies for two years. Yamamoto: Because you gave me a box. And kindness. During very hard time. Daughter: (to me) Her husband had just died. She was mailing his things to family. You were the first person who helped. Me: I didn't know. Yamamoto: That's why it mattered. You helped stranger for no reason. visited her every month after that. she taught me to make her cookies. Yamamoto: So you can make them when I'm gone. Me: Don't talk like that. Yamamoto: I'm 83. I can talk however I want. learned all her recipes: - the chocolate chip (secret: miso paste) - the matcha (secret: yuzu zest) - the mystery flavor (secret: it was lavender, I just have no sense of smell) Yamamoto: Now you carry on tradition. Me: I'm not a baker. Yamamoto: Neither was I. Until I needed to thank someone. she passed away last year. her daughter gave me her recipe book. note inside: "For the box boy. Keep the kindness going. -Yamamoto".........🧵

When I accomplish something that wasn't on my "to-do-list" I add it and then cross it off.

Some sandwiches are so good they’ll have you fantasizing about the second half while you’re eating the first

FANTASTIC! I’m completely invested.

NOBUNAGA🇯🇵🏯_夏樹蒼依 @japan_nobunaga

2 months ago

I needed to move a sofa. I mentioned this to an American. He said, "You know anybody with a truck?" I did not know anybody with a truck. He looked at me with real concern. Not pity. Concern. The way you look at a man who has told you he does not have a name. "You gotta know

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when i first started dating my husband he was like “maybe a weird observation, but you're unusually good at catching things?” and then soon after that I brought him to meet my family for the first time, and the moment i walked through the door my older brother chucked an orange at me.

The world’s oldest known cat just turned 31. She only drinks spring water and is still living her best life. She just refuses to quit

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Hej! Sup?

i can’t believe someone solved recipe design decades ago and everyone just decided to ignore it

Let’s all take a moment to appreciate blank VHS packaging design trends

The ADHD urge to use parentheses in almost every single sentence (because every thought comes with additional, highly necessary bonus content that cannot wait for its own paragraph).

Kids have safety scissors now. But back in the day, we were totally allowed to use the classroom guillotine at 10 years old.