I told you earlier this month how I’d tried—and failed—to get a reservation at Noma to celebrate my milestone birthday later this year. Chef Rene Redzepi’s Copenhagen restaurant is currently considered the best in the world, and has been ranked as such four of the past five years. Noma’s home location is temporarily closed right now, and operating as a pop-up in Japan, where it reportedly has a waiting list of 60,000 people.

But last night, in a stunning surprise that I still can’t quite believe … I got my reservation!

Why is that so stunning?

Consider that a columnist for The Guardian once wrote: “The chances of getting a table at noma these days are about as likely as getting invited to the Queen’s Palace for dinner … ”

And that getting in is so difficult, the story of a woman who had a reservation and was looking for a date went viral.

So, yes. That I could get a table was astounding. How I was able to get that table is even more astounding, considering I let my dream of a milestone birthday dinner there go after my January 12th failure.

So I was stunned Wednesday night when—after I shared a recent review of the Japanese pop-up on Twitter to explain to my followers why I’d so wanted that birthday dinner—

—Chef Redzepi reached out to me personally and asked when my birthday was!

I couldn’t believe it. Still can’t. It all seemed so impossible that I felt as if I was having an out-of-body experience. I emailed him my info per his request, and then, a few hours later, I received confirmation of my table for two! This for a restaurant at which, as I understand it, there are only five tables for two per night. I feel as if I won the lottery.

I’m still staggered by it, and have been walking around with a goofy grin since it happened. I booked my flights immediately (luckily, via frequent flyer miles), did some research on hotels, and then tried to sleep.

Tried.

What I didn’t get, and still don’t get, is—why? Why me? How did I end up being the lucky one? Yes, I’ve shared Redzepi’s Instagram pics, but so have hundreds of other people. And there are surely thousands wishing to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and all sorts of special events at Noma. Yet most never get the chance, what with 20,000 people each month trying to get in, and 99% failing. Why should the man take time out of his 90-hour weeks running the Japan pop-up to care about me?

I’m deliriously grateful, but I don’t understand why I got the golden ticket. I could understand Redzepi finding room if Thomas Keller or Ferran Adrià were trying to celebrate their birthdays. But just some random guy going *sniff* online?

I showered him with as many words of gratitude as I could summon, all the while knowing that even though I’m a writer … no, they weren’t enough for the magnitude of what I had received.

Whatever his reasons, all I can think is … wow. Wow.

What a nice guy, to make a stranger’s dream come true.

Thank you, Chef!