The Beauty of Unfinished Business**

9:03 AM—Ethan handed me my latte this morning with a single cinnamon shake and a deadpan, “Back to basics.” I laughed—actually laughed—instead of overanalyzing it (progress). My sketchbook’s open to a design I’ve been avoiding for days: a dress with one finished sleeve, the other just loose fabric and pinned seams. A week ago, I would’ve ripped the page out for being incomplete. Today? Today I’m realizing there’s beauty in unfinished business.

Here’s what’s shifting:

1. I’m letting things breathe. That date with Liam (his name is definitely Liam) was… fun. Not life-altering, not underwhelming—just good. And instead of spiraling about what it means (”Is this going somewhere? Should I text first?”), I’m letting it exist as it is. No pressure, no expiration date. Just two people sipping overpriced cocktails and laughing about bad Tinder bios. And it’s enough.

2. My designs are teaching me patience. That half-finished dress? My professor caught me glaring at it yesterday and said, “Not everything has to be resolved in one sitting.” (Groundbreaking.) So I left it. And you know what? Waking up to it this morning, I saw the potential in the undone sleeve—the way the fabric drapes when it’s not forced into place. Maybe some things need time to reveal themselves.

3. I’m embracing the not yet. LA’s sky is that soft, hazy blue that comes before the sun burns through. It’s a promise, not a guarantee. And for once, I’m not itching to fast-forward. I used to think growth was a straight line—breakup, glow-up, fin. But real healing? It’s more like this dress: some parts polished, some parts still taking shape, and all of it valid.

Ethan just flicked a sugar packet at me (flirty or hostile? The eternal question). I let it land on my sketchbook, right over the unfinished sleeve. And instead of freaking out, I traced the shape it made—a happy accident, a new detail I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

So yeah, I’m a work in progress. But aren’t we all?

xx Mandy

(P.S. Liam just texted: ”There’s this gallery opening Friday… wanna go?” And for the first time in months, my gut said yes before my brain could overthink it. Progress.)