**The Weight of Enough**

9:03 AM—Woke up to my alarm before it went off. Not because I was anxious, not because I had some grand plan—just because my body knew. And when I reached for my closet, the dress was clean, folded, waiting.

I didn’t put it on.

Not out of rebellion, not out of fear—just because today, I didn’t want to.

Because here’s the thing I’m learning: confidence isn’t just about sticking to a thing—it’s about knowing when to let it go.

1. I’m obsessed with the lightness of choice. That dress was a phase—three days of quiet certainty, of feeling like myself in a way that didn’t need explanation. But today? I’m in wide-leg linen pants and a cropped tank, hair piled up with a claw clip. No deeper meaning. No statement. Just comfort. And that’s enough.

2. My creativity is learning to trust itself. That terrible cartoon of Ethan? I left it on the counter at the coffee shop yesterday—accidentally, but also… not. He texted me last night: "I framed it." No laughing emoji, no "WTF is this?" Just… framed it. And for once, I didn’t cringe. I didn’t apologize. I just said "Cool" and meant it.

3. I’m falling in love with the weightlessness of being known. Liam showed up at my door last night with takeout—no warning, no "Can I come over?" Just… there. And instead of panicking (Is my place clean? Do I look okay?), I let him in, chopsticks and all. We ate on the floor, watching The Bear again, and at some point, he leaned over and said "You’re quiet today." I shrugged. "Yeah." He nodded. "Cool."

No performative depth. No forced conversation. Just… existence.

Ethan handed me my coffee this morning—black, splash of oat—and eyed my outfit. "No dress. No jeans. Who are you?" I sipped, slow. "Mandy."

He smirked. "Fair."

Turns out, that’s all I ever needed to be.

xx Mandy

(P.S. That framed cartoon? Still terrible. Still his. And somehow, that feels right.)