**The Beauty of Unfinished Things**

9:03 AM—The ripped jeans are back in rotation, but today they’re paired with an oversized blazer I stole from Liam’s closet last week. (Okay, borrowed. Maybe. If he asks, I’ll give it back. Probably.) The hem is still frayed. The blazer sleeves swallow my hands. And for once? I’m not trying to fix any of it.

Because here’s the revelation: growth isn’t about resolution. It’s about letting things stay unfinished.

1. I’m obsessed with the impermanent. That phase where I needed every outfit to feel complete? Exhausting. The rebellion where I wore pajamas to prove I didn’t care? Also exhausting. But this? This is just… dressing for today. No grand thesis. No statement. Just a blazer that isn’t mine and jeans that refuse to be repaired. And somehow, that feels like the most honest version of me yet.

2. My creativity is learning to thrive in the in-between. That terrible cartoon of Ethan? Still hanging. Still embarrassing. But yesterday, a girl with a nose ring asked if she could take a photo of it. "It’s so… intentionally bad," she said. And instead of cringing or over-explaining, I grinned. "Yeah, it’s a vibe." Not everything has to be finished to be worthwhile. Some things are better half-baked.

3. I’m falling in love with the mess of being seen. Liam texted last night: "You’re keeping the blazer, aren’t you." Not a question. A prediction. And instead of defensiveness or performative guilt, I sent back: "Obviously." No apologies. No promises to return it. Just… truth.

Ethan handed me my coffee this morning—black, splash of oat—and finally acknowledged the blazer with a raised eyebrow. "New look?" I shrugged. "Something like that." He nodded, unfazed. No judgment. No commentary. Just… acceptance.

And maybe that’s the real evolution—not in the perfection, but in the unfinished edges we choose to leave exposed.

xx Mandy

(P.S. That blazer? Still Liam’s. Still unreturned. Still part of the story.)