**The Art of Noticing**

9:02 AM—The blazer is still here. The frayed jeans are still frayed. The coffee in my hand is still black with a splash of oat. But today, for the first time in weeks, I noticed them. Not in a "what does this mean?" way, not in a "how does this look?" way. Just… noticed.

Because here’s the thing about growth: it’s not always about changing. Sometimes, it’s about seeing what’s already there.

1. I’m obsessed with the ordinary—and I mean truly ordinary. Not the kind you romanticize for Instagram, not the kind you force into a metaphor. Just… the way my jeans are soft at the knees from wearing them too much. The way Liam’s blazer smells like his cologne and my perfume now, all mixed together. The way Ethan still doesn’t ask why I’m wearing it. It’s not a statement. It’s just… life. And for once, that’s enough.

2. My creativity is learning to breathe without an audience. That god-awful cartoon of Ethan? Still on the wall. Still makes me cringe. But yesterday, I caught myself laughing at it—not because it’s good, but because it’s mine. No one had to see it. No one had to get it. It just… exists. And so do I.

3. I’m falling in love with the quiet of being known. Liam didn’t text me this morning. No predictions, no observations. Just… silence. And instead of spiraling (Does he not care? Did I do something wrong?), I realized: he doesn’t need to say it. He already knows. And so do I.

Ethan handed me my coffee—black, splash of oat—and our fingers brushed. "You good?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah. You?" He shrugged. "Yeah."

No subtext. No drama. Just… being.

And maybe that’s the real evolution—not in the big moments, but in the tiny ones you don’t even think to document.

xx Mandy

(P.S. That blazer? Still here. Still his. Still ours.)