What is enough?
It's a question I've pondered for a bit. In fact, the thought of enough has been rolling around in my mind for weeks.
As I was browsing the Downtown Cincinnati Public Library, I was drawn to this adorable picture book—Enough Is...by Jessica Whipple (with tender illustrations by Nicole Wong). As I read through the pages, I was gently nudged into a deep place I didn't know I'd explore in the children's section of the public library.
From the moment I read the cover summary—"This story is about the fuzzy boundary between what a person wants and what a person needs."—I felt my heart whisper, this one's for you.
And it was.
Later, this line wrapped around me like a hug:
"That's because enough is not a number."
Simple. Profound. And exactly the kind of truth I needed.
As someone who's spent years dancing between the extremes—too much, not enough, too emotional, too bold, too loud, too active, too busy, too kind, too nerdy, always "too" something—I've often found myself shrinking and stretching. Then, there were times I was silencing entire parts of me in an attempt to land in that elusive sweet spot called "enough."
But the book didn't let me off the hook that easily. It served up another line that floored me and caused my eyes to leak.
"The first time you try on Enough, it can feel like a sweater that's a bit too small. But you'd be surprised how much it stretches."
Wow!
Yes!
It reminded me that enough isn't something we measure. It's something we feel—and learn to believe. It takes courage to wear our own version of "enough"
without comparison,
without apology, and
without trying to shrink to fit an outside expectation.
Reading this book confirmed something for me: I don't want to be "too much" or "too little"...
I want to be whole.
Honest.
Real.
Me.
And I want that to be enough.
Do you ever feel like you're constantly reaching or trying to prove yourself? Or, do you find yourself defending or adjusting your behaviors to appease others? Maybe you want so badly to belong but keep falling short for one reason or another.
Then, perhaps this book would squeeze your heart a bit, too.
Because maybe the work isn't to chase some perfect definition of enough…
Maybe the work is learning to believe you already are.
