Annie Now

And just between us? Tomorrow’s sun always comes out. But so what if today you just want to watch the clouds?

Your name is a promise you didn't ask to make. The world expects you to be the sunshine. But you are allowed to be the rain, too. You are allowed to be the thunder. And just between us

But it can also be a cage. “You don’t look like an Annie,” people say, when you speak your mind too sharply. As if the name requires you to be quiet, cheerful, and agreeable. Your name is a promise you didn't ask to make

You do not have to be "little orphan Annie" forever. You can be the architect. The CEO. The poet. The one who walks away from the table when respect is no longer being served. You are allowed to be the thunder

Perhaps you are the Annie who held a hand in a hospital room. The Annie who packed up an apartment alone. The Annie who started over in a city where no one knew your name.

It doesn’t try to be fancy. It doesn’t add a superfluous “-belle” or a complicated spelling. It is simply itself: four letters, two syllables, one soft vowel sandwich between two gentle consonants.