What's your name?

I'm a name purist. That's right. I just adopted this phrase from a friend, because it quite accurately describes how i view names. At my school, nicknames are a huge deal. There are more nicknames on this campus than there are people (weird right?). I just don't like nicknames. I like referring to people by as full of a name as possible, names are an intimate thing. For example, lets say i have a friend named Johnathan Samuel, and everyone calls him John, or JS, or whatnot. I am going to want to call him Johnathan Samuel, not a syllable more, or less. For some reason i have this idea that by referring to someone by their real name, I am trying to deal with them closely, as a name is an intimate part of a person. The more of the name i say, the more of the person i wish to interact with? This, is entirely unfounded and when other people refer to their friends by nicknames, I'm ok with it, but i often fall into peer pressure (haha peer pressure to use nicknames...that's not something they teach you in D.A.R.E) and use the nickname. Well, I'm going to try to stop. now. I don't like it.

Let's analyze classic nicknames for a moment:
-The Last Name: Any variation. We see the full last name, the shortened last name, the chopped up last name, and the rhyming game with the last name. In any case, its not very personal. A first name is what sets a person apart from the rest of the "smiths" and the "joneses" of this world.

-The Hairstyle Name: Carrot Top. Curly. Pippi Longstocking. Think about it, have you ever known a hairstyle name that didn't end up completely defining a person? Be careful, these people may be proud of their hair, but you can't confine them too it. After all, They are NOT their hair. ("I am not my Hair" by: India.Arie. great song...its my theme song. Don't listen to the remix with Akon..not as good.)

-The "hey it was funny once" Name: You all know this name. The nickname that originated from some event, sometime in history, that some people were witnesses to, and somehow has permeated everyone's addresses towards this person. Fun for some, not for all. Not to mention, who wants to be called back to some embarrassing moment every time they are addressed? No one, that's who.

-The Initial Name: No matter who you are, you've been called by your initials. Unless you have really really sweet and rare initials...like "YZX", you shouldn't feel special. Think of how many other people have that very same set of initials.. a lot. (don't, however, think of how many people your name, because that number is probably pretty large too).

-The Generic Name- Heyyyyy "buckaroo", nice to see ya "partner." Yea. not personal. Kinda lame. Plus, who says buckaroo?

-The Body Part Name- "Big Foot" I mean, who even needs another example? Look how detrimental it was to him. I mean really, maybe if people were nicer when determining what they would call him, then he wouldn't have retreated to the woods to live a solitary existence.

I will, however, allow for names that define people's function, for purposeful use. For example: Mom, friend, lover, boss. These, in most cases, are acceptable.

I suppose it doesn't really matter what you call people because, on a much more serious note, its not their real name anyway. I can't wait to have my real name:

"...and I will give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written, which man may know only if he receives it." Revelation 2:17

Anne Marie isn't my real name, He has a name that is precisely my name, i just can't have it yet, because I'm not really me yet. I love that when someone calls my name, it makes me aware that they are aware of me. To know that God is aware of the me that i have not become is a rather comforting thought. When He calls my real name I'm going to be aware of a me that I had been progressing towards, but hadn't yet reached, until then. I love it.

I wonder what my new name is going to be...I hope it is Sophie.