If someone gives you a sweater that you don’t like, do you wear it? This is the time of year for receiving gifts and some of these we wouldn’t necessarily buy for ourselves – whether it’s a sweater, a tie, or some god-awful perfume you wouldn’t put on your dog. You might wear the sweater once or twice in honor of the person who gave it to you, but you wouldn’t continue to wear it over the years. This reminds me of the movie, A Christmas Story, where 9-year old Ralphie receives from his aunt a home-made pink bunny suit. Ralphie’s mother thinks its adorable and insists that Ralphie put it on. He does, but only with many moans of despair at the embarrassment of it.
Think about it. If you received a bad haircut, you wouldn’t continue going to the same hairdresser and asking for the same cut. If you had a pair of shoes that caused your feet pain every time, you wouldn’t (or shouldn’t) continue to wear them. Maybe you might try to work out the rough spots, but if the pain persisted, you would put them in the goodwill sack and say good riddance! Yes, returning a gift you don’t like can cause some turmoil, but avoiding turmoil is not a good way to live life either.
People give us gifts all the time and we’re good at figuring exit strategies from the ones we don’t like. You were given a gift when you were born – your name. Do you like it? If so, great! Enjoy it, revel in it, appreciate it. However, if you’re one of the many people I talk to who hate their names, then you should consider changing it.
Your name is a big part of who you are, and living under a moniker that you hate or that doesn’t suit you, well, it’s like wearing a pink bunny outfit that your aunt made for you. It certainly makes your mom and your aunt happy.
