The Naming Of A Soul

What's in a nickname?  My sister and I have talked about this for years.  Her nickname as a very young child was, "Pretty."

I always took that to mean my parents thought she was the pretty one.  She swears it was because my father used to call her his "ugly duckling" until she cried one day and he changed it to "Pretty."

As a very young child I was called, "Angel" or "Punkin."  But by the time I remember my sister being called "Pretty" my name was "Idjit."

Our youngest brother ran around singing a song, "All I want for Christmas is a Poodle de Dink." and his nick name became, "Pooh Dink," or variations for most of his life.

And then there was my other brother who had the misfortune to be called variations of "Thomas" with the emphasis on the last syllable quite frequently.

I know people who are called Roo, or Jo, or Sweetie and one unfortunate person, "the fungus in the basement."

I think most nicknames are born out of affection, a few out of need since their parents seemed to get stuck,  naming them Big Bill, Little Bill, Middle Bill and Baby Bill, and some out of a desire to be someone else.

Once, long ago, in some cultures,  there was a belief that if someone knew your real name it gave them power over you

I think the grandest thing in the world would be a name we got to pick ourselves, one that only our closest friends and family even knew was us.  It would be a powerful name, a secret one, the key to the inner sanctum chosen and shared in a meaningful coming of age ceremony.