Name

What's in a name? I suppose we could argue that our entire identity is wrapped up within our name. I think there really is truth to that.

I am named after my father. It's kind of like someone handing his boots to me and saying fill them. As a child this seems like a large feat and one worth doing. As an adult, I find myself wanting to put distance between my version of my father's name and his. There is the formal birth name, Rodney. Many folks I went to school with, their parents, teachers, the government...they all know me by that and my father too. Rod is the informal, the friendly, the common name. Both my father and I go by this. To our friends and even some of our coworkers, the blog readers and new faces...to basically everyone else this is OUR name, but this paints only a partial picture. This is the point where I separate myself from the elder. I have a family nickname to differentiate my dad and I. I'm not sure who started it or even how but it is what it is. When I was a kid I hated it, thought it was childish but I have grown to enjoy the name...to really identify myself with it....

You may call me Roddy!




That's my mom & I circa 1983