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Nicknames?
Jun. 22nd, 2011 11:53 amIn another internet social medium, I've been conversing with a new friend (in England, I think), who calls me Debs. I'm so amused by this, I haven't commented. No one has ever used that nickname for me before.
When I was little -- really little, like 3 -- I was Debbie. Okay, I get that. I had dimples and curls. Then in high school, in a fit of adolescent rebellion, I dropped the final "e." I thought I was being so original! (Yeah, what did I know, but isn't that how teenage minds work?) By the time I got to college, I was Deb, or that's what most of my friends called me.
Somewhere in my 20s, though, a wondrous alchemy took place. I thought, "the original Deborah was an amazing, powerful woman, a war leader, judge, and prophet. Why would I want to be any less than her full namesake?" From then on, I was Deborah. All 3 syllables.
It took a little convincing to resign Debbi to the archives, but gradually, as I consistently introduced myself as Deborah and asked friends to use that name, the changeover happened. I used to say there were only 3 people alive entitled to call me Debbie, and they had all known me since I was a baby. Now there is only one, and I love her so much, she has been part of my life for so long, she can call me anything she wants.
What to do with Debs? It reminds me of Eugene Debs, and I want to giggle every time I read it. Maybe it's time to stop being rigid about what I'm called. I know who I am.
When I was little -- really little, like 3 -- I was Debbie. Okay, I get that. I had dimples and curls. Then in high school, in a fit of adolescent rebellion, I dropped the final "e." I thought I was being so original! (Yeah, what did I know, but isn't that how teenage minds work?) By the time I got to college, I was Deb, or that's what most of my friends called me.
Somewhere in my 20s, though, a wondrous alchemy took place. I thought, "the original Deborah was an amazing, powerful woman, a war leader, judge, and prophet. Why would I want to be any less than her full namesake?" From then on, I was Deborah. All 3 syllables.
It took a little convincing to resign Debbi to the archives, but gradually, as I consistently introduced myself as Deborah and asked friends to use that name, the changeover happened. I used to say there were only 3 people alive entitled to call me Debbie, and they had all known me since I was a baby. Now there is only one, and I love her so much, she has been part of my life for so long, she can call me anything she wants.
What to do with Debs? It reminds me of Eugene Debs, and I want to giggle every time I read it. Maybe it's time to stop being rigid about what I'm called. I know who I am.
