Ashton Happy

Names are very special things. They are under-appreciated and not fully recognized for their importance. A name holds the reputation of the owner. When a name is spoken, everything associated with the person comes tagging along with it. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. But a name never fails to strike interest from others who know of the name or have heard it before. Family, friends, acquaintances, and enemies all feel a certain connection to a name. From past interactions, presents relationships, and future expectations, people have a sense of entitlement to our names. Entitlement can often be mistaken and wrongly assumed. All because of everything that comes with a name. A family history, an ignorant stereotype, a legit stereotype, a shaky past, a pleasant existence, or a simple sense of being can come with a name.

Our parents go through 9 months of decision making, family members' selfish opinions, and semi-heated arguments to give their child the perfect name. And with their choice, that child now wears an invisible label of something most likely stupid and inaccurate about their coming personality. I sometimes wish I could have been given a chance to change my name at a rather intelligent age in my youth, like 12. I wonder what my seventh grade self would have decided. Well my 17-year-old, rising senior self would change my name to Ashton Happy. It's British. It was randomly generated from a website that my teacher also randomly found. I liked it. She liked it. I now love it. So call me Ashton Happy. It'd make me so glad.

Woww