I Believe In Love Not Labels

I would say it started when I was about 7 years old, but I am not entirely sure what age I was. I do remember that I seldom thought about such things as age and time at that particular age and time that I came to question the idea.

I was staying with my grandparents at the campground where I met many friends who would stay there with their families during the summer time as well.

I was old enough to know my name. I could spell it, and I could pronounce it. I could spell and pronounce many names and I quite liked many of them.

I enjoyed reading a lot. I also watched television, and spent time around many people, and I was fascinated with learning different names. As I found one I particularly enjoyed the sound of, I wanted to adopt it.

I told one girl that I met at the playground that my name was "Zoey" and she didn't think anything of it, of course.

Later on, she came by to ask me to come out to the playground with her, since she had finished her dinner. My grandfather was sitting outside, while I was in the bathroom brushing my hair. I looked out the bathroom window and I could see her walking up to the trailer.

"Hey, is Zoey there?" she asked.

"Who?" my grandpa asked.

I ran outside, and opened the door. "Hey, wanna go to the park?" I said before she got a chance to reply.

My face flushed red, and I felt extremely embarrassed. I hoped that neither of them would pick up on what had happened.

A few years later sitting on the same porch, my grandparents began to talk about a guest that they were expecting.

"She changed her name," my grandma said, "She's called Laurie now."

"Why?" I asked, "What's the point in changing your name?"

"I don't know, dear," she said, "I certainly wouldn't."

I thought back to the times when I made up a different name and then I thought of other reasons why one might want to change their name.

I sometimes poke fun at people, and I sometimes seem to have opinions that are extreme. The bottom line that I'm afraid not everyone in this world understands is that people are born into a body, that they didn't choose. What's on the inside is the only thing that should matter in our interactions with other human beings.