A nam. May 29, 2010

A name without an “e” is just not the sam. Same.

A name. My mother named me Anne. I think out of spite.

Maybe not in her view, but I guess that’s just my sense of humor.

You see, I was the fourth child she’d had. My dad had named the first three and by cheeseits it was my mom’s TURN!

She named me Anne – with an “e.” Lord knows why one letter was such a big deal!?   Oh… but I do…

Again, you see, spelling could mean not only a different name, but a different Anne. Or Ann. Annie, or Annabella Santaguita (one given to me by a favorite sister of mine). Whatever way you put it, I’d be different.

My father’s mother wanted Ann. After her mother. Not Anne. After, well, no one. But, I became Anne. Out of spite or not, I am my mother’s daughter – inside and out, she’ll never be able to deny me!

So, what’s in a nam. Or a name?

A lot, if you haven’t got that yet. Stubborn snapping turtle is the name I chose for my blog. Why? Here goes.

Kyle Lacy, author of Social Media for Dummies, and speaker at the YouToo Social Media conference at Kent State University this past April, said, “Be like a stubborn snapping turtle – show persistence even if you fail a couple of times.” As an innately stubborn and often fiercely independent young woman I believe in his words. We’re all trying to get where we want to be in life. Whether it be with our education, with our job, or even simply getting off the couch and out the door – a little stubbornness goes a long way.

So that’s how I got the name. As a stubborn snapping turtle myself, I hope I can persist with this endeavor of mine. I hope I see to it that this blog becomes something for me, and maybe for anyone who actually reads it. I hope we all see the value of persistence, dedication, and passion in our daily lives.

That’s my passionate moment for the day.

Signing off.

Exploring my Passions May 26, 2010

At my last awards ceremony for the service fraternity to which I belonged, the very end of my graduating semester, I received the award of “Most likely to become a Motivational speaker.” When I got it, I brushed it off, thought nothing of it, and laughed as my fraternity brothers took my picture. They even started yelling “speech, speech!” and I really had nothing to say. Nothing. Nothing came to my mind at that moment but how much I wanted to go back to my seat and watch the rest of the ceremony proudly. I was president in my last semester, held numerous other positions, and just wanted to sit and watch. I also can’t deny, I’m not the best at being quick in front of a crowd.
 
A few hours later, my boyfriend pointed out the speeches we had written together in times when I felt I really needed to “pump up” my brothers, boost their attitudes, or kick them in the butt (metaphorically… I think. )  He’d help me choose words or phrase things in the most P.C., brotherly way.
 
It wasn’t until weeks later, after wracking my brain over what I could ever possibly write a blog about, that it came to me. I wrote those speeches because I was passionate about what I wanted to say to my brothers, the people I cared about. I could not have done it by using an outline and standing in front of the crowd, ‘winging it,’ so to speak.
 
I have no one passion. Or if I do, I haven’t discovered it yet. In this blog, through my writing, I hope to explore the passions I come across. Maybe I’ll inspire others to look into those passions, maybe I won’t. But at least, I’ll be writing about things I love.