What's in a (double) name?

For a laugh click on this link.

Anna Claire is not a name that you hear often. Even for a double name it is unique due to the lack of hyphenation.  When I got old enough to question my name, I asked my parents why they chose to call me this.  I learned that my parents wanted to choose a family name, while my sister was dying to call me Claire.  So, Anna came from my Great Aunt Anne, and Claire came from my sister's temper tantrums (not even kidding- she actually called me just Claire until I was 10).    


One benefit of having a unique double name is that people usually remember it.  It's different from other names that they hear, so it stands out in a sea of new names.  Sometimes people even compliment me, saying that I have a pretty name, which boosts my self-confidence. 


While it's nice to be called something unique and different, it can also be a pain due to the numerous times that people ask me how to spell it.  Yes, I get it; there are multiple variations of Claire. Is it C-l-a-i-r? Or C-l-a-r-e?  No, it's C-l-a-i-r-e.


And then there is the dreaded hyphen. I am pretty sure that most people besides my friends and family would add a hyphen between Anna and Claire without hesitation.  However, that has never been a part of my name.  When I asked my mom about that choice, she told me that my dad, my sister, and her could not agree on exactly what to call me.  They already knew Anna and Claire, but would I go by just my middle name?  Or just first name?  But my mom liked the "ring" of Anna Claire Riggins.  So, just to keep the options open for me in the future, they chose not to hyphen my name.


I believe that my name and nickname (AC) represent me well.  I, like my name, am unique and different from your average teenager.  Moreover, the lack of hyphenation correlates nonconformity as well.


I love the quote from Anna (ha) Quindlen about the "two me's."  As a part of various volleyball teams throughout the last five years, I have had to face two versions of myself.  There is a large disparity between myself as an individual and myself as a member of a team.  Everyone has heard the cliché that "there is no 'I' in 'team.'"  However, what you don't realize until you are actually a part of a team is that it can be very difficult to place more importance on what your team is doing instead of what you personally are doing.


For example, it has taken me years to stop being so hard on myself on the court.  Every time I made a mistake, I made it such a big deal; I became so frustrated with myself.  Sometimes, though, that showed on the court, and that is where the line between the two me's had to be drawn.


Ok, I shank a pass or miss a serve.  Frustration.  Correction: inward frustration.  As member of a team, you have to learn to put your personal emotions aside in order to be a true team player.  So, on the volleyball court, I can sometimes have two me's: the inwardly angry one and the one who is outwardly tough and resilient.  I have to focus on my team's play and not just mine.