Nicknames

Over the years I've acquired many nicknames. Most of them are stupid, and thus I blotted them from my memory. But some I held on to.

One of the most amazing nicknames I've ever had was bestowed upon me during my youth. That glorious nickname is simply, "Alpo." And just in case you're wondering, it is absolutely and entirely related to dog food.

You may be wondering if I was the kind of odd child who liked to steal away in a closet with a bunch of dog treats and just start snacking, but, alas, I was not. I've never wanted to try the stuff; I'm certain I don't have the taste buds for it.

Since I didn't obtain this "glorious" name by eating the stuff, let me tell you how I came by it. As a young one, say in fourth or fifth grade, I was a fast little squirt. I was fast enough to compete with many of the older kids in church games, and my only real competition my age in foot races was the twins: Keith and Kevin Badgett (man... they were fast!).

But for a small, nerdy child, I could kick it into gear and leave the competition trailing behind (or just leave them way behind). And the youth leaders one day asked the pivotal question: "What do your parents feed you, Alpo dog food?" From that day forward, I was dubbed "Alpo." (And for the record, my old friend Joseph Clayton was the one who made it stick. He was the 'creator' of Alpo in a sense.)

Now, as a 22 year-old student in Mathematics and the University of Tennessee, it means precious little to me. I've never met anyone else with the nickname "Alpo," so its uniqueness always meant something to me. But now, all the people who called me Alpo have pretty much filtered out of my life (or slowly getting there). But that's OK. I have a new nickname, and I think it's the greatest ever!

My favorite nickname was given to me by amazing girlfriend, Hannah. Every time she says it, my little heart leaps for joy. It's become special to me; more special than Alpo could ever be. That nickname is simply, "Dipwad."

How did it become so special? Heck, I'm not entirely too sure. The specifics are lost in the history books of time! However, I am certain I probably said something stupid; I probably took something she said and misinterpreted it badly, giving her a hard time as a loving joke. And then she said it! "Dipwad..." And then I lovingly responded, "Beautiful..." Then it stuck!

Sure, most people would find Dipwad to be somewhat of an insult to their intelligence. It might come across condescendingly, as if the other party were upset with you or thought less of you. But somehow in that moment, it was transformed into something else. And though it's kind of an odd nickname, and an odd ritual, we still have moments that begin with "Dipwad..." and end with "Beautiful..."

Quite frankly, I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. That's the fun things about relationships (in my humble but accurate opinion). The spontaneous little quips that arise, or the inside jokes from a silly little moment, that seem to last forever (or at least as long as you continue to enjoy it).

So I hope that everyone has little things like that, or that we can roll with situations and laugh a bit as we trek through life. Because I think we'd discover all sorts of little joys and laughs along the way to share with the ones we love, that make life all the more special and precious. I love to be my beautiful Hannah's "Dipwad," if for no other reason than it is something that is entirely ours.

Thus, I can't wait for the next time I stumble through a sentence, or stutter on the most common word in my vocabulary, because I know Hannah will be there. And I know she'll heckle me, and I'll first be offended. But she'll continue, and I'll break a smile. Then before I know it, we'll both be laughing and enjoying the moment together.

In short, praise God for relationships! Relationships with friends, family, significant others, ect... They're all great blessings from the Lord. I'm sure I don't appreciate them enough at times, or take the time to enjoy the company of others. But when I'm aware of it, I'm thankful for relationships. And I'm thankful for all the facets of them, nicknames and all.