Tonight I was reminded of a telemarketer, or maybe it was a help desk guy who told me, “You can call me Brad Pitt.”

Really?

Don’t you think Brad, as in, William Bradley Pitt the actor, would have an issue with that? Or, does he really have exclusive ownership to that name, especially because it is just a “stage name”? Yea, even though it is pretty close to his real name.

Tonight, our waiter’s name was Rick. He was a nice enough fellow, attentive, not overly so, and polite. Last time we were there, our waiter was Mike… But, tonight his name was CJ. 

What?!? 

I was tempted to call out “Mike” as loud as I could as he walked by to see if he turned around. 

What is it about making up your own name? And how did William’s mom feel when he told her “you can call me Brad?” Even though my daughter loves performing, pretty sure I’d be upset if she changed her name from the one we gave her. Be true to yourself and own what you do – we will love you more for it.

~ Dawn aka Hat Girl