identity crisis

I never told anyone this before, but there was a brief time my life I didn't like my name.  As a kid, the name 'David'  just didn't seem to have much pizazz to it.  I know it's the name my mom and dad gave me right after the doctor slapped me around, but it just didn't seem to fit.

I discovered my love for drawing about the time I was in second grade.  I couldn't get enough of it.  I remember practicing drawing characters from 'Peanuts' over and over again until I got pretty good at it.  Charlie Brown was the first character to master because his head was round.  I could draw round real good.  Snoopy was the next on my list.  That nose of his sure was a challenge.

Throughout elementary school I became known as the kid that could draw real good.  My parents didn't know when I was born that I was going to be the kid that could draw real good.  I often thought to myself that my name should reflect my special ability.  David just didn't cut it.

I once read a Peanuts strip in the Sunday funnies where Charlie Brown mentioned to his  friends that he didn't want to be called by his name, but by a name with more pizazz. The gang started coaxing him into revealing the moniker he preferred. He finally opened up and said it, "FLASH!" All the kids started laughing at him.  Poor Charlie Brown.

I knew the name I wanted.  I didn't want it to be just a nickname.  I wanted it to be my real name.  I wanted people to know me as 'ART'.  I knew deep down though that that would never happen.  I was a David and there was nothing I could do about it.

As time went by the desire faded.  Every time I looked in the mirror with each passing year I looked more and more like a David.  I don't think I could've been anyone else but a David.  Even when I look in the mirror today I look like a David.  My mom and dad knew what they were doing all along.