Allie or Ali? Allison or Alexandra? This turned out to be the biggest problem when it came to picking my name. But first, let’s start from the beginning. Before I was born my mother experienced a miscarriage. Female or male, the name Alex stuck. To my mother the miscarriage could have been compared to being shot or abused. So when she got pregnant again, she didn’t feel right using the same name. The dilemma began…

Because my mother still liked the name Alex, she wanted something similar. Maybe Alexandra? No, that’s too alike. Allison? And we could call her Allie for short. People seemed to like that, but my mother didn’t see the point in naming me Allison if we would call me Allie. Then, it was decided. Allie. A-l-l-i-e. That’s the way my mom liked it. But don’t think it was that easy. My grandmother had to shove her nose right in the middle. What about Ali, like Ali McGraw? My thought on this now, you might ask? Why does it matter?

Well let’s see the difference between these two names. The dictionary meaning of Ali is exalted or glorious whereas Allie doesn’t even have a meaning. But who cares? The decision was made final and my name was simply Allie. I may not be named after Ali McGraw or anyone famous and my name may not have a meaning but I’m ok with that. I can make my name mean anything I want it to mean. When my friends and family think of Allie, they imagine a sarcastic, loving, energetic, and honest individual. I define my name my name doesn’t define me.