One Is Not All Things To All People

photos by john

“Pet names are a persistent remnant of childhood, a reminder that life is not always so serious, so formal, so complicated. They are a reminder, too, that one is not all things to all people.”
― Jhumpa Lahiri, The Namesake

i like this quote a lot, although it is not entirely relatable to my experience in the nickname department. growing up i never really had too many pet names — in fact most variations of “bestie” only came about during my late teens and well into adulthood. i eventually got surrounded by a variety of people who thought it amusing to randomly assign nicknames onto others, which truly delighted me. from funny alliterations to completely morphed versions of my name, my collection of aliases has indeed grown over the years…but i believe only a couple of people have actually called me “B.” i always found it cute: it’s one of those nicknames you kind of wish would catch on and perhaps add a new, interesting facet to your character. well, it hasn’t; but even so i am more than happy to wear this darling sweater bearing the same letter.

do you like making up pet names for others? what’s your favorite nickname that people call you by?

sweater – thrifted
jeans – uniqlo
backpack – SM (old, similar here, here & here)
boots – mario d’ boro
socks – river island