Compare And Contrast Essay On Andy

“Andrew, Drew, or Andy?” I hear that question everywhere I go. At birth I was given the name Andrew Garby, but people call me a variety of names. Most people refer to me as “Andrew” or “Drew”, but I have some call me “Andy” because I find it funny when people fight over what I want to be called. Truthfully, I never really thought that a name could reflect who a person is; so which name or names really fit me the best: Andrew, Drew, or Andy?
According to babynames.com, the name “Andrew” means “manly”. Specifically, being tough and determined are characteristics of being “manly” that can be applied to me. A major point in my life where I exhibited these traits was last year in the state hockey playoffs. It was a Tuesday game and halfway through the first period, I tore a part of bone off my hip and could barely skate and walk for the rest of the week. The next game, on Saturday, I attempted to play but stopped after my first shift. My team made it to the semi-finals, and I was determined to play because I wanted to win badly. My coach wrapped up my hip and I played throughout the whole game through excruciating pain. Even though we ended up losing in the semi-finals, I proved to myself that the meaning of my name “Andrew”, does indeed fit me.
In the words of urbandictionary.com, “Drew” is someone that is sometimes sarcastic and a jerk.
It is very difficult to admit that one is a jerk, but that can be true of me. When people see this, they may think that I am rude to people all the time; however, that is not true. I am mainly a jerk only when I attempt to be deadpan; I make fun of people when they say something that is dumb in a sarcastic way, and I know it comes off jerky. An example of this tendency is when my sister asks in the mornings if our parents are home, and my answer always is, “Have you seen them?” Using this definition, “Drew” is definitely a fitting name for
me.
A person with the name “Andy” as defined by kabalarians.com is to be someone that has executive and leadership abilities. On my current team, I missed try outs due to my hip injury, so I made the team as a late addition, after captains had already been chosen. Despite this, I still am a leader on the team as I take charge off the ice during warm ups to make sure the team is prepared for the game. On the bench, I am one of the loudest as I yell words of encouragement to my team when we are having a rough time in a game. After the game, I am the last one off the ice making sure everything on the bench gets back to the locker room, and I give fist bumps to every player every game, even if we lose. All of this has lead to many of my teammates to call me “Captain Garbs” even though I don’t hold that title officially. My leadership abilities even without a “C” show that even the name “Andy” applies to who I am.
In hindsight, each one of these names have characteristics that are a part of who I am. This is the reason why I believe that I never really cared what people called me, because I don’t just have one name, I have three that fit me; I also realize, that it is our name or names that can shape who we are, how we treat others, and how we go about living life.