Had a nice conversation with an old friend the other day, and he kept calling me “Kid” even though I was his boss for two decades. I finally stopped him and asked, “What’s up with this “kid” stuff?” He laughed and reminded me that it was my nickname when I was working in the wrecking yard. I’d forgotten about that! When we worked there I was always the youngest around, thus the name.
That got me thinking about all the nicknames I’ve had over the years. Thankfully not many of them have stuck. Thought I’d share a few of the things I’ve been called over the years. Some are nicknames, some are just phrases to describe me. I’m editing out the foulest.
– The Kid. I was 10 or 11 when I began answering the phone and working with customers at my Dad’s wrecking yard. I was clean cut, didn’t swear (mostly out of fear of my father), and admitted when I didn’t know something. So I stood out in that world.
– Eco-Facscist. This might be my favorite. Apparently I earned this title by suggesting that followers of the Creator should care for creation. Naturally, the term came from a blog post by somebody who has never met me.
– Cultural Asset Plunderer. A fascinating one, since it is false on almost every level. It stemmed from a decision we made about an art collection that we removed so it could be restored and preserved.
– The Missing Link. My friend Mark Scandrette once said something like, “Who else can speak with progressive thinkers, real estate developers, ministry leaders, Wall Street bankers … and also reads the ancient writings of Church Saints? You are the missing link.” Never really became a nickname, but it made me laugh!
– College boy. Hard to escape that one when you are running a company just out of college and nobody on your staff even graduated from high school. Well, a few did … but not many.
– Silver spooned powder butt. Lovely nickname from a family member who thought my father didn’t make me work as hard as the rest of the crew. One of those I had to shrug my shoulder at and ignore. Thankfully it didn’t last long.
– Reverend. A former pastor of mine called me this because I spent as much time thinking things through from a pastoral perspective as I did from a business perspective.
– Kind of a Big Thing. I laughed at this description from my friend Michele Mollkoy. Still trying to figure out the implications!
Well, now you know. Hopefully none of these stick!