The Evolution of a Name

I love my name. I think it's beautiful. Randy-Lynne. I spent many years perfecting my signature until I found the way I like it best. I even like the look of my initials R-L. I like to sign them all loopy together.

Lately I've been thinking of my name, and how the way I use it has changed over the years--especially in the way I introduce myself. I grew up as Randy Cottrell. In high school I started writing out the Randy-Lynne, because, as I said, I love the way it looks written out. But I still introduced myself as just plain Randy (which has its complications, as I discovered when I introduced myself to a new guy when I worked in the dishroom at the Cougareat. He was Scottish, so he gave me a funny look and asked if that was an invitation).

Then when I got married, I became Randy-Lynne Wach and have spent many years now introducing myself as such. I've noticed, however, that since moving back to Kentucky, I've gone back to introducing myself to people as just plain Randy again. I'm wondering why. There's not too many people still here that knew me way back when, and that shouldn't make a difference. Am I just turning lazy? Am I regressing back to my teenage state by being in the place I lived as a teenager? Is it just my Kentucky name? I don't know. It just seems a strange change. And because I don't really understand my motivations, I'm not sure if I want to do anything to change it.