I used to guard my name so fiercely. I would bristle if people spelled it wrong or called me the wrong name. It felt uniquely mine. The wrong spelling or usage felt like an affront, a silent injustice. Who were they to mistake me? To erase my name, the very essence of me?
Now I know my name is not as unique as that. I do not get upset when people spell it wrong, I laugh, bristle a little still, and brush it off. I have given up the sole ownership because I realize others also claim that name, even the same spelling.
I have evolved to be more holistic and see things as shades or grey instead of black and white. If people make the mistake, I no longer write them on my list. It still makes me sad when people I have known for a long time get it wrong, but for newcomers, the door is cracked open now.
No longer hostile, or as much as before, I take this as a small sign of my growing quest to be more patient and more forgiving.