My name represents a kid who lives outside. The soft summer breeze rustling the grass. The bright blue sky above. Playing sports in a backyard with friends. Swimming in a pool or a lake to cool off. My name reminds me of the twinkling glare of the sunlight, reflecting off the water. My name is tubing on the lake, water spraying my face. The tow rope yanking me out of the water and on to my skis. My name is a nice boat anchored at a sandbar.

I share my first name with a celebrity who was extremely popular when I was young. My brothers often made fun of me for that. Every day, they called me Beaver or Beeeber, the annoying little kid on TV that the girls at school swooned over. Their stupid stifled giggles every time they heard his name. The shirts displaying his face that I had to look at everyday. But I wasn’t him. My brothers didn’t care. That was annoying.

There have been times when I wanted a cooler name. One that no one else has. But my name is unique. It’s a name that appears only a couple times on the face of a newspaper. A person will only have one friend who shares my name, never more. And that is good enough for me, even if I do have to share it with that crazy blond singer.

The soft summer sun wrapping the world in a warm blanket. Changing colors spewed across the sky as the sun sets and turns to night. The twinkling stars illuminating the silent night. Smores over the crackling campfire late at night. These are who I am. The summer boy staying up late and getting up late. Comforted by the grass and stars and bliss of life.

I am the warm summer breeze in the air. The refreshing lake water. And the warmth of friends and family in the dark of night. I am not a Beaver. I am Justin. And I always will be.