Having a common name is one of the most annoying things you can be cursed with. Friendships with four people with the same name… don’t even get me started.

As a child, having a common name was the best thing you could ask for. It was easy to remember and spell out as a three year old, and you were always in luck of finding it on those little key chains that everyone used to have.

To be honest, when I first met people with the same name as me, I thought it was kinda cool. Most of the time, we had the same interests, and our personalities would rub off on each other. It was great… until this year.

It started off slow with my childhood friend. I didn’t really pay any mind to it at first. Then I befriended one guy named Samuel from school, and before I knew it, I had a best friend named Samantha…who then later introduced me to a friend of hers named Sam. This sounds crazy, I know. But trust me, I can’t make this stuff up.

Group Chats and going out together as a group of friends is a disaster. We’ve tried nicknames, but they just never stick. You call one Sam and three faces turn around to look at you. What’s even worse is thinking you’re being called or talked to but in reality you were not even supposed to be in the conversation. Now that’s awkward.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my name, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. But sometimes, it just gets a little confusing. There are bright sides, however. There’s the fact that I can find my name on any key chain, mug or necklace, I’m free of the headache of having to correct substitute teachers on pronunciations, and Starbucks never seems to have a problem with the spelling.

So to all the Sam’s, Jacob’s, Mike’s, Emma’s, Noah’s, and Emily’s: Stick together and befriend each other. You’d be surprised how different two people with the same name can be.