About Nevan

My Name

I wrote the following in a writing workshop I attended:

My first name does not have an exciting backstory or a deeper familial meaning as many people’s might. My parents have confessed they found it in a baby book, liked it, and thus my life has been as it is since then. I believe the origin is Irish Gaelic, though that has no significance with my known genetic history. Theodore was my father’s father’s name, it is one I used to be embarrassed by but now I appreciate it for how strong it sounds, and I remind myself that Theodore Roosevelt was a badass and his attitude towards many things is something to aspire to. The last name “Hard” is a bit more obscure, but has some surprising historic connections. “Hard” was the last name of the oldest surviving member of the Union forces from the Civil war, and there is some familial records to indicate that someone with my last name was a cabin boy for the pirate Captain Kidd. It so happens that they were the last Hard in existence in all of England after their tenure with the pirate king, thus we are all descended from him. Crime pays, apparently.

Any nicknames I have had have merely been shortened for the convenience of those saying it. The most common would be “Nev,” which I realize as I write this is what most people call me, whether consciously or unconsciously.

For most of my life I have been ashamed of my name because of how uncommon it is. I still have yet to meet another person who bears the same moniker with the same spelling and as their first name. However, at a certain point I realized that in school I have never embarrassingly been called upon and it was meant for someone else, and it is rare that people forget my name because of how memorable it apparently is.

Long Story Short

I was born in Minneapolis and lived in the same house in New Brighton, Minnesota until I was 21 years old. I had a relatively easy (if somewhat sheltered) childhood, though no childhood goes without its struggles. College, as it probably is for many people, was when I began to significantly open up my mind about how the world truly is. After college, I left my family and my home to move to Florida for a little over two years to try and make my own way and figure out life. I eventually returned after mixed experience and results, realizing that Minnesota is truly my home. Shortly after my return I met Danielle, and I have never been happier and more stable. Recently in a heart-to-heart I had with my sister, I told her the most important thing in life is learning more about yourself, and it made me realize that my life has been a constant journey of personal growth and self-actualization, and I am very grateful I can do that comfortably surrounded by people that love and respect me as I love and respect them.