by Cara Latham
Of all the memories of my childhood, the fun times my family and I had down the shore every year (a favorite pastime of many New Jersey residents) are the most pleasant. I remember the beach, the sand, the water, the rides and the boardwalk, but I also remember one specific thing about the souvenir shops along the shore line – I could never find my name on those souvenir mini license plates featuring popular kids’ names.
At the time, “Cara” was such a unique name that it was hard to find anywhere, let alone on a set of manufactured plastic license plates in some small shop in Point Pleasant, N.J. The closest I came to victory was when I was about 10 years old, and I found one that was spelled, “Kara.” To little Cara, this was devastating, especially as I watched my brothers and cousins easily find their names — correctly spelled, even with their favorite colors — on their own license plates.
As disappointed as I was at the time, I now find myself wishing that I could go back to a time when I was the only Cara Latham around. In an effort to monitor my social media influence and research my online presence, I have always run my name through Google’s search engine.
