Why the World Needs Both Ann and Anne (According to Me)

 

Yesterday, something very important happened to me.

Not dramatic important. Not sirens and slow motion important.
But the kind of important that settles softly in your chest and stays there.

Two ladies came to see me.

Now, here is where things got interesting.

One was Ann.
And one was Anne.
Ann… with an E.

At first, I tilted my head.
I sniffed the air.
I checked for tricks.

Same name?
Almost the same sound?
Suspicious.

But then they smiled.

And just like that, I understood.

Ann brings joy like a warm laugh that arrives before you even finish the joke. She has a way of stepping into a room and making it feel brighter, like the lights quietly turned themselves up because they wanted to impress her.

Anne brings joy like calm sunshine. Steady. Kind. The kind that wraps around you and makes you feel safe enough to exhale. She has a gentleness that speaks without raising its voice.

Same name.
Different magic.

They spoke to me softly.
They scratched my ears in two completely different but equally perfect ways.
They looked at me like I mattered — not as a mascot or a joke or a fluffy professional — but as me.

This morning, I woke up thinking about that. About how the world is full of people who might share names, titles, stories, or paths — but no one brings their light the same way. No one loves the same way. No one leaves the same imprint on a heart.

Ann is Ann.
Anne is Anne.
And the world is better because both exist.

So here is what I have learned, as a dog with excellent hair and a surprisingly thoughtful soul:

You don’t have to be louder.
You don’t have to be different on purpose.
You don’t have to prove anything at all.

Just being you is enough to bring joy to someone — even if that someone has four paws and remembers kindness forever.

With love,
Harry Manilow 🐾