The Importance Of A Name

Today's blog isn't going to change the world or cure cancer or solve the national debt ... it's merely an observation on my part. But on the other hand, observations are what help us to keep our eyes open and perhaps look beyond our own 4 walls. There's a big world out there and believe it or not it doesn't always revolve solely around us.

So what's my earth-shattering observation? I've observed that we NAME the things we care about. We generally put lots of thought into the process or at least I hope we do. A name is something that once given should stay with you the rest of your life. It should have depth and meaning and be special. We name our children based on family traditions, different spellings, or sometimes just weird trends (just ask Kim Kardashian and Kanye West why they named their daughter 'North'). I have to wonder ... was she conceived on an airplane?

Names help us create our identities. They let the world know who we are and what we're all about. We create personalized license plates for our cars to promote our businesses or tell people what our passions or hobbies are. We paint names on boats that explain in less than 3 words what matters to us. We think long and hard before we name our pets. Their names have to be perfect and display their personalities.

There are probably many other things that we name that I'm not even considering. I know my daughter always named her stuffed animals when she was little, and now that she's older she continues the tradition - BUT now it's with her musical instruments. The names are carefully selected and chosen for very specific reasons. When she performs her music she is one with her instruments. They have a special bond. I think that's reason enough to deserve a special name.

Have you ever named something special? A cabin in the woods? A song? A painting or sculpture? A book or a poem? A mascot?