What's In a Name?

Well, really, what’s in a name? A name is a special thing given at birth to a specific person. Why do they receive that name? People receive these names so that they are identifiable. Why am I writing a post about names, you say? Confusion. That’s why.

I am about to reveal something to all of you that I normally don’t speak of willingly. Many will be shocked and baffled at the information I am about to divulge. I am not the person some of you think I am. My name isn’t really Katie. I’ve been lying to many of you my whole life. I hope you’re not too upset with me. I’m not going to disclose the name printed on my birth certificate because I find that incredibly irrelevant.

Earlier this week I was asked by a friend to revise their short story. When I opened the document on my computer, a named jumped at me from off the page. Not literally, but this name was the first thing that caught my eye. It was the name held by an ex-boyfriend of mine. I was instantly forced on the express train that travels down memory lane without any local stops. Who knew that a four-letter word (I’m not talking about love) could be so mighty? Words don’t have muscles, so how do they bear so much weight? It’s not that I’m heartbroken and still yearning for a chance to be with this person, but the mere fact that, at one point, this person was rather significant in my life. Those memories were woken from a deep, restful sleep.

A name is not just something that a person is called or referred to by, but encompasses much more. Names can hold feelings, memories, and most importantly, life. I’d like to know, are there names that provoke you to reminisce, or cause your stomach to churn?