Pick Your Own
Posted: September 12, 2009 at 8:59 pm | Tags: call me names, naming, Self discoveryIf you can pick your own name. A name that fits you. A name you would prefer to hear called out to get your attention for the rest of your life. What would it be? I am no name snob that’s for sure. I like all names, I don’t think a person should be forced to keep their birth name or made to feel guilty for wanting to change it. If you discover your true name is something totally different from your birth name I say take that name and claim it as your own. It’s unfortunate that it can cost you an ass load to legally change it here in america though.
So obviously a day came in my life when I asked myself, “Who the fuck am I really?” Through many years of adventurous discovery I found myself.
I am HOPE.
Although not the name given me by my parental units. I am HOPE. No joke. I am the ever living,never letting go, always feeling, loving you, holding on to that last glimmer of……… HOPE.
My mother named me Tonya Hope. In my humble opinion Tonya was a trailer trash stretch of her imagination for a cool “new” name but the name Hope was a gift from the universe. Yes folks I can love myself that fucking much. My name was gifted to me from God. It really is a meant to be kind of thing. Not everyone can say that. I have the uncanny ability to forgive, to love unconditionally, to move forward to a better future with a light always burning in the distance. I don’t care how depressed I have found myself in my life, I was never void of some idea of a brighter future. That is why I have always been a cutter and not a slicer. Gotta love that imagery.
Wikipedia says,
Hope is a belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one’s life. Hope is the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best.[1] Hopefulness is somewhat different from optimism in that hope is an emotional state, whereas optimism is a conclusion reached through a deliberate thought pattern that leads to a positive attitude.
Poem for Hope
A Hong Kong Proverb As long as we have hope,
we have direction,
the energy to move,
and the map to move by.
We have a hundred alternatives,
a thousand paths and infinity of dreams.
Hopeful, we are halfway to where we want to go;
Hopeless, we are lost forever.
“Hope” is the thing with feathers—
That perches in the soul—
And sings the tune without the words—
And never stops—at all—And sweetest—in the Gale—is heard—
And sore must be the storm—
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm—I’ve heard it in the chillest land—
And on the strangest Sea—
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb—of Me.Emily Dickinson
So what name do you give yourself?
The Discussion
see what everyone is saying
Growing up i always wanted to change my name. I really hated the name Desiree. I think thats because there are some weird spellings with my name and it drives me nuts. But now as a adult I couldnt imagine being any other name I AM Desiree.
I wouldnt stop my kids from changing their names if they decided they didnt like them. You are who you are and your name needs to radiate who you are. YOU are HOPE you have a hope, you project hope onto others. HOPE fits you.
Oh thank you so much for saying that. It means a lot to have that validated by those who know me. It reinforces my desire to always be myself and not bend to the negative influences of the world.
I think it matters a lot that people are comfortable in there name. I’m glad you are in yours.
I totally suck at keeping up and commenting lately… I’m sorry. I’ve always wanted to be “Grace” instead of Kelly. Pissed my mother off like you wouldn’t believe.
Hey – stop over to my blog, there’s something there for you in the latest post
Hello, Hope. I changed my name to Goddess in my mind a little more than two decades ago. I found you through Miss Peach Tart and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Deborah
Hey, lady!
I’ve been calling you Hope in my mind for a long time now. I remember when you started going by that on PM’s. I still fuck up sometimes and go “Tonya..Hope” or “Ton..Hope” though, lol. My mom almost named me Misty Rose. Uck, like a stripper. I think my real true name is Mel. It’s funny how old people at my job always fuck my name up and call me Martha. Bleck, I need to start going by Mel at work too. I always enjoy your blog posts so much. I noticed you haven’t posted in a while. What’s up? I hope your hands are okay and you are too. Much love!
Mel
While I didn’t particularly like my name as a kid, it has grown on me.. and it definitely suits me. Spelled the way it is, it has it’s own Gaelic meaning (rather than being a variant of Margaret in other spellings) which is ’soft and gentle’.
As for Hope.. it suits you nicely.
I wish that hope were something I had in my life. 