Every first day of school, every new office gathering, and every first date start with this same phrase. Sound familiar?
On the surface, a name is just something your parents gave you for whatever reason; you had no control over your name, yet you responded to that name when you were called upon. In kindergarten, you tested out the way your name sounded on your lips, and even though you may have crossed your T’s in odd places or wrote your S’s backwards, your name was still something you owned.
Over time, the significance of your name may change. Friends call your name in reunion after summer vacation, teachers and principals call your name as you proudly accept your diploma, significant others profess declarations of love with your name on their lips, and grandparents struggle to remember your name and call you by your sister’s instead. We don’t realize how much we take into account when and how our name is used until we look back and reminisce on the way our name sounds from those that have used it.
The thing about names is that they’re more than a conglomeration of characters in a twenty-six-letter alphabet; we are made of millions of moments, hundreds of stories that weave the unique narrative of our lives. Our name may seem meaningless, but when we put our stories and out lives behind our name, that’s when it becomes special.
How do we build our stories, you ask? Well, that’s up to you. Your name is your identity, so why shouldn’t you be the one to write the path of your own life? Take control of your life, and don’t let anyone and anything stop you from creating and shaping your stories to build your unique and invaluable life.
The best way to make your name mean something is to make the stories behind your name mean something too. When you look back and remember the moments that made your life until this point, you can see how expansively and creatively you lived or didn’t live, and you can change that if you want to.
I can’t tell you how to live, but I can inspire and challenge you to live every moment like it was your last. Live your life as if the world was ending, and savor every detail of every moment, from strength of your Starbucks coffee to the warmth of your mother’s hug.
These are the special moments that you’ll crave to remember when you can barely remember your own name. Instead of your given name, you’ll eventually identify yourself by moments. Your grandchild’s kiss to your cheek, your favorite meal at Christmas, your favorite hymnal at Sunday service, and your breathing pattern as you fall asleep at night.
Hello . . .
I am a daughter, a friend, a lover, and a dreamer. I dance, I sing, I celebrate. I played a lead in a school show my senior year of high school. I get vertigo when I go upside-down on rollercoasters. I dream of dancing in “Hamilton.” I miss my family when I’m away at college. I’m afraid of losing my friends. I’m strengthening my relationship with God. I smile when someone tells me they love me. I’m insecure about my body because people have told me they don’t like it. I can eat enormous amounts of pizza after I dance a lot. I feel second best to others. My body is strong, but I can’t always say the same about my emotions. I love with my whole heart. I’m working on accepting that my best is good enough. I am a child of God. I am good enough for me.
My name is Ashley.
