Saturday, June 20, 2009

Random Post Redux 2, or Would A Rose Smell The Same?

Kel, over at A Hesitant Housewife hosts "Random Post Redux", where each Saturday, post a "previously used post." Here's mine. You can also head over to Kels and link up yours with her Mr. Linky, and read other previous posts by her, and others who play as well. Enjoy

This is one taken from my first month of blogging. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!

Would a Rose Smell the Same?


"A rose by any other name would smell the same," frustratingly claims William Shakespeare's Juliet. But would it? If a rose would be named "swamp gas mustard pod," would a person willingly stick his nose into its gaseous petals? Not without conjuring the image of what something named swamp gas mustard pod would smell like. Would Alexander the Great of Macedonia! sound as powerful if he were Ralph the Great of Puxico? Great God in the Heavens Above, if that is so, then my babies are all in a world of trouble.

Persephone, pronounced "per sef oh knee," was the first of my attempts at naming a newly arrived soul to this place called Earth (think about it...what if Earth were really called Dirt or Mud then we'd live in either the Dirt or the Mud). Now you tell me, was her life influenced by her name? She's a middle aged teenager in high school, in the gifted drama and art program, sings, doesn't dance (thank God), writes, and spends her time anguishing over the fact that she wants to be a vegetarian but despises just about every vegetable except potatoes, beans, and lettuce. Moaning about the fate of the whales and desperately wanting world peace are two of her favorite pastimes. She wants to be an actress on Broadway or a painter in the streets of the French Quarter when she grows up. Persephone is a wonderful child. It would be impossible for me not to love the person she is becoming. However, does the fact that she also shares the name with the dramatic wife of the infamous Hades, ruler of the underworld, could have influenced the events of her life? Can a name be so powerful?

Caylith, pronounced cay lith, was my second attempt at the name game. She was going to be named Mercedes so that I could call her Sadie so that she could grow up and be spunky and cheerful and a member of the cheer squad. She was having none of that. No, she was definitely not a Mercedes...or even a Sadie. She was Caylith, queen dragon! And let me tell you, Miss Caylith was definitely the ruler of all. By the time she could speak, she had the world wrapped around her finger. Everyone was hers to command, even strange children in the park. Caylith is in her mid teens now, and I have to say that she grows to be more like a dragon everyday (except for eating her meat raw). She's independent, outspoken, fearless, among many other traits. As is her sister, Caylith is also in the gifted drama class. Her ambitions include becoming a director (as if she could take directions from anyone else), starring in her own movies, and marrying Orlando Bloom, Johnny Deep, and Jack Black. Polygamy anyone? So once again I ask, could the name have touched upon the sequence of events that have become her life? Hrmmm...

Years later I once again find myself doing the name game again. I have had three more lovely children. Abigail, who was almost named Antigony, Atticus, who was suppose to have been born before Abigail but decided to come a year after instead, and Avery, who was almost named Vorenus (he is probably thanking the name gods day and night for that name change). While life is just beginning, I can see them growing into their names. Will Abigail become wise, ever knowing? Will Atticus become the strong capable father and lawyer? And will Avery become the debonair lady killer...soft spoken, well groomed, polite?

Who knows...after all a name by any other name would be just the same!

10 comments:

  1. I like unique names. I'm not good at choosing them...LOL.
    In case you want to know, Adrienne an Caitlyn are twins, Adrienne named after my MIL's mother who was a twin, middle name Lauren, I loved it it but with our last name sounded like a stripper name. Caitlyn was always my girls name of choice, middle name Bonnie, after my mother. Nicholas named after a really great friend, and gasp, I'm going to say it, a former Lovah(yep), and my hubby knew it and had not problem. Nick's middle name is Sanders, my maiden name.........because I love my daddy so.
    I come from insane parents who named their 3 darling daughters, Ouida(pronounced Wee-dah) Bonita and Anita, yes...........to rhyme....love them.

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  2. Those are great names! I'm not that creative. And I think my name makes me sound like a cheerful pom pom type of person, which I am not. And my parents, when they named me, didn't imagine a cheerful pompom kind of girl either, so I wonder if it has to do with the intentions behind the name more than the name itself...oooh, that's deep. : )
    Macey

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  3. Lol at 'so she would grow up being spunky'! :)

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  4. What a fantastic post redux. I love your oldest's name. How cool is that. I always wanted a girl so I could name her something cool but I had all boys and a stubborn and opinionated dh that decided to dominate the naming process. Ahh well...

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  5. If you're gonna be polygamous, that's the way to go...

    Those are gorgeous thoughtful fitting names.

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  6. I love your children's names. It is an interesting question. Seems as though their names fit them.

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  7. Tammy, yes, but Jack Black?

    Anita Sanders flows well. I went to high school with a Charita (pronounced Sha rita) Any kinship to you? (kidding) I wanted to name my first son Nicholas (after my husband vetoed nicodemus) but Atticus won out.

    Tink, I had changed my mind on Atticus, but my opinionated husband kept firm. For that I am thankful, it's a great name for him.

    Pam, thank you...it does fit them. Hope it holds out for the rest of them.

    Mimi, I can picture the pom poms now. I think you'd do them justice.

    Yaya, have I told you that my son's favorite color to wear is orange? Thanks for stopping by.

    By the way, I cannot take credit for my names...I read...alot. a lot lot.

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  8. i loved this post the first time I read it, and even more this go round :)

    I'm just realizing that you're youngest three are all A names... does it ever get confusing? I'm an only child, but my husband and his sister are very close in age (within a year) and their mother seems to confuse the name Lee with Jackie and Jackie with Lee. So I can't imagine if they're names were actually close sounding.

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  9. Jillian, it was an accident that they all ended up with A names. It definitely wasn't planned out that way. When Abigail was born, we had Atticus picked out because we were positive she was a boy. She was nameless for over a week before we "accidently" calling her Abigail (that was our puppy's name...the puppy is now Boo Didley). When Atticus was born, my husband wanted to keep the name we had chosen for Abigail when we thought she was a boy. It just happened that way...no planning...we're not complete nerds!!!

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  10. oh the name drama. We didn't officially decide a name until the weekend before I was getting induced. It was such a HUGE deal.

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