names

I just finished my late afternoon meditation session, and I like to end by listening to the song I was named after. At some point in the early 80s, my grandmother traveled to Kenya, and she brought a Miriam Makeba record back for my mother. The record had a song called “Malaika,” and a few decades later, here I am!

Malaika translates from Swahili translates to “angel.” I honestly don’t listen to the song that often, but I do like to end my meditations with it because it is so grounding. I often don’t think of the impact of my name, but hearing it sung like that reminds me to wear it proudly and soulfully. 

This realization in my meditation eventually led to a full-blown thought spiral where I discerned just how important names are. So much can be told about something based on what it is called. Think about how countries and cities got their names! And what about all of our very own names? Those all have meanings! And now that I’m really thinking about it, all of my friends fit their names so perfectly!

It’s even more fascinating when you think about how many people have a baby name list and absolutely no plans to have a baby any time soon. I personally have 16 names on my baby name list; in fact, the name of this blog came from that list. So many people around the world start saving names for their future children while they are still children themselves, like my mother did. 

I think constantly reminding ourselves of the names of things is a great way to stay grounded. In knowing someone’s name, you get one step closer to fully understanding them.