Names

Names

Are they all we have?

Do they define us?

Is our fate set when pen hits birth certificate?

Mine, Andrew, means 'strong' 'manly' 'courageous'

While that would be nice

It's not really me

I can be courageous if necessary

I am strong in my convictions

If not especially so in body

Only my wife thinks I'm 'manly'

But she's prejudiced on the subject

Would I have been different

Had I been given a different name?

Maybe. Maybe not.

We all become what our parents, our family, our friends, our society makes of us ... to a point.

Mostly we become what we make of ourselves.

If my name had been Thaddeus

I would like to think I would still be a good friend

A good father

A good husband

A good man

Perhaps I should just go by my middle name...

Clark...

I like it

But it came from cleric ...

Someone who works in the clergy

That's not me either

Clark can also, in Latin, mean scholarly, wise

There are those who have thought so

And those who insist the opposite

I do have a college degree and like to think I'm not totally clueless...

But, still and all ... ...

Mostly, I'm Andy

And happy enough to be so