The Name Game.

Two days ago I stood in line for my guiltiest pleasure-- ahem, Starbucks--and as the "barista" (as they like to call themselves) asked for my name, Rosemary slipped out of my mouth before I could think.

No, not the spice.

I actually said my name was Rosemary. Why, you ask? Why the hell would you give a fake name? Meh... I've been Melissa all my life. Why not for one moment be known as someone, something else? Let the virtue of another name encompass me for a brief snippet in time...

"Rosemary. 1 Skim Caramel Macchiato," the barista called.

When all eyes turned to me, and I realized I was Rosemary-- whoever she was, I became caught up in her world.. in what she was into, what kind of qualities she possessed... I decided Rosemary was a conservative librarian. She's an old soul... lives alone, with a cat. She's kind of a cat lady, but she's got some real wisdom...she's obsessed with books. Reads a ton. Likes to be covered up.

What's in a name anyway? Do our names affect the people we become? Are we predestined depending on what names we're given? Would George Washington have been as great had he been named Billy Mack? Would Britney Spears be Britney if she was named Victoria Guggenheim?

(So Willy Shakespeare would disagree after his whole "What's in a name? That which we call a rose" rant... but, I hereby challenge old Willy)

Who would I be if my name was Kelly? slut. Dawn? earthchild. Naomi? strong. Nancy? old.

It's weird that certain names carry certain connotations- at least to me they do, and hey it's my blog, so what I say goes.

That day at Starbucks, as the barista called my name and I thought about Rosemary, I realized I could never be her. The name didn't fit. And maybe it's because I'm really NOT Rosemary.


BUT, what if.. what if I can be someone else? Maybe a Nicole, or a Michelle? Who knows. I'll try it out next time I hit up Starbucks. Maybe I'll find one that feels more comfortable than the one I own... or maybe I won't. Who knows? Who am I anyway? AH.. that's a whole other post.