name change

i’m sure all of y’all have experienced moments in your life where one theme seems to come up over and over. everything you look at, everything you listen to, and everything you read seems to always come back to the same thing. I am in one of those moments right now. everything i read or experience seems to have something to do with people changing their names and what happens to their lives after doing so. here are some of the influences that have impacted me on this moment:

  • the biblical story of jacob becoming israel – every since i first read this story i have felt an overwhelming connection to it. there is just something about GOD coming down in response to jacob’s prayer for safety and answering that prayer by popping jacob in the mouth. it was exactly what jacob needed but i would imagine it was quite far from the answer that jacob was expecting. once again i am at a point in my life where this narrative draws me in.
  • alexander supertramp – i’m presently listening to john krakauer’s book “into the wild” about the young man chris mccanless. he went out to find a lifetimes worth of adventure (which ultimately cost him his life because of a lack of common sense). the start of this search for adventure began with him shedding his past life by taking on a new name. i don’t agree with much of what he did but i am fascinated by his resolve and convictions.
  • makalu gau – the taiwanese climber gau ming ho claimed the name “makalu gau” after his fifth attempt at summitting the makalu mountain. from that ascent on he went by “makalu gau” as a reminder of what he saw as a changed life. of course, if you read other people’s versions of his ascents he didn’t really live up to that moniker. apparently “makalu gau” was a pretty lousy climber that always got into trouble and wasted other people’s resources in having to be rescued on almost every climb he went on. he didn’t really live up to his claimed name.
  • buster butterfly mcleod – i read this guys 43 things list a few weeks ago. he wanted to change his name for one year to “test” how much a his personality was connected with his name. he chose a rather odd name and has legally changed his name to it for one year. after that year is up he will apparently change his name back to whatever it was before.

don’t worry mom i’m not planning on changing my name. i rather like my name. still i do find all of these stories interesting. it’s intriguing to consider how much of who we are is wrapped up in our names. while, i’m not really into changing my name i do want to make sure that the name i have stands for that which i believe is important. when people thing of my name i want them to have strong images occur within their mind. i hope they think of a person who …

  • is passionate about his faith & LORD
  • is a good husband and father
  • loves his family and friends because he realizes that the most important things are things
  • may be late often but will try with every ounce of discipline he has to not let someone down when a commitment has been made
  • is open to new ideas, people, and experiences
  • is amazed by beauty and trying to experience more of it
  • is not afraid to take big risks even after he has failed

i hope that’s what people think. if it’s not then you can just start calling me fred cause i’m starting over.

my run for the day
distance – 5.0 miles
time – 48.44
pace – 9:44/mile

[Listening to: The Moment I Said It – Imogen Heap – Speak For Yourself (5:56)]

One Reply to “name change”

  1. Funny you should mention the Jacob-Israel name change. I was just reading about that story again today!

    And don’t worry, I doubt that many people that have encountered you in life will ever feel compelled to call you Fred.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.