Wanna Go to a Name Party?

Quick – what’s your name? I bet you know the answer to that question by heart, right? One of the first things parents teach their babies is how to recognize and use names – mama, dada, doggie, and the child’s own name. But what’s in a name and why are they so important that they get an entire week’s celebration?

The first full week in March is Celebrate Your Name Week. It’s one of those oddball holidays that got started because one person became randomly, then endlessly, fascinated by something. In this case, Jerry Hill read a news story about another Jerry Hill who died. That Jerry Hill happened to be from the first Jerry Hill’s hometown, making him wonder if they were related, then begin to start wondering about names. He became so fascinated by names that he created a website, which was so fascinating to others that eventually Public Broadcasting Service wrapped it into their website.

Names matter. Classrooms are organized by name. People form knee-jerk opinions about others just by their name. A person’s name, whispered in their ear by the right person, is a powerful aphrodisiac.

In Europe, it’s common to celebrate “Name Days” – calendars are created with a different name for each day of the year, and when your name corresponds to that date, it’s your day to celebrate you. In Greece the custom is so popular that Name Day celebrations are more common than birthday celebrations, and perfect strangers are welcome to drop into the Name Day parties to celebrate with food, drink, and frivolity, too.

I’m guessing you probably didn’t spend yesterday planning how you would celebrate your name this week, and even after reading this newsletter, you probably won’t make big plans for the rest of the week. I do hope you spend a little bit of time today thinking about your name, the people who gave it to you, perhaps the person or people you’re named for, and I hope some of those thoughts make you smile. How else can you use names to celebrate? Here are three episodes of the Wellbeing Wisdom Tiny Bites podcast with ideas for you:

• Have you made a list of the names and attributes of the people you interact with? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
• Have you made a list of your attributes so you can celebrate them? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!
• Want an excuse to celebrate the people in your life? Here’s a Tiny Bite for that!

Just for fun this week as you celebrate your name, maybe you’d like a peek at a list of the most unpopular names in America? Yes, that list exists and I’m guessing your name won’t be on it. Celebrate that this week, and remember to celebrate you, too!

Wags, Sandy Weaver

Program Director, Center for Workplace Happiness

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