Have you ever thought about the origin and meaning of your name? I had only ever done so once and searched it up only to be amused, but have you ever truly thought about how it resonates with who you are as a person? My name reflects the girl I have been, am and will be with the curious and mischievous glint in her eyes and who will forever crave knowledge and freedom.
Karla Andrea, both names have similar meaning. They symbolize a strong, courageous and protective woman. I view myself as a fierce, powerful woman who wants the world in her hands. I do not like to be confined to ideals. They make me feel like a caged bird, longing to be set free in order to fly freely and spread her melody throughout her infinite sky of possibilities. I refuse to indulge others in harmonies that would symbolize my melancholy and sorrow.
I was named after my father, Carlos, and after my great-great grandmother, Andrea. My father, a strong-willed, intelligent, persistent, caring and loving man. My father chose my first name, and my mother chose my middle name. I believe I am very similar to my father. We are very determined individuals who love learning and are as stubborn as we are persistent. As for my middle name, I had a question, why name me after woman I had never met before? I remember asking my mother about it. She told me she chose the name Andrea because none of her sisters had used that name for their kids and my mom wanted to honor her wish of having a descendant named after her. I asked my mother about her, and I will forever remember the soft smile that spread on her lips at the memory of her. She went on to speak so kindly of her and how she was always so nurturing and loving it made me quite sad that my mom wasn’t able to spend more time with her before she passed and that I never had the privilege of knowing her. My great-great grandmother, a delicate, kind, warm, caring and loving woman. Her memory will forever live on within me and I will continue to treasure that. It’s not just my middle name, it’s the name of someone who was dear to my mother and who I might not have met but we still have our similarities.
To the readers whose name might be a sore subject, I encourage you to not let the literal textbook meaning of your name define who you are and who you wish to be. Give it your own meaning, whether that might be through your experiences, your story or who you desire to be in the future. I’ve always believed you can become who you see yourself as and a dictionary isn’t going to change that. You are your own person, as am I. Do not be hard on yourself and learn to let yourself be free from the things that bind and constrict you. A name is just a word, but you, my dearest reader, are a story that is waiting to be written and enjoyed to its fullest extent.
