A wise woman has all the fun she can!
What’s in a name? Probably nothing, and Shakespeare would agree. When Juliette posed the question to Romeo, she was telling him she would love him even though his last name was Montague, her family’s sworn enemy. [“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.”] In other words, the label attached to us does not matter a whit. But sometimes I wonder.
The answer to this question tickles my fancy. I was born with the last name Lowman. Twenty years later I married Bill Wiseman. Actually, William Charles Wiseman, II. Low-man to Wise-man. Hmmm. The “coincidence” of this has danced in my brain for a while now and, in fact, a publisher once suggested I develop this happenstance into a book. I never did, but a grain of the idea remains.
You could’ve described me as a lowly child, obeying all the rules like a good little robot. I can’t really remember conversations per se, much less any when opinions or feelings or ideas were aired. Sadly, I feared my dad and got an A in obedience training — with a misstep or two in my teens.
Then along came Billy, with his kind heart and non-obedient ways. I like to fantasize now that his name burned into my soul, eventually pointing me in the right direction. Although, I have absolutely no sense of direction and find it difficult forging my way out of the preverbial paper bag! Without Garmin, I’d end up on the moon.
A wise woman gets others to do the dirty work!
I do have my wise ways, though I can’t fix anything or remember directions 10 seconds later. Also, I’m prone to blurting out what’s on my mind. I am getting better, but learning when to shut up takes lots of practice AND regrets. Once those words are out, apologies are your only recourse so using that wisdom BEFORE I speak would indeed be prudent. Ha!
My cup of tea is all the people stuff. Why do people do what they do? How do they feel when they do it? Sometimes I wonder if I should’ve been a journalist. My insatiable curiosity about the human condition makes me excellent at asking questions so I’m really good at doing interviews.
In my mind, the word “wisdom” has always been reserved for gurus and yogis and such, but everyone’s wise in their own way. For instance, I’m good at reading my husband’s mood and attitude. Timing is everything when you use your words around here and I’ve learned, don’t say anything important to a tired brain!
Now the question remains, would this brain be the same had I lived my life as a Lowman instead of a Wiseman? Would Romeo have lost his appeal had his name been Romeo Smith?
Seeded in this week: Continue on the path of my name. Learn, then change accordingly: my gold bar.