What Names Mean to Me

I'm sure by now you are aware of the SSA most popular name list has been postponed. After some time of thinking and digesting my feelings I have an idea on how to portray them to you. 

This list being postponed was a major anxiety trigger for me. It was a major change to plans. I planned this whole week around the name release. Seven months ago I requested off from work so I could spend the day enjoying the list. I have had a wave of emotions over this postpone: sadness, anger, and then understanding to name a few. 

I am sad to not have this big list to look forward to like every year. Sad that there is a chance I will be working when the list is released. I am angry that the virus has taken another thing from me. It has changed yet another aspect of my life. And then when I sat with my feelings and digested them, I understood why it was happening. The world is in a state it has never been in before. People are working harder than ever to keep up. I did not realize that the list people were working on other more important aspects in the social security administration office. I have to admit that I never thought about the things the SSA does besides names. 

Thinking about my feelings about the list had me thinking about names in general. This list is more than a list for me just like names are more than names or letters put together. I am sure there is a blog post way back explaining how names and the naming community have helped me through my hardest times in life. The things I said back then are still relevant today and will most likely be true for years to come. 

I have struggled with anxiety and at a time depression. They are things that I will always struggle with for the rest of my life. When leaving the house or even getting out of bed was too much, names filled the gap. From formspring to youtube videos to making my own lists and then onto this blog I have had names as my main distraction. Nothing makes you forget about life more than naming babies in a made-up game. 

Change is my biggest anxiety trigger hence why I took this postpone harder than most. Throughout every change in my life names are the one thing that has never changed. They have always been there in some form. I am grateful for the community that I have and the support I have received. 

Meeting Alix! and Finally Meeting A Member of the Naming Community! 

So as we wait for this list to come out I will stay an ever-present in the naming community. I want to remind you guys that this is more than names to me. Thank you for all your support on all my naming platforms through the years and for the years to come. 

Now lets make this new release (whenever it is) bigger and better than ever!