Those of you who are parents would probably know what I mean. It is a real challenge to come up with a name! After all, it would be something that will last for the lifetime of the person you are naming. Just a few days ago I was told that John (my older twin boy) asked why we did not name him Rex! I can imagine that nobody likes to find out later that the name they chose for their child was not the best one in the child’s point of view. Of course, John was probably kidding (at least I will pretend he was). Then there are other things to consider. For example, nobody wants their name pronounced wrongly, or made fun of by school mates, or be taken completely out of context. So you see, naming is not as straightforward as some people think!
My experience of naming my sons was relatively easy…and the naming of some of my cars were easy too. Coincidentally, it was really easy to name my first bike as well. Good fortune, however, does not last forever and I found myself confounded with the task of naming my latest bike. You see, I wanted a name that would resonate well with how I felt about him…and yet a name that would not be too common…or too cliche…or too boring…or too…you get the idea.
So what did I do? Well, I did what everyone tasked with coming up with a name would do…I searched the internet for names! Hahahaha! That did not help obviously…I ended up with so many names swimming in my head that I got a massive headache! It did not help too that I had an uncle bike…and one that is probably the most common bike in the entire island! I mean, throw a stone in a car park with a motorcycle lot and chances are you will hit a Super Four. Sigh. It was to be a lot harder than I hoped!
So I started thinking about the feelings I would like to associate with my bike when I think of him, when I ride him, when I see him etc. The feelings were of freedom, speed, fun, adventure, ruggedness and safety (there were many more but I really do not want to make my bike sound more uncle than he already is…hahaha!). I can see my problem even with that short list of feelings…it would be impossible to find a name that conjures up all of those feelings! I mean, find a name that signifies speed and fun…and out goes safety! Find a name that signifies safety and out goes adventure (to me, at least)…in fact…this exercise was futile at the very best!
Eventually, after pulling out most of the hair that is on my head (the one that sits on top of my shoulders, thank you), I decided that I would just give him a simple name. A name that nobody can dispute. And while it may be a name that may not signify any of the feelings that I listed above, it would still be a name that would make the most sense. Unfortunately, I really did not like a name that was common…so I set about searching for something a little more…unique. Hahaha! That is just what I like to do…make things more difficult than they need to be!
In any case, I searched, and searched…and searched some more…and eventually stumbled upon a name…many days later…that I felt would be just nice. And that name is…
…Anker!
This name happens to be of Nordic origin and it means “stability”. After all, he is really an uncle bike…and is very stable…and easy to ride. So what better name to give him than Anker? It is even pronounced like “uncle” the Singlish way! PERFECT!!!
So there. My naming conundrum has come to an end. I can now rest my mind from the whirlwind of names and just enjoy my time with Anker. About time too as I have only one strand of hair left!
