Member-only story
My Name has Two Origin Stories
There are two different stories how I got my name. My mom told me both, and I’m not sure which one’s the real one. At this point, I’m not even sure she remembers ever telling me either story.
The first one is nice. The name Keara was around a lot when I was born. Not sure if it’s the right spelling, but definitely the same pronunciation. There’s an important character in The Dark Crystal called Keara. All these different characters made her want to name her child after one of them.
And then there’s the second story.
My mom was visiting a friend one day while she was pregnant. While she was there, the friend’s dog approached her. The dog’s name was Keara. She liked it so much that when I was born, that’s what she named me. It’s one of the funniest naming stories I’ve ever heard in my life.
I’m not sure which one of these is the true story.
My mom has the kind of humor where if you’re not careful, you can’t tell if she’s joking or not. I have a memory of her telling my brother something, and when he stormed off she started laughing and said, “I’m going to go to hell.” She said it in such a way everyone was laughing by the time it was over.
Now, when a new person asks about my name, I think about which story I tell them. If it’s a complete stranger that I’ll never see again, they’re getting the dog story. They’d get a laugh out of it and move on with their lives.
If it’s someone closer that asks about my name, I’ll start with the dog story but tell the second one not long after. It’s always fun to watch people’s reactions when they hear the dog story anyway.
