Safa means tranquil, serene, calm…I try

Names. I am sure we’ve all had the discussion about weird or ghetto-fab names with our friends. If you’ve read this blog for a while, you may even remember me mentioning meeting a 4th grade boy named JODECI! OK, now this post is about names but on the other end of the spectrum.

I was in Panera’s with a friend the other evening and she was telling me something about a friend of hers. Now, the point of the story was lost on me as soon as she mentioned her friend’s adolescent son’s name. I emphasize ADOLESCENT to highlight the fact that this child is 13 years old. I am not joking and she was not lying. The boy’s name is Cleetis. Huh? She could not understand why I was taken aback. Actually she grew annoyed with me after a while b/c I was stuck on this for a minute. She is from Mississippi and said the name is quite common. I am from New York City and have never ever met a single person with that name.

It reminded me of a co-worker I had a few years ago in DC who named her son Lester. There’s a 16 year-old boy named Lester walking around. I’m not mad at you for choosing traditional or family names. I mean, I’m muslim so I’m used to people looking at me crooked when I tell them my baby’s name…BUT Cleetis? Lester? Come on….

It’s been a stressful summer. It’s kind of been a blur and I can’t really remember any huge events. I went home to NYC and that is always a blast. We had a mini- family reunion that was great too. However, we decided to try and buy a house during a time that is sooo crazy, one wonders what we were thinking. Worse still, a foreclosure! After a summer of ups, downs, and emotional changes, we moved into our new digs last Monday..a week ago today! We are happy, the kids are estatic and now the task of unpacking and decorating begin.

Let’s just say that for the past 2 weeks we’ve LIVED in Lo.wes and H.Dep.ot! Anyway, I now have a clearer head and can focus on more than just this process so expect some updates soon!