Appellation

I believe that names are very important

and reflect critical aspects of your personality.

For example, I am leery of naming a dog “Loki,”

for fear that he would delight in creating chaos.

A toddler named “Nero” would be a frightening creature indeed.

Does the name make a person or does the person find the right name?

Is a christening a matter of mystical fate or a happy/unhappy accident?

What my name says about me, I don’t know.

My mother had some dreary suggestions for me,

Llke “Dawn Marie.”  But my older brother had other ideas:

named me after two ‘70s TV stars—Karen Valentine and Michelle Lee.

This may come as a surprise, but

I’m not a glamorous actress

with gloriously feathered hair and bell bottoms

Karen is a Danish variation of “Katherine,” I believe,

which is derived from the Greek for “pure and unsullied.”

I can’t imagine that anyone over 40 feels very wholesome and immaculate.

Karen is not a trendy 2018 baby name,

but it’s not quite a grandma name, like Helen or Gladys.

It’s more like the name of your craziest aunt,

so I guess it fits me pretty well after all.