What's in a name?
On Monday, I mentioned something "out loud" about changing my domain name (the "snoringscholar.blogspot.com" part of things around here) and/or the name of this blog ("just another day of Catholic pondering") (see #2 on this post). I've gotten some interesting feedback, and I thank you for that, those of you who have piped up.
I don't know why I mentioned it here, except that talking about things is part of how I process them and think them through. I've spent years learning to think before I open my mouth (or clack on my keyboard), but the topic of a name seemed, well, worth sharing. And odd though this may sound, I've thought about this during prayer times this week - not because I've intended to, but because it just popped into my head. (Do I blame the Holy Spirit? Or some sort of attention deficit problem?) I have thought about the comments, about things my husband and I discussed, about marketing angles - oh, all sorts of things, really, related to this topic.
Names are pretty important, but this isn't a child (say it with me: my blog isn't a child, my blog isn't a child, my blog isn't a child - there now, feel better?), after all, so...why didn't I just do it?
Well...it seemed to need thought. Oh, and I needed another bullet point for that post with the five parts. :) I'm not good at thought alone - I need discussion, interaction - and I really wondered what people would have to say. I didn't pursue it by sending emails to the people who could probably give me professional opinions; I just left it out in the ether to percolate.
Here's what brewed in my mind, and I'm sharing it because (a) I am in the mood to ramble this afternoon and (b) it seemed an appropriate follow-up.
As it turns out, I'm pretty passionate about both the domain name and the blog name. (Who knew?)
On Snoring and Scholar:
I like the snoring scholar part of my web address. Yes, it's obvious that it's free. Yes, it's sort of confusing. Yes, it's downright silly.
All three of those things, by the way, are traits I value, or at least uphold much of the time. I can think of one particular husband of one particular friend who would break into uproarious laughter at the thought of me not being confusing or silly. (He has the advantage over you of having seen me act the fool to make his 12-month-old smile.)
And free...well, free is good. This blog isn't making any money - which is OK, mind you, it keeps it in its place; if it made me money, I suspect it would demand more of my time - so is it really worth paying for a special name? Now, there is that one domain name I've had in my back pocket for a number of years...but...well...we come back around to the fact that I just plain like snoringscholar. It reminds me, every time I type it or share it or think of it, of my husband, and that makes me think of my kids, and that makes me think of my faith (not always in exactly that order, but always starting with my husband, the original Snoring Scholar). And that, my friends, is as it should be!
On the Name of the Blog:
Now, the name of this blog, "just another day of Catholic pondering," is a little more complicated. Am I really invested in it? I've been asking myself if I like it, for one thing (it was sort of thrown together), and if it really describes me, for another.
One of my friends pointed out that much of what I write wouldn't have to be limited by the label "Catholic." I had thought that myself, so I felt a little justified in my "this could be made more {gag} marketable" line of thinking.
The thing is, when I really stop and think about that label "Catholic," I don't feel limited by that label.
In fact, if I really think about it, I might need to be reminded that it's not optional. And maybe having it at the top of a place where I'm spending much of my time and energy isn't a bad thing.
Maybe, after all, it's not for you, the readers. Maybe it's not a way of enticing people to read what I write. Maybe it's not a matter of being witty or clever or lame.
Maybe that name at the top is for me: a reminder of who I am, what I stand for, whose work I do.
Being Catholic isn't something I turn off when I'm hanging out with a bunch of friends. Being Catholic isn't just who I am when I'm at Mass and work. Being Catholic isn't a part of me - it's all of me.
Everything I do - from the moment I get up in the morning to the minute I collapse in the evenings - is Catholic. I'm not a good Catholic, an ideal Catholic, or a perfect Catholic, but I'm Catholic at every moment. No, you may not even notice (dare I suggest you may not be looking?), and maybe that's another mark against me for not being better at evangelization. Then again, maybe this little corner of the world, where I have (boldly? foolishly?) proclaimed myself Catholic, you come to realize that Catholic, above all else, equals human.
I'm as human as you. I struggle. A lot. On a good day, I try to cooperate with the graces God sends me, and on the normal days, I kick and scream and whine (usually in my head).
If I had been thinking when I named this corner of cyberspace, I might not have included "Catholic" in the title. I probably would have made it shorter, easier to remember, catchier. Marketing Sarah would have had a field day.
But you know what? I think it might be just what it's supposed to be, at least for the time being.
*If you're interested, here's The Story of the Snoring Scholar, a related post from a while back.
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