Saturdays are going to be reserved for the Weekend Writing prompt. Each weekend I’ll find a prompt whether in the numerous books sitting by my bed or online and just free-write for 10 minutes. Whatever spills forth is published, no editing or second guessing.
This Saturday’s prompt is
“The meaning of your name…does it suit you?”
was provided by the infamous Mama Kat.
My name has been a blessing and a curse since I was born. My mother in an effort to originally unoriginal decided to name me Brook {without the “e”} after the neighbor girl. It was the 70’s and everyone was all about Brooke Shields and her Calvin Klein jeans, and because of my name I was caught up in the hype.
“Yep, like Brooke Shields, but without the ‘e’, “ I would always say years later. Eventually, Brooke’s 15 minutes faded until years later during her Tom Cruise rumble, and people stopped the name reference.
Then they started with the jokes like “Babbling Brook” or just stupid rhyming like “Brook the Crook” or “Brookie Hookie” kids can be weird and totally annoying.
Throughout it all I still had to remind everyone, even close friends about that absent “e”. They always wanted to add it, that or an “s” making me Brooks or even swapping an “o” for a “c” transforming me into Brock.
Now at the ripe age of 40 my name, the one that had given me such fits throughout the years, seems to fit me.
I’ve grown into it, let its rough edges and annoying absent “e” define me as unique, one of a kind.
My name in general terms means “small stream”, but further research revealed …
Long before the medieval times the brook was thought to be a significantly smaller body of water than we do now, comparable to what we now refer to as a puddle.
Because of their size, it was often fabled that tears had caused these water spots to come about. Though, since their size was obviously much too big for mere tears to cause this, it was said that angels brought them about as they watched over the world in the clouds; thus creating their beauty. Henceforth the meaning, ‘beautiful pool of tears’, was brought about for a brook as well as both names Brook and Brooke.As time passed brooks were considered to be larger bodies of water, as we see them today. The names were then used to recognize one who lived next to the stream-like body of water instead of the meaning of the pool itself, though many prefer to use this meaning today.
I’d say that’s perfect for me – Brook, without the “e”