You can kill a project with a name.
There is a rock club called “Ass” in Beroun. I would like to go there to listen to the rock music, which I enjoy. However, I do not like the club’s name. Despite the fact that I use the same word when I am angry, if I do not manage to save files in the computer or fit into my trousers.
Trousers make me think about a fitness “Tyrannizer”. I cannot button up tight my trousers due to the fitness clubs’ silly names. Another one that discouraged me is called “Torture chamber”. I know, this is just an excuse…
But what if a name is a source of troubles?
And is it at all possible?
When we moved to Geneva we were supposed to live in an area called “Eaux-Vives”. Literally, waters of life. It is close to the Lake Geneva. There are yachts, boats, seagulls and little yellow boats that transport locals and tourists as a taxi from one bank to another. A few centuries ago, you would not see any hotel, esplanade around the lake but only vineyards, gardens, fields … everything is growing here, if you have green hands. Locals knew it so they started cultivating land to their advantage. Water of life did its job.
We have moved to several locations and we are living in a different place now. It is beautiful. However, when I was reading the name of the bus stop for the first time, I was a bit frozen. We are moving from Eaux-Vives to Eau morte. Eau morte – to explain it better, it is like a fairy tale about Goldilocks. A water of life from one little bottle revives with a few drops anything without life and vice versa. Drops from the second little bottle killed the bad king. Nomen omen, I told myself? I hope not … Birds are singing, it is green everywhere, peace, horses and grown trees around.
The place is called this way due to the soil full of stones, which was not suitable for growing anything. Rather for extraction of stones of all sizes. There are still places around where they extract stones. We had to dig up everything, remove stones, adapt surface when we were cultivating the garden to persuade it to get green. We succeeded. Vegetation is bursting.
When mountains took Peter away, I was thinking about the name again. I was thinking for a while if we did not take a wrong direction towards our destiny. If this place … well? I had to let the idea go rather quickly.
Even if the house was silent for a while since there was no energy for joy and talk and I still do not have a nice concept that we have wished for with Peter, life is coming back through flowering meadow around a path on which one can walk barefoot. Children and friends are helping, construction is continuing and my best friend from Czechia, Lucka and Renda, came this weekend. As if a joy has been coming back. As if everything has been lightened.
There was so much good energy that it makes me still happy. This is not only due to the fact that Renda installed new lights, which I had in Czechia since Christmas. Peter has not managed to see them and we were using bulbs in some rooms.
I was thinking about names due to many reasons. Due to an article at seznam.cz, a memory of meeting in a Trade Licencing Office, Ms. Grim Reaper in the film Kolja, Mr. Tree Brunch from the Botanical garden or a slogan in a magazine.
It is always very stressful in the Trade Licencing Office. You have to be there during the official hours. Well, if you fly to Czechia from abroad only for a weekend, you are not able to fit into official hours. You have to humiliate yourself and try to persuade them that they have to accept you outside the official hours. The nameplate “Ms. Trouble” on the door of the office does not seem to encourage you. You feel troubles. Trouble is a euphemism for a bigger problem. Life is full of paradoxes, unpredictable meetings, changes, symbols and bizarre signs, which you do not notice – until they will let you know. It was not on purpose but I take everything personally now. For example, there is an advertisement in a magazine Free Austria: “I gain an energy for life in a silence of mountains – come to be alive”. Sometimes, it is impossible to be alive in a silence of the mountains, even with a water of life.
There was an article about practices of a Financial Office at seznam.cz. A clerk who’s name was Ms. Victory alerted about mischievous practices of this office and she is not working there anymore. I am not sure if Nomen Omen worked in the rights direction. Her colleagues’s name is Ms. Lather, which made me laugh. Ms. Lather remains and is still working in this office. Should not it be reverse, due to their names? I do not know this woman and has nothing against her. I do not judge if she should go or stay, I even do not remember the name of the Financial Office anymore. Just, if someone lather you, you usually loose one tooth and have a few bruises.
Is there any lesson?
I should persuade my brain not to think too much, not to work and to look for threads. Many crazy things come to my mind.
I rather take a mattock and go to cultivate another part of the garden. I am so exhausted that my brain switch off for a while. Fortunately, it is so huge here and there is always some work. It should be so. It will bring me some peace and will please someone in future. And when there is a beautiful rainbow above our garden, which we have never seen before, I am happy and calm that someone has sent it to us. And that he is watching us how do we manage.
We would not receive a distinction but we would receive the best grade.
28.6.2020 Cartigny