My name means God is gracious. It is simple and natural, like a plain white t-shirt. It is like the number 4, nothing special about it; just even, plain. Cobalt blue, simple in nature, like smooth waves on a lake on a warm summer day. That 43 year old businessman. The one who goes to the office every day from nine to five. The one the spends 8 hours a day at his job, just to go home and do it all over again the next day.

My name is a clock that keeps on ticking away, second after second. That hand-me-down; those ripped pair of jeans, that has obviously been worn too many times. The hearth of the name started with my Grandfather, where he passed it down to my father, and then on to me.

This pair of jeans has too many holes in it, and the threads are breaking off one by one. The jeans have been passed down too many times, and fortunately, it’s time for a new pair of pants; maybe something more unique this time. A pair of chinos, perhaps. Khaki colored, a pair that fits just right, and more importantly; no holes.

It is simple, all I ever known. A name I share with many. So common, I see many others who share the same fate that I do; such as 3 of my school friends, wondering when the trend will break off. It’s like a painter’s palette with no paint; just plain.

My name reminds me of the first day of school, where I have to tell each teacher that I want to be called a different name. I do this because it’s all I ever done, year after year. My parents say its because it’s what my Mom wanted my name to be, but that’s not the reason I do it. Maybe this is the reason why I don’t like hand me downs, especially those that are ripped to shreds.

I don’t like my name. Kind of like that certain food you just despise; I try to avoid it at all costs. My birth name is John. Plain, old denim.

This is why I adopted myself a new name. I found merriment in it. It’s new; fresh. That breath of air after under water. It feels like I am breaking the family curse that gets passed down generation by generation. This curse will end with me, and my name will be lost in the echoes of my new name; Jack.