A Name Monologue: Bradley

In English, my name means handsome. It is the Aurora Borealis on a cold arctic night. It is the number twenty-one. It is the electricity pulsing into me as I hold on for tickets on the shock machine at Chuck ‘E’ Cheese. My name is Kenneth Bradley McGuire.

My first and middle names come from the Scottish-English origin. My first name I got from my Great-Grandfather whose name is Kenneth Eugene Ross. I received my middle name, Bradley, from a close friend of my mothers. The reasoning behind my names is simple. Each person I was named after have certain qualities or traits that she wants me to acquire.

Eugene may have some good traits like honesty, courtesy, and respect. That’s nice, but nobody is perfect. My Great-Grandfather has very little tolerance for disruption. I believe that if you want to be a leader, which I do, you must have a truck load of tolerance. When I am older I wish to be respected and honored. I will take no less.  Sometimes my family forgets to recognize that I have succeeded and only has time to point out more mistakes. It hurts my feelings, but they are getting a whole lot better. Whatever the matter I see myself growing up to be a well educated and successful man and that is why I demand to be respected.

I typically like my name. Although, I don’t always like my elders, I respect them so that I will be respected. If I could rename one of my names it would be my first name, Kenneth, even though I like the meaning. I would change it because it sounds like an elderly name so maybe I’ll go by Kenneth when I am forty. Anyway, if I could change my name it would be something exotic like Achilles. If it wasn’t exotic then it would be something meaningful like Charles, which means “free man” or “honored man”. Another plus to naming me Charles is that is also my father’s name. Yes, that is my name and I’M PROUD OF IT!