What is in a name?

I was tempted to name this blog 'Musings of an Unjoined Person' but I chickened out, presuming people would think I had no grasp of English grammar. I've always had great difficulty in giving definitive labels, names, decisions and meanings to seemingly inanimate objects. Toys, pets, and academic work all included. I fear that if I do, I'll realise two days later how pretentious or plain my stupid decision was, and curse myself for hesitantly jumping in feet first. Essentially, I have difficulty in categorising anything for fear of how it will be received by other people and wider society generally. A little far-fetched for toys and pet names, but still the same principle. I'm unable to categorise myself, or give assured and definite responses to questions like 'what do you want to DO with your life? What is your favourite book? Where do you want to eat out?'

The personification of being unjoined is from Carson McCullers' 1946 book The Member of the Wedding. Through the character of Frankie, a girl on the cusp of adolescence who struggles to find her place, McCullers is able to express the confusion, loneliness and awakening that everybody must overcome. Frankie is described as an 'unjoined person'; her lack of membership to anything stemming from her disjointed view of herself and her place in society. This quote seemed apt not for self pitying reasons, but for the ease with which it describes that hollow feeling of self doubt and uncertainty which everybody, whether adult or child, has experienced. I would highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone.

I'll try not to be so heavy and philosophical next time, I promise. Instead, I settled on nobody, which is rather apt.