Personal Reflection
It feels simple—almost too simple. Naming something doesn’t seem like power at first. It feels ordinary. Routine. But the more you sit with it, the more you realize how much control lives in that act.
Because naming is never neutral.
From the beginning, things are labeled for us—who we are, where we belong, what we’re capable of. Some of it is subtle. Some of it isn’t. But over time, those labels start to feel like facts. Like something fixed.
I’ve caught myself answering to things I didn’t choose. Adjusting to definitions that were handed to me without question. It happens quietly—until you don’t even realize you’re doing it anymore.
But the moment you start naming things for yourself… everything shifts.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. But enough to feel it.
Because when you choose your own language, you’re not just describing your life—you’re shaping it. You’re deciding what something means instead of inheriting someone else’s version of it.
Adrienne Rich understood that. Naming isn’t just expression—it’s authorship.
Maybe the work isn’t just discovering who you are.
Maybe it’s deciding how you speak about it.
Not repeating what’s been said.
Not defaulting to what’s expected.
But choosing your own words—even if they don’t fit cleanly.
Because once you name something for yourself…
it stops owning you.
Reflective Prompt
What part of your life have you been describing using someone else’s language?
Memoirs of Madness 