Minding My Own Business

The past three months have been a learning curve of note! As you know, I have focused my energy on launching a self-sustaining, income-generating, recycling sewing group that fabricate Rag dolls. (You can learn more on this project at www.ragdollinitiative.blogspot.com) This baby is now up and running and is providing me with an incredible amount of joy and, more importantly, have taught me to mind my own business. To expand I would like to tell one of my typical stories.

Many years ago, people started to differentiate between groups by attaching a surname to their first names. I stand to be corrected, but I believe this started during tribal times in ancient Israel where people's professions were responsible for their 'group' names. For instance; the Cohens were medicine men and the Schumakers were shoe makers. Mark Shuttleworth took to space like a duck takes to water.

For a long time I have wondered about the origin of my own surname and one search indicated that the root of Rheeders lies in Germany's Van Den Rheede; meaning ship owner. This is so cool, I thought. Perhaps there is a ship out there with my name on it and maybe it will find its way into a harbour someday. The sceptic in me always pulled me back to reality and to the possibility of it having sunk and lying on the ocean floor; forgotten and rusting away.

Another possibility has been squatting in the back of my mind for years. I remember, as a young child, people referring to my father as Mister Readers. Unless I spell my surname to someone, they always end up writing Readers and this has kept the squatter fat and healthy. So ... maybe I am truly a reader. This leads me to investigate the many topics or things that can be read; books, people, signals, maps, weather etc.

If this is so, then I should be a professional ship owner that reads all day. Wouldn't that be cool? If our surnames indicate our professions, then what should/could we do differently? I don't know but I'd like to know if you also wonder about such things.