My Name Is

…Kasmira. I blog under my actual name. If I had it to do all over again, I might use a pseudonym, for privacy and safety reasons, but that ship has sailed.

I was my parent’s firstborn, in the mid-70’s, and they liked Star Trek. In fact, they liked it so much that they intended to name my Mira, after Lt. Mira Romaine in The Lights of Zetar episode. However, before the big day arrived, they found Kasmira in a book of baby names and liked that better, Star Trek or not.

According to that much thumbed book of names, Kasmira means “commands peace.” I’ve found similar definitions on the internet and have also found the opposite meaning, “destroyer of peace,” listed. It is perhaps appropriate that I left the Marine Corps because I could not stomach our actions overseas. Kasmira also means “demands peace.”

Most people assume that my name is Indian because of its similarity to the word Kashmir. However, that tattered book of names (and the always reliable internet) list the name’s origin as Slavic. That narrows down the name’s location of origin to anywhere in Eastern Europe.

Kasmira is a big name to live up to. I remember the disappointment of my highschool guidance counselor upon meeting me. “I thought you’d be Indian,” she said. I was a let-down with my blue eyes, blond hair, and freckles.

Maybe it’s the name that inspired me to find my own path after becoming an adult. I was definitely weird as a kid (mostly due to growing up in a cult), but I got a lot weirder as an adult. I pursued interests because I was curious, not because my friends did it. I started ballet, I hunted mushrooms, I lived out of my car, I joined the Marine Corps. And finally, I started a style blog.

I don’t think people are disappointed anymore when they meet me.