What We Name by Denise Durocher
Queen Anne’s Lace, Ottawa evening walk, July 2026, Denise D.
In Ontario where I live, there is an abundance of a wild plant that some people call “Turkey Weed”, but I prefer another name for it “Queen Anne’s Lace”. Doesn’t “lace” sound better than “weed”? And when you stop to admire the plant, aren’t the tiny white blossoms as beautifully detailed and delicate as lace?
And that makes me think of the power of a name, especially the names we give to describe experiences, feelings, thoughts, environments and situations. Are they “weeds, are they “lace”, are they both at times, or something completely different?
When I name a felt sense, I try to use the word that most describes it without ascribing a value to it. Not good or bad, nor right or wrong, nor positive or negative. It just is what it is.
Naming gives life. Allows growth. Opens to self-understanding. Naming is powerful.
My Focusing Companion will often help me find THE word I need and when I say it out loud, I feel relief, I feel seen and heard, I sometimes laugh out loud and exclaim: “Oui!!! Absolument”!! Something new unfolds and I am grateful.
Maybe we all need to embrace a “weed” from time to time to discover the treasure it holds and give it a name.
