My name is Cynthia. I’ve never really liked my name. I've never particularly disliked it either, I'm just in the middle, on the fence, take it or leave it. It's a difficult name with too many syllables, it doesn't roll off the tongue easily, it's frequently misspelled and it's awkward to type. There were quite a few little girls named "Cynthia" when I was born in the mid-sixties and I think most of them are as ambivalent about their name as I am, evidenced by the fact that few of them actually go by their full name. This was never an option for me as my family doesn't do abbreviated names. I am just not a Cindy... or a Cindi, or a Cyndi. Thus, in my twenties, I began to sign things with simply the letter "C" and over the years it has became a nickname of sorts... both a written and verbal shorthand among close friends.
I am also a musician, a singer. If you know anything about music you know that Middle C is the very center of the grand staff... neither treble nor bass clef, but set apart in a space all its own. It is the basis for Solfege (Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do), and the C scale is usually the first one learned by beginning musicians. It is not the lowest of the low or the highest of the high. It's just there in the middle, a solid foundation and pivot point for the rest of the staff. I'm somewhat like Middle C... my politics are centrist and moderate, I am solidly middle class, I'm consistent and reliable and you'll always know right where I stand.
If you've watched even five minutes of American Idol you know the key signature is "key" to how the music sounds. Certain keys sound happier or more dramatic or more melancholy than others and some songs just don't sound right in certain keys. If you sing a song in the "wrong key" for your voice you might find some of the notes out of your range and you can end up out of tune. This is also true of life... living life in the wrong key puts many of the richest "notes" beyond reach and harmony is impossible because we're out of tune with our own lives and our own selves.
So, what's in a name? Well, when I had the opportunity to get a vanity license plate I chose "KEYOFC" because it's musical and it's me. I'm attempting to live my life in the Key of C... within range of all the highs and lows and in tune with myself and the rest of the "music." This blog is part of that effort - to share some of the movements, to work out some of my pitch problems, and to harmonize with others as they join the song. Five, six, seven, eight, ready, begin...
