How I Became Nala Fellow Earthling 🦁🌍

Growing up, I never quite liked my first name. Every time it was spoken, it seemed to only surface when I had done something wrong—when I was being called to "settle accounts." It felt like a label for the version of me who was always in trouble. As I entered puberty, I made a decision: I would erase that part of myself, the girl whose name seemed tied to nothing but problems. So, I adopted my middle name, hoping it would bring me closer to the person I wanted to be.

But that journey of self-discovery was far from simple. It was a time of deep confusion, as I tried to figure out who I was and where I belonged. I felt lost, divided, and distant from myself.

Now, nearing my 40s, and after an intense and sometimes painful process of inner growth, I’ve come to a profound realization: every part of me, even the ones I tried to reject, has a place in my story. I didn’t need to erase anything; I needed to embrace all of me. And that’s when I decided to take on the name Nala—a name that reminded me of the joy and wonder of childhood, when I would dream of Disney movies and lions. But it’s more than that. Nala is also an acronym for my legal name, symbolizing the way I’m piecing together all the parts of myself that I once pushed away. It’s about calling back my power and honoring who I’ve always been, even when I didn’t see it.

🌿 But here's the thing: I often find myself struggling to understand how we live. The way we relate to each other, the systems we build, the wars we fight, the endless power games—it all feels so disconnected from the truth I sense deep inside. We seem to believe that external forces shape us, when in reality, everything flows from within. And maybe, just maybe, it’s my bad too. After all, half the time my mind lives in a different universe—one where things make more sense, where the world is simpler and more aligned. And I’m not alone. Research shows that our minds wander about half the time, lost in daydreams and alternate realities. Perhaps that's my way of escaping what I can’t fully grasp about the world around me. 🌍✨

As for Fellow Earthling, in a world that constantly divides us—by color, race, ethnicity, political views, social status, income, gender, citizenship—I wanted a name that dissolves those barriers. A name that reminds us that, beyond all these labels, we are all connected. We are all humans, sharing this Earth together. My hope is that, by embracing this identity, I can help inspire unity, compassion, and a sense of belonging for all of us.

#SelfDiscovery #InnerHealing #PersonalGrowth #NalaFellowEarthling #Unity #SelfAcceptance #InnerPower #BreakingBarriers #IdentityJourney #HealingJourney 🌿🌟 #MindWandering #InnerTruth #PowerSystems

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