As the birth of our second child approaches, we have been thinking of what to name the baby. We don’t know the sex of the child, so we’ve had to consider both possibilities. For boys’ names, we have a couple good contenders, but nothing really interesting. Girls’ names are a slightly different matter.

Generally speaking, I neither advertise nor hide the fact that I am most comfortable aligning my spiritual philosophy with Buddhism. Over the last five years or so, I believe I have made some progress toward a goal of acceptance; accepting myself, accepting my environment, my family, my job, merely for what they are. It’s not an easy thing to do, but on the other hand it’s not a struggle either. On the contrary, the point really is not to struggle.

Anyone who knew me as a capitalistic, young-Republican-wannabe child would probably be surprised that I am now entertaining the thought of naming my child something that reflects my substantially changed mindset. I’m not talking about naming the child Flower or Sunset, but I there are two people who I admire for their spirituality whom I think about a lot each day. The first is my grandmother, with whom I spent a lot of time growing up. As far back as I can remember, and still to this day, she is a person who serves others. I couldn’t begin to count the number of meals she has made, rooms she has cleaned, or loads of laundry she has done for me or the people around her. She does this without resentment; in fact it makes her happy. How amazing it would be if I could learn to do the same; to forget about myself, and to be happy just being useful?

Further, she accepts life as it comes to her. The most common phrase I remember her saying, qualifying just about any potential activity is, “si Dios quiere”–”if God wants.” She and I don’t agree in specifics about God, but I see the wisdom in her way of thinking. She knows that her wishes and reality do not always meet, and in the end, what is was meant to be. For this, I would like to use the name Jane, after Grandma.

Second, is the therapist, Buddhist teacher, and author Tara Brach. Her book, Radical Acceptance is always at my bedside. I don’t need to read it every day, but each time I do, I feel better about everything. When I feel like everything is broken, it helps me like nothing else can. Not by fixing anything, just by helping me to accept the brokenness, and allowing me to make change from a more healthy point of view. For this, I would like to use the name Tara.

So there you have it: Tara Jane, inspired by two women whose purpose and wisdom I hope that I and my potential daughter can emulate. That said, it will probably be a boy (but that’s ok).