My Name

Abha means beautiful. I have not always been comfortable sharing this. In fact, my name and its meaning had been a source of great pain and shame in my younger years. I had not always felt comfortable in my own shoes as a child. I would often hide a smile (until I received braces) and keep my head down. Confidence and self-love took time and required patience and growth.

Experiences afford you the gift of time and of growth. With each stage of life, we encounter people and events that can shape us and define us, and possibly hold us back. Have you ever heard of the practice ‘letters to my younger self’. Books have been amassed and videos have been created on this very concept – using one’s own retro lens to pen a letter to that teen or twenty-something self, reminding them not to place so much stock in momentary setbacks which in time will either cease to hold value, or become the very stepping stone to something pivotal in life.

Because we may not be afforded timely wisdom or insights when we require it, find inspiration from others whose experience might be invaluable to you. Look to that someone who has penned a letter that is richly steeped in experience to a child of the world who needed to read it, you.

Let not the worst calamity of today be the reason you stop dreaming about tomorrow. If I could tell that awkward adolescent that her name was worthy, that the gift of her name from her parents would be beautiful in time, then she might have smiled more (no matter the look of her misshapen teeth). Suffering the pain and uncertainty of a period in life should not rob one of the ever-important winding path to self-discovery. Ride the waves of life, suffer its ebbs, even as you chase the rainbows, for in that heartfelt journey lie growth and possibility.

Yours in health, Dr. Abha