We went out to dinner the other night with our friends Shruti and Anil who are also the owners of a Mini. Its name is Tidka, which means small in Hindi. Shruti was excited to help me name my mini. She asked some great questions looking for inspiration: "Do you and Scott have any pet names for each other? How about the word for 'freedom' but in a different language? Do you guys have a place that means something to you?" We immediately thought of Isla Mujeres -- and thought, maybe, Izla, would be a nice name.
Although "Izla" was fun... it didn't feel perfect. On our drive home from dinner Scott and I did a little more brainstorming. We came up with "Pica" (prounounce Pie-ka) which is this cute little hamster-like animal that you see scurrying around when you go hiking in the mountains of Colorado. Also, reminiscent of Pikea (pronounce Pie-kia), the main character of Whale Rider (an excellent movie that takes place in New Zealand). Anyway, I liked both those names, but still not perfect. On Saturday morning, I was reading a book that mentioned an excerpt, or 'song' from a poem by Robert Browning, called "Pippa Passes" -- about a girl, Pippa, who wanders around a little town in Italy, on her one day of holiday singing and unknowingly affecting the lives of those who hear her song. I found this interesting adaptation written for children.
I think my mini will have the same effect on people when we drive by.
So that's how I found my Mini's new name - Pippa.
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