Tripp: An Explanation and Reflection
Tripp is a recurring character of many stories on this site. By now, one of my readers (who doesn’t already know) is bound to be somewhat curious about him. Who is Tripp Walkup?
The name is a result of two separate customer records that flashed upon my screen while working in a call center back in 1996. A name hybrid, if you will. And I have been getting a lot of mileage from it. It just so happened that one customer had the first name of Tripp, a very unusual name I thought. Another customer had the last name of Walkup. Another strange name. I put the two together and gave birth to Tripp Walkup.
Repeat the full name aloud or silently to yourself enough times and it will make sense to you. Tripp, Walkup, Tripp, Walkup, Tripp, Walkup…
Now think of Tripp like “trip” — the frequent precursor to a fall. Think of Walkup as in getting back on one’s feet after a fall. The name itself connotes a perpetual stumbling block; a life of ups and downs. And Tripp is often a stumbling block — to himself.
Although Tripp is a fictitious character, the stories are true. And some of them may have even taken place.