Thought a wee explanation was in order about my name.
I was born Melissa, but grew up being called Missy. My dad always says I looked like a Missy the second he first saw me...or maybe he meant Melissa? It wasn't until I went overseas after university that I started to introduced myself as Melissa officially. It felt very grown up and foreign and even still does now, 8 years later. But I knew I had definitely grown out of Missy for some reason. I've been known as Mel and Sa and Missylissa, but my favorite name is M. It came from an old friend of mine, when we were living in Scotland. The Scottish say "em" when they are trying to think of something, like we saw "um", so my friend thought it would be fun to call me M- and it's stuck! My Love calls me M, so do most of my friends I met while traveling in different parts of the world, as well as people at home now too. I feel most like M, like that's who I was meant to be all along. I discovered her when I was abroad, during some of the most fantastic and monumental times of my life (so far), so I relate to her more than Melissa or even Missy. I'm Melissa at work, always, so that makes it feel formal. But to my dear friends and even my family now too, I'm M and I love it!! To me, it means me being authentic and brave and adventurous and bold and creative and silly...and will only grow to mean more I'm sure. Does anyone else ever think about their name and how it feels? Do you have a name you'd rather be or any great stories about where your name comes from?
On a side note, my friend is in for surgery today for breast cancer. If you can send your positive vibes to her, I'd really appreciate it! And please go here as well. We can beat this!! Getting sick scares me, but being aware of my body is one way to stay healthy. I can only do what I can do.
6 comments:
Hi M! My parents, too, named me one thing and then promptly started calling me something else: officially I'm Elaine (well, even that's just my middle name - my first name might as well not exist) but right away started calling me Laini. I'm so glad -- Elaine isn't me. I'm a Laini. It's weird to think of being named something else. As a writer I think of names a lot when dreaming up characters -- parents are kind of guessing when they name babies. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes we need to make adjustments along the way.
M:
Cool post.
I was named Kathleen (maternal grandmother) Winnifred (paternal grandmother) Jennifer (brother's crush) for the long winded name of Kathleen Winnifred Jennifer Lingley.
The weirdest part is I like the name WInnifred! I wouldn't mind being called that! Well Win actually but still. Too bad everyone tells me how horrible the name is. Good thing it isn't my first name or I'd have HORRIBLE self esteem.
My family calls me Katho, my friends call me anything from Kat to Blingley, and I sign my emails as K. There was a stint that I tried to be called Kate first year of university but the only person who caught on was Dr. Twomey. This was a fad I abandoned.
I think it's cool that you shared your name story- I think more people would like to do so. Ever notice how people always ask eachother their names before anything else? People love names! They are fun, unique, and sometimes (more so than not) I think they are suited to their owners!
Love
K
I wondered what your name was... i always like mine - my FULL name (first & last) that is. It's pretty unique & strong. I always felt like I had to do something good so that my name could be published... some day!!
What a cool post. Hmm...my name in Monica (with a long Latina Catholic middle name), and my nickname became Mona in grammar school and high school. I wanted to shed that old skin in college, so I became Monica again, which was quickly shortened to Mon. I've been called Lady Miss M as well. TEG calls me a lovely nickname which means "my life" in Hindi. After reading "Tales of the City" I was dying to go back to Mona but by then it was too late LOL.
Mardou and variations thereof have been my online handles for years now--Mardou Fox was a character in Kerouac's The Subterraneans and she was the only woman who really stood out in any of his novels. I admired her, so Mardou I bacame.
And I am sending your friend many positive vibes. Good luck to her!
positive vibes to your sweet friend.
thank you for taking us into your name world. so fun to learn those aspects of you. it okay if i call you M?
well, my name is Denise. my relatives call me Niecie. my father calls me Boochie (no idea why...said it just came to him). my closest friends call me deni (pronounced denny) or den. some lovers have called me "D". bohemian or boho girl is my professional name. i don't really have a preference for any of these since each of them warm my heart in different sitations.
well...except when i was younger and was with my father in a public place and he would yell..."BOOCH!" to get my attention and all eyes would look on me with pity thinking what a dreadful name my parents gave me. i would then practically die of embarassment!
;-)
i hope your friend is okay. i am thinking about you both. thank you for sharing this history of your name. M. yes. M. it is.
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