(53 Weeks)
Mary is so plain and old fashion, don’t you think? Although, it’s also not a name I was ever really teased about – aside for some older people (men usually) who would follow-up an introduction with “Mary, Mary, quite contrary.” That was about when I perfected my eyeroll.
There aren’t really any nicknames or shortened forms of Mary. Except “Mair” (which is the spelling I use because “Mare” is a horse, which I am not! And “Mar” rhymes with “car”). My dad often called me “Missy” shortened from “Miss Mary” and as the story goes, when I was about 3 and he addressed me as “Miss Mary,” I corrected him and said it was “Queen Mary.” Perhaps solidifying the contrary moniker.
Aside from royalty and cruise ships, and nursery rhymes about my future gardening capabilities, Mary also had a little lamb who loved her so much it followed her to school, which seemed kind of cool. Then there was Mary Poppins! The all-time “practically perfect in every way” Mary.
Mary Tyler Moore (and her character) Mary Richards were inspirational role models for me growing up. She helped me understand that I could be whoever I wanted to be, didn’t need a man to help me achieve my goals, and truly knew I was going to “make it after all.” She was a big part of why I wanted to go into journalism and knew it was okay to prioritize wanting a career as a woman.
The Mary Tyler Moore show was part of my regular Saturday evening routine from the time I was five until I was almost 12. I even added an “M” on my bedroom wall, just like she had in her apartment. And I fancied myself as having “spunk.”
I was also usually chosen to be “Mary” in my Catholic school’s reenactments of the nativity scene at Christmas, which made me feel special. Although by my late teens any reference to the “Virgin Mary” lead to immense feelings of Catholic guilt. It was like the Lord himself was saying “I know what you did!”
“Mary” fills song titles and song lyrics more than any other name I can think of. Proud Mary (CCR), The Wind Cries Mary (Jimi Hendrix), Meet Me at Mary’s Place (Sam Cooke), Mary’s Place (Bruce Springsteen), Mary, Mary (The Monkees), Mary in the Morning (Glen Campbell/Elvis Presley), Take a Message to Mary (Everly Brothers), Cross-eyed Mary (Jethro Tull), and the list goes on. Then there’s a bunch of other songs simple called “Mary”.
And of course, there are many more songs where Mary appears in the lyrics. Let it Be (Mother Mary comes to me), Thunder Road (Mary’s dress waves), and One Toke Over the Line (Waiting on the train that goes home, sweet Mary) are three I can think of off the top of my head.
When I was 30, my biological mother informed me she had named me “Geraldine” (which was legally recorded as my middle name). She had named me “Geraldine Mary”. I’ve concluded the nuns felt I would be more marketable as Mary than Geraldine. Because that was the name they knew be by before they knew me, my Irish family calls me Mary Geraldine or Mary G.
I guess I would have been “Geri” which would be perfectly acceptable now. Although being “Geraldine” as a child in the late 60s/early 70s when Flip Wilson in drag (Google it) was popular, might have been difficult. So perhaps “Mary” was just fine!
Did you really think this wasn’t going to include a fundraiser? It’s me. Of course it is! Over the course of these 60 weeks, I am hoping to raise $6000 for the children of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls (that’s just $100 a week!). To learn more about Mercy Home and my why, please visit my fundraising page. Thank you.
