I'm very new to this blogging thang. I've decided to give this a go as it's been on my to do list forever. And as you all know, that to do list can be a killer. I don't want to be in a life threatening situation to turn around and say "I wish I had started my blog when I had the chance to."
My story today is about Bernadottie (that's me just in case some of you are wondering). For those of you who do know this story, TOUGH and for those of you do not know this story, well here goes ...
I think I was about 6. My cousin and her husband stayed in the flats that were part of our family home. One morning, my mother in her divine wisdom decided to dress me in a polka dot dress. I looked like a miniature version of 101 Dalmations ... of the human kind. I went skipping into my cousin's room and she took one look at me and and my imitation Disney outfit and said ... "Well don't you look dotty, Bernadottie?". From that day forward, Dottie was born.
Some Joe Bloggs out there might be thinking ... "Jeeees woman, and HOW is this of interest to me? Go back to your day job and leave the blogging to the pros." Well Joe, you see here's the thing ... we've all been given a nickname or alias sometime in our lives. Whether it was when we were born and had no name hence the term "No-Name Brand". Or when you constantly nagged your mother (much like I did) and was promptly crowned "Moaning Minnie" or "Mona" as in Mona Lisa! Yes, some of us might giggle and think it's funny, but some of us are embarassed by the names. They might have stigmas attached to them, or just have bad memories about a time in the past. For me, it was a pleasant memory, as my entire family know me like that, but have never overused it, nor have they ever used it against me. Actually, I did have a bit of a complex later on in life, I thought my name had been changed to Minnie, because I used to nag my mother so much. But then I grew up and matured (like a good wine) and realised that my mother loves me very much and has instilled some really good standards and morals in me.
I have 3 beautiful children, 2 girls and 1 boy. I always preach to them about calling people names whether in jest or not. For me having that nickname throughout my life has fond memories for me as it reminded me of the crazy days I used to spend with my brothers, sisters and cousins. For someone else, it might not have been a fond memory, it might have been the deciding factor which lead to that individual maybe not succeeding in life and not going on to be the doctor or architect that he / she wanted to be. And all because of a nickname. The point I'm trying to make here is, that we should not go around branding people because of their appearance, their dress or the car they drive. Ask yourself the question, "If someone gave me a nickname without my permission, would I like it?
With this being my first blog and all, I would welcome any comments, suggestions or even topics that you would like to see here. I'd like to leave you with this thought. Look around you, no matter where you are. The first person that you see, maintain eye contact with them and just smile ... don't judge them on anything, just smile ... and mean it. You've just made someone's day and guess what ....
YOU'RE THE BETTER PERSON, BECAUSE YOU'VE JUST MADE SOMEONE SMILE!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!!
