bloganuary

Mary the Badass

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments

Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.

I have the most common female name in the history of Western Civilization. Like many little Catholic girls in the 60s and 70s, this Mary got a second name tagged on. I posted about my double name here.

Now, as an ex-Catholic, the religious symbolism of my name isn’t terribly meaningful to me. However, when I gave birth to my son, with a midwife and no anesthesia, I remember thinking of Mary giving birth to Jesus in the manger. It’s basically ALL YOU, when you have natural childbirth. It’s hardcore and badass. I was in a hot tub, I got out, the midwife threw a blanket on me, and it happened (thanks to me)—the miracle of birth. Mary did that too. Her baby may or may not have been born to save of us all, but she gets MAJOR credit for birthing him in those conditions, with no anesthesia.

Mary the Badass with her big-headed baby. My son was also born in December and weighed 9 lbs, 1 oz at birth.

Related posts:

The Double Name

Mary had a little lamb

Dream job

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

What’s your dream job?

I had a job I loved for many years and now it’s over. I worked with inspiring leaders and brilliant faculty and made great friends.

My work as a fundraiser contributed to the mission of terrific organizations that changed lives through music and the arts. The money I earned helped pay the bills and put two kids through college debt-free.

I had my dream job. I’m grateful.

Be Inspiring. Be Likable. (And more Paris pics)

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments

Bloganuary writing prompt
What makes a good leader?
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In my experience, one key to leadership is being able to inspire people. You’ve got to: a) have a vision; and b) be able to communicate your vision in a way that makes others want to get behind it. This does not necessarily mean that your vision is a “good” or moral one. Massive numbers of people have gotten behind leaders with sickening visions. Hitler is the most obvious example, but Trump is another one. He’s literally running on revenge and lies.

I learned a lot about two of the most famous leaders of France on my trip to Paris in December—Louis XIV and Napoleon I. 

Louis XIV, a.k.a. the “Sun King” because the nation revolved around him, reigned for a loooong time (1643-1715). He loved his mother and the arts and had a great personality. Allegedly, he made everyone feel comfortable when speaking with him. He managed to move the entire French government out of Paris to his favorite sleepy suburb—Versailles. People liked the guy!

One of many portraits of the Sun King in the Palace of Versailles. Don’t you just want to hang with him? I wonder if he loaned out his cool shoes.
The “Gallery of Battles” in Versailles—a modest little wing of Louis’ house.

Napoleon, as you may have heard, was good at war. Eventually, he got cocky and went too far, but still, the French took him back. It was said that having Napoleon on the battlefield to rally the troops was equivalent to having 10,000 additional men. Clearly, he had something good going on personality-wise. Even now, he looms large in French life. A French couple asked me to take their photo, with his tomb, when I was in Paris.

Napoleon’s tomb in its grand setting: Les Invalides cathedral
The dome above Napoleon’s tomb

Whatever it was, the 2023 film “Napoleon” starring Joaquin Phoenix completely missed it. Boy, was it bad! I hope the Oscar nominators agree. (Check out Dan’s predictions here.) As my husband said when we left Les Invalides, “The guy that Joaquin Phoenix played in the film did not deserve that tomb.” He was wasn’t the least bit inspiring – or likable. For a laugh, check out what the French had to say about the film here.

A portrait of Napoleon as Emperor that hangs in Versailles

Receiving line

~ MaryG ~ 1 Comment
Bloganuary writing prompt
Can you share a positive example of where you’ve felt loved?
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I remember experiencing a deep feeling of being loved by my friends and family in the receiving line outside the church after our wedding. We had just said our vows and walked out onto the front lawn of the UU church, which is also the town common–a classic New England church on a big town green. It was a sunny but windy day in late May, and my long, tulle veil was blowing around like crazy. Then everyone started coming out of the church and seemed so genuinely thrilled for us. Maybe they were just happy to get outside into the sun, but I remember a real feeling of being surrounded by love.

The church
Hugging my Aunt Mary, who came all the way from New Mexico for the wedding
The blowing veil

My policy

~ MaryG ~ 10 Comments
Bloganuary writing prompt
Where can you reduce clutter in your life?
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Everyone knows there’s one really great way to declutter: MOVE. Moving forces you to go through all your stuff and evaluate whether or not each item is worth bringing to your next space. But moving is major. Nobody does it just to declutter.

Once, after a move many years ago, I developed a “policy” with my clothes and shoes. (We lived in a tiny antique house and my closet was from colonial times.) If I bought something new, I made sure to get rid of something I didn’t wear anymore. Something in, something out. It kept things in equilibrium. It also helped me see my clothes more clearly and put together outfits that I never would’ve thought of when everything was packed so tight. Eventually, I extended my policy to other things, like books and toys.

When we moved to a bigger house, I largely kept the policy. It helps keep clutter down. I have a large shelf in my closet, which I like to think of as “purgatory.” It’s where I put things I plan to get rid of. Things typically sit in purgatory for six months or so — retrievable, if I change my mind — before I donate them to Big Brother/Big Sister or to my church’s “trash and treasure” sale.

My son’s huge collection of worn out sneakers has largely been kept under control by the policy. (If he wants new sneakers, he’s got to agree to toss some old ones.) I even do it with my jewelry. If I’m tempted to buy new earrings, I’ll get rid of a pair I never wear. (They go to purgatory initially, in case I miss them and want them back, and then to the jewelry donation box at my church.)

Occasionally, I get rid of something and regret it later. For example, my son wanted to play tennis out of the blue last summer, but I had donated all our rackets to the Boy Scouts because nobody had used them in 5+ years. They were in the garage, which really needs a full “move-like” decluttering. We need to pretend we’re moving and take every single thing out of the garage, clean it, and then only put back the stuff we use.

That’s a job for the spring.

The Socials & the Daily Prompt

~ MaryG ~ 3 Comments

In what ways do you communicate online?

I have a Facebook (FB) and an Instagram (IG). I used to be a regular, lighthearted Facebook contributor, but then Trump happened. I could not NOT weigh-in. So, that alienated a small number of friends and certain relatives. A couple of old but significant friendships ended largely due to Facebook bullshit. I got more interested in Instagram during the COVID lockdown. I have far fewer connections on Instagram. It’s just mostly about the pictures, and I really like to take pictures. I use IG more than FB now, but I occasionally still share something on Facebook. And I check Facebook multiple times each week to see what other people are posting, especially the big announcements. (Sadly, it’s now the main way I hear about high school and college classmates’ deaths.)

Because I hated my boss for the last few years, I’ve kept my LinkedIn up to date and I use it pretty frequently—mostly for private messages. Like Facebook, LinkedIn is good for tracking people down. Almost everyone with a job has a LinkedIn profile.

Also, because I’m cool I have two GenZ children, I have a Snapchat, which I use with my kids and a couple of close friends.

This blog, which I started when I turned 50, but largely ignored after Trump got elected, is now my favorite way to communicate online, so thank you WordPress readers and commenters! I enjoy reading your posts too–especially your responses to the daily prompt. It’s fun to see all the different directions people will go with the same few words. For example, ItsAmyISaid is a terrific writer and frequently gives us a wonderful original poem like this one, in response to the daily prompt. Check her out.

And yes, I use whatever these are—stickers? Bitmojis?

Family Road Trip: Colorado edition

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments
Bloganuary writing prompt
Think back on your most memorable road trip.
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In summer 2009, we took the kids on a fairly epic road trip in Colorado. They were eight and fourteen at the time and it was their first trip to the Great American West. We covered a lot of ground. After flying to Denver from Boston, we visited friends in Evergreen (who had recently relocated from Massachusetts), then visited Boulder and Rocky Mountain National Park. From there, we went to Red Rock Canyon and Colorado Springs to visit my cousin Andy and his family–some of whom I’d never met. After that, we headed to Creede, an old silver mining town in the San Juan Mountains, to visit my Aunt Mary and her boyfriend Harold, a real Western mountain man if ever there was. Along the way, we visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park and a few other sites, including a giant thermal swimming pool and an alligator farm, before returning to Denver for the flight home.

I remember it as being a really good trip. We saw a lot, including friends and family, and everyone got along well. When you’ve spent your entire life on the East Coast, it’s quite an experience to see those giant open skies and magnificent mountains for the first time. I hope my kids remember the feeling of it. It even smells different out there.

Harold and my namesake Aunt Mary, an East Coast girl turned true westerner
The rental car was solid. You don’t want car problems on those crazy mountain roads!
Rocky Mountain National Park
Creede, CO

Related posts:

Giraffes

Creature of Comfort

Dessert for Breakfast

~ MaryG ~ 5 Comments
Daily writing prompt
What snack would you eat right now?
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It’s 7am here and I’m drinking cofee, as usual. Any snack I had right now would be breakfast. It’s way too early for real food (like eggs). The only thing I’d consider eating now would be something sweet. If I still had leftover Christmas cookies, those would be an option.

I did a lot of baking for Christmas 2023. I don’t know if it was because I had more time due to not working or I was just happy to have my son home to help eat them, but I tried a couple new recipes from sallysbakingaddiction.com and made some old favorites too. 

These frosted gingerbread bars with white chocolate chips were delicious. And it’s not just me saying. My son and husband loved them and said they were the best cookies I’d ever made! They’re like the moistest molasses/ginger/spice cookie you ever had, but as a bar, and frosted with homemade cream cheese icing. They’re amazing with either a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. (Thanks for the recipe Sally.)