Photo by Norma Thatcher
“Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” –Gertrude Stein
But what is a “Norma”?
I never liked my name until I was in my mid 30s and learned the compelling back story that began with my grandmother. More on that later.
The origin of Norma from Latin means standard. So just like the word “norm” my name means something typical, usual, or well….normal.
My middle name is Lynn, in and of itself, a lovely name. However, with a middle initial of L, my name shows up as NORMAL, which I am not. Raise your hand if you agree. That’s why I don’t use my middle initial on printed material such as bank checks. Ever.
As a high school senior I had a science teacher whose voice defined the word monotone. He would lean against the ledge of a wall of windows and drone on. Even as a good (and polite) student, often my attention wandered and my eyelids began to close. I swear the teacher used me as the barometer for reaching his ultimate boredom point. Because about the time my eyelids began to droop, he would say one word louder and above his flat range: NORMALLY
As in “Normally, a weather pattern like this produces rain.” “Normally, the chemical reaction is immediate.”
Each time he emphasized that word, I sat up like someone had poked me in the back with a sharp stick, believing the teacher had just called on me. I think he found this amusing.
Years ago I had one boss who called me Norm. And he drew it out like “Noorrmmmm.” Maybe he was a big fan of the old TV sitcom Cheers. If you’re having trouble making that connection, one regular at the bar named Norm received that drawn-out greeting each time he showed up. And PS – here is my own favorite Cheers’ episode regarding the calling out of Norm’s name.
When choosing a name for my first-born child, I knew I wanted a beautiful name that was of significance. I wanted her name to have a meaning as far from “average, the norm” as possible.
That’s how I chose a name that represents victory and honor. It is derived from the Greeks and Romans using the bay laurel plant to make a laurel wreath to signify the winner.
And even though I didn’t consciously consider this second point when choosing the name LAURA, it could be I was thinking of my own mother’s unusual first name, LaVerda. It’s so unusual that I can’t even find where it originated. The word verdad in Spanish means truth; that resonates with me so let’s imagine that my maternal Welsh/Scottish/Irish grandmother knew her Spanish.
But both names start with LA and end with A. Hey, maybe it’s a stretch for me to now link their two names, but it feels right. I’m hoping my mom considered that the nearly ten pound bundle of true joy was her namesake of sorts.
I know at this point my mindful readers will be noting, “Hey, she mentioned a back story in the second paragraph but hasn’t shared it yet.”
Well, a little suspense is good for us now and then. You’ll have to wait for Part Two on Saturday. Believe me, you’ll find it worth waiting for.
Signed, Norma, not your normal blogger
