Reclaiming My Identity: From Marge to Margaret

Ever felt trapped by a name that doesn't resonate with who you truly are? In this heartfelt episode of Bite Me, I, Margaret—formerly known as Marge—invite you to join me on a personal journey of reclaiming my true identity. Discover the story behind the nickname "Marge," how it was given to me by an ex-partner, and the profound realization that I had the power to change it. Through a candid conversation with a friend, I found the courage to shed a name that never felt right and embrace the one that truly represents me.

This episode takes a detour from our usual discussions about edibles to explore the transformative power of self-discovery and personal growth. As I share my story, I hope to inspire you to reflect on your own life and the changes you might need to align with your authentic self. Moving forward, it's Margaret or M for me, as I step into this new chapter with confidence and clarity. Thank you for being part of the Bite Me community and for listening to this pivotal moment in my life. Let's continue exploring the world of edibles and cannabis together, with a renewed sense of identity and purpose.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

what's in a name. Welcome to episode 261, and we're going to talk about it. Welcome to bite me, the show about edibles, where I help you take control of your high life. I'm your host and certified ganger, margaret, and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here, greeting friends. Welcome back to another fantastic episode of Bite Me.

Speaker 1: 0:33

This episode is going to be a little bit different today, a departure from the usual content that you can expect from Bite Me, the show about edibles. But this is for personal reasons that I'm doing this and that I'm talking about this subject matter, because it's important to me and, as all of you who are out there listening whether this is your first time or you've been here since the beginning I just want to say thank you for being part of this world, the Bite Me world. It really means a lot, and because of that, I am going to be a little bit vulnerable today and share something with you that is a bit tricky for me to talk about publicly, because I do tend to be a sort of a private person, but I do know that I share some of my personal life with you on this show, while I talk about my favorite thing, edibles. So bear with me and I appreciate you sharing this time with me. And basically the subject is around naming.

Speaker 1: 1:27

I was having a conversation the other day with somebody about how I came to get the nickname Marge and I wish I could say it was a cool story, but it's not. My ex Chris gave me the nickname Marge before I started the podcast and at the time when he was testing my reaction to it, I told him I didn't like it. Just other nicknames had never really stuck, but Marge was not the one that I was hoping to stick and I was vocal about my dislike of this name because I didn't think it suited me at all. But because of that I think he dug in harder and he got people to start calling me Marge and whenever I introduced myself to someone in my personal side, it was always Margaret, even though he'd given me this nickname. But there was a lot of people who also called me Marge because of him.

Speaker 1: 2:13

And then when I started this show five years ago, for whatever reason, I decided I should have a screen name and so I went with it, even though I never felt like it suited me, and I probably died inside a little bit. Every time I said, hey, I'm Marge. Or when I introduced myself to people at, say, a cannabis event in person or online, it just wasn't me, but I felt like I was kind of stuck with it. But then, when I was mentioning this whole idea to the person that I was talking to that I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, they said you know, you can change it. And I was like why had that never occurred to me? Why did I think I was stuck with this name?

Speaker 1: 3:00

I mean, people change their names all the time. First, last names I've been married. I've changed my last name. I will be. People change their names all the time. First, last names. I've been married. I've changed my last name. I will be changing it back to my maiden name in a little bit, around the time when I go to renew my passport, because I try to keep things as simple as possible. But it was like an epiphany. Yeah, of course I can change it, I can do whatever I want.

Speaker 1: 3:23

So, moving forward, you'll hear me referring to myself as Margaret or M, but not Marge. Marge makes me think of middle-aged women or the Simpsons, and I'm close to one of those two things. But Margaret the middle-aged white woman is a very different person than Marge the middle-aged white woman that was bestowed a nickname by a man who no longer has dominion over my life and I'm transformed. This nickname represents so much that was not going well in that relationship and the expectation that I should act small. And I'm not that person anymore. I have grown tremendously since I started this podcast and a whole lot of different areas in my life, and changing my name back to Margaret just feels right and it's fucking liberating. I'm small, no more. And what does this have to do with cannabis or edibles? Nothing, really. But it's my show and I'm in my do what I want era Fully and completely. I'm doing what I want and I'm sharing this with all of you because the podcast is a huge part of my life.

Speaker 1: 4:32

So if you're out there listening and you've had some doubt about a situation that you're in, let this be your guidepost or your sign to trust your gut, because I feel like that name wasn't in harmony with who I am as a person and it never felt quite right and there was maybe this feeling in my gut that I should do something about it, but I was kind of like. Well, what other nickname would I give myself? Why do I need a nickname? Margaret is my name. I've always liked that name. I know sometimes people like to shorten things. If you like to shorten things, my first full name is actually Mary Margaret, so Margaret is always already shortened for you. You're welcome, and M was sort of a nickname that I've used a little bit over the years because I feel like it sort of encapsulates a better who I am.

Speaker 1: 5:25

But names are important. What's in a name? I grew up with a sister who has a Gaelic name and any of you who have ever come across Gaelic names in the wild know that the spelling and pronunciation of those Gaelic names are very difficult. They often have silent letters like B's or G's or M's that don't belong where you think they belong. And I watched her struggle and still to this day although not as much as people become more exposed to the name over time. But when she was a kid that name got butchered by supply teachers, by close family friends who still to this day cannot say her name correctly.

Speaker 1: 6:07

And to me names are important because names are important to people and I've always made an effort to use someone's preferred name. Make sure I get the pronunciation right, and so here. It's going to take a little while, probably, to switch everything over from Marge to Margaret, but it's important. I'm the same person. I'm just more in line with my own values and who I am as a person with the name Margaret. So I appreciate you being here and and taking the time to listen and, of course, if you have any questions or comments or whatever, feel free to reach out to me. I'm happy to talk about this for anyone, no matter what you're going through, just know that I'm listening. For anyone, no matter what you're going through, just know that I'm listening. We're going to have some wonderful recipes and interviews coming up, and if you have not recently listened to some of the interviews that I've done, I am excited for you to check those out. Please do. And until next week, my friends, I'm your host, margaret. Stay high.