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My mother spontaneously started calling me Olive Oyl one morning. I'm not sure why. Short and blonde hair with a body full of curves, I look nothing like the long-limbed, toothpick thin character. But there must have been something in my demeanor that morning, in the way I sat with my hair pulled back, staring out the window, that prompted my mother to exclaim, "You look like Olive Oyl!" I know nearly nothing about Miss Oyl. Regardless, something about the name Olive felt exactly right. My mother continued using the nickname for me. I adopted Olive as my alias. Sometimes I give the name at restaurants while waiting for a table or when I'm shopping at my favorite boutique and the salesgirl asks for a name as she shows me to a dressing room or on those days when I simply don't feel quite like Amanda. |
| Thus, Oh Olive! It is "Oh" because Oh is an expression of joy, wonder, discovery and surprise. It is "Olive" because the name Olive has come to represent the parts of myself that I hope to cultivate more. Olive is kind and thoughtful. She does not need to yell or lose her temper in order to stand up for herself. She is centered. She is tender. And while Amanda worries about her career, about flattening her stomach, about whether or not she wants to have children and at what age, 29 or 35, she should begin, Olive trusts in the divine order of things and knows that every moment is cause for celebration.
Oh Olive! is a place for me to share my work with the world and celebrate the creative free spirit in all of us. It is where I hope to connect with my readers and meet wonderful people who will, just as Olive has, help me to become a better human being. Enjoy your visit. |
Oh Olive theme song by Shiny Johnson Copyright © 2008 No part of this site may be reproduced without prior written permission |
