The invitation comes from someone I do not know on Facebook. Odd, because I share my posts only with Friends, and it’s unusual for me to receive any messages from strangers.
I’m messaged by someone with an (almost) unfamiliar name.
The familiar part of the name comes from it being exactly the same as mine.
“Hi Laurel, always great to meet another Laurel. We have a FB group called LAURELS with over 400 of us from all over the world. We’d love for you to join us. grin emoticon,” the stranger Messages.
Laurel and I PM, trying to figure out who we might know in common. There isn’t anyone. I finally guess we must have both Liked a Save the Bees petition in the past year.
Then I notice a little Facebook note:
You’re friends on Facebook through
Order Desk at American Lubricants, Inc.
We are? I try to recall what this could be regarding. I had ordered some special type of mouthpiece lubricant for my vaporizer. Could that be it?
Then I realize this is simply a reference to her employer.
“Hello Laurel!!! To be in the group you must friend Laurel ____ and myself. Would love to see you there. smile emoticon”
It’s an international group of Laurels. When it’s the middle of the night and you can’t sleep, it’s the middle of the day for a Laurel in some other part of the world. You can chat, if you feel like it. All of my posts receive frighteningly quick responses.
I am greeted like a newcomer at a 12-step meeting.
“Hi, Laurel!”
I blink back at a lush landscape of Laurels. (Sorry, it’s hard to resist describing it any other way).
I’m tempted to reply, “Hi, my name’s Laurel and I’m a (What? Addict? Newcomer?)”
“I’m from Pacifica, California,” I volunteer, and from there the discussion takes off.
The majority of these Laurels seem to live in Australia, Queensland in particular. Some live in magical-sounding places like Mooroopna. I see one Laurel whose location I get very excited about: she lives at Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica. It turns out, though, that she’s given that address in an odd attempt to maintain her privacy from Facebook, Google, and the powers that be.
The hundreds of new supportive Facebook Friends murmur warmly. Like the swans of Swan Lake, they beat their feathered wings gently together as, one by one, they come forward to welcome me.
There are male Laurels here, too, one Laurel tells me. Almost none of the Laurels have ever personally met another Laurel. For the first time, I realize that I have never personally known a Laurel, either. One exception is mentioned; one of the Laurels works with a male Laurel down the hall.
Some Laurels were passed down through family tradition.
I’m engulfed by a family I never knew I had. I feel as if I’m meeting my family of origin. Weird! They’re like the talking flowers in Alice in Wonderland. All colors and nationalities, the Laurel faces shine up at me with love.
Or, this could be a fact-finding mission for the CIA.
As I keep reading more from the LAURELS, though, my cynicism melts.
I hear from one of the male Laurels: Laurel Chisty of Bangladesh. He was not handed down an old family name but instead the name of an old company. He writes:
“My father was the owner of a Company named Laurel Freez Co. from 1966. My Uncle was the General Manager of this Freezer Company and so people called my Uncle name Laurel but his name was different and at the end of 1969 He became frustrated to listen his name Laurel. At the time I was in my Mum’s belly and My cousin was in my Aunt’s belly So my Uncle decided which baby will born first ( me or my cousin sister) his/her name will be Laurel. So I was born first and my name was given Laurel. So I was pre named Laurel. That’s the history of my name.”
I had no expectations of learning more about world cultures from such a group, but there you have it. In a matter of days with the LAURELS, I’ve gained new knowledge of geography, history, and the universality of my given name. Kumbaya, worldwide, in a Closed Group.
Now I wanna be a Laurel!
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Haha, you couldn’t be any better than you are as a Tosha! I wonder if there is a Tosha group?
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Off to research. 😉
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Yes, I´m the president of the Spanish chapter
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Hi there, got here through your friend Tosha. Looking forward to Reading more when time permits. I´ll be dropping by to do if you don´t mind what I famously coined “my cool stalker moves”.
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Ooh, stalker moves. Thanks!
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No worries, now I´´m doing the “funcky chicken dance”
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This is an amazingly weird story…kind of spooky at first, like you mentioned…but ultimately warm and happy.
I wonder if there are groups of Erics out there?
Hello, Laurel, I’m Eric. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is not handed down but the middle intial of E is. 🙂 as I’ve passed it on to my kids too.
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Thanks Eric, a pleasure to meet you, and thanks for your comment. It was hella spooky! I checked on Facebook, and there is no ERIC group listed. 😦
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Ah well….. 🙂
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Eric, I just went to your site. The piece about your daughter and the dance competition: Whoa. It brought tears to my eyes. I’m just writing this here because I don’t seem to be able to comment on your page. ?
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Yay Laurel! I love the repeated use of “Laurel.”
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Well, there ARE over 400 Laurels in the group! 😉
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Hi! That nasty pasty, Tosha, asked us to drop by and say hi. Therefore I did!
I’m like that, me.
Hope you have fun with WordPress. Look forward to reading your posts.
All the best,
An idiot with a heart.
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Thanks! Likewise. “nasty pasty” bwahhaha
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We have a strange friendship built on insults far worse than that. Haha
Don’t tell her, but she is a good egg.
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Looking forward to your work, Laurel. You are my kind of people. 😊
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As you are mine. ❤
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Welcome to the blogosphere, Laurel! I learned of your blog from your good friend, Tosha — she’s a terrific blogger, btw, who knows what she’s doing here and in Twitterville and in the podcast airwaves. Enjoy blogging! 🙂
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Thanks! Yes, Tosha is all over the Internets! 😉 And she sure does know her way around.
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Hi Laurel from a fellow Laurel 🙂 I actually grew up in the same town as another Laurel in the group. A small town called Stawell, approx 7000 pop. And yep I’m an Aussie but not from Queensland but from Victoria down south.
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Hi Laurel from Victoria! It was so weird to find out about the group, and I love you LAURELS! Stawell! See what I did there? 😉
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Hi Laurel, from a Laurel in British Columbia, Canada. We’re all over the world. Nice write-up, we have all been so warmly welcomed into the Laurels Group.
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Thanks! I like your province. 😉
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I find it pretty freaky. Though I suppose it’s as good as any common ground. Your explanation made it most interesting though.
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Thank you. It did freak me out!
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Hi Laurel thanks it was lovely xx
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My Laurels in the house! 😉
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Now I feel bad my name isn’t Laurel! 😉 Welcome to WP and blogging, Laurel! Nice to meet you! Jenny
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Thanks Jenny! Nice to meet you, too. Haha, I’m starting to feel warm and welcomed all over again. 😉
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Laurel means to be victorious and she is my sweet accomplishment …my sweet Laurel❤️
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Hello Laurel, Tosha mentioned you on her blog. I am here to follow. This chimp is named Andrew. Pleasure to meet you.
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Great to meet you, lonely author! Hi, Andrew the chimp. I was just looking at your blog. Nice!!!
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Smiling. Good to meet you.
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