Sunday Night With John: Dingleberries

I can still remember the first time someone turned my last name from Derryberry to “dingleberry.” It was in elementary school and I didn’t know what it meant or why the kids were laughing at me when they said it.  But once I figured out the meaning I would argue with the kids who mocked my last name. I mean it’s not that clever to switch Derryberry to dingleberry; talk about going for low hanging fruit.  I wasn’t particularly happy being called a particle of feces attached to hair of the anus.

In middle school and high school it didn’t recede. I began to play sports and at basketball games the dingleberry taunt from opposing players came quick and often. I can still remember a game during my time playing college basketball in Lacrosse, Wisconsin.  Their student section was known for their choreographed chants.  I wasn’t in the game for more than two seconds before the entire student section began to chant “dingle” - “berry.” I couldn’t help but chuckle there was nothing to do but embrace it.

My college playing days are behind me but hearing dingleberry still isn’t, however my hatred for it has gone.  There are things in life we cannot escape and for me; people-switching Derryberry to dingleberry is one of them. We all face name botches, jokes at our expense, situations we want to fight and sometimes it’s worth the battle and sometimes we have to know when to let it go. I decided the dingleberry battle was something to let go.  For me if I can’t escape it, it’s best to embrace it.  Because having a last name like Derryberry (funny on it’s own) has given me the confidence to laugh with them.