Any other word...

For two years I had gone without a nickname. At my last job, I was primarily known by a nickname one of my co-workers had affectionately bestowed upon me. The nickname became so popular among co-workers and customers that hardly anyone knew what my real name was.

And so I relished the two years without a nickname. That is, until I was chatting with a couple of friends and a story came out, revealing the nickname I had hidden for so long. It was like Christmas for them, finding out this name that revealed the past that I kept secret from them. For about an hour, the name was reborn, resulting in a flood of memories in my brain and a flush of red on my cheeks.

The story had died down, but it was of note to me the power of a name. It was from so long ago and it had held so much shame and sadness in me. But as the name had slipped as I told the story, resulting in good-hearted laughter and joy, the power of the name had gone. I don't know what that means, (then again, does it have to mean anything?) but I hope that it indicates that I have moved on from the stories that I had avoided from my last job. Maybe now I can look back and not be sad or in denial of the person that gave me that name.

And maybe it will just be a name.

What's in a name? A rose by any other word would smell as sweet.
-Juliet, Romeo & Juliet.