Hello my name is _____________.

In my dreaded freshman year of college I took on a greek and latin roots course. It was a blur, sorry to say but I finally was able to put a definition to my name. First of all, I had a hard time learning to fit my name on the header of my composition notebook, at times hyphenating it and continuing the spelling onto the back of the page. Pero, "lemme tel yew sumsing!" (that is - let me tell you something in a Nuyorican accent) trying to get people to pronounce it correctly was even more challenging. "Yes, I said Aracelis, ( ah-rah-sell-ees ). My name means divine being from above. Awww shoot now, that's sure to get me into heaven. Well, maybe not anymore, according to my Mother because I tattoed my body- "el que marca su cuerpo, que es templo de Dios, no entrara en el reino de Dios!" Hmmm...ok Mother, how about when you beat the crap out of "el templo de Dios?" does that count...hmmm, nevermind, that doesn't count. In a very angelic voice I say, "oh very nice to meet you, uh, yes that's Aracelis uh, huh? yes, Aracelis. Yeah, yeah it's a tough one (heavenly smile) well you can call me, Lisa. Nowadays I use celi for my writings and photography but I try not to simplify it anymore. (hey I'm going to hell anyway, wanna come along, bring your green hat!) I introduce myself as -Aracelis, roll th "r" why don't you, come on you can do it. Now lets look at some synonyms, shortcuts and compliments. Thank you, thank you very much (in my terrible Elvis-like voice) Hello, my name is Aracelis but you can call me_______... lisa , celi, lisy, lisita , ara, ari, rabiosa, lloroncita, flaca, nappyhead, spic, ashy, niblets, bugs, booger, bones, b*tch and hoe, hey wait a minute, what's in a name. Gee, no biggy, it's just one of the first formulations of your very being, your character, the definition of YOU. "...mirala tu la vez, esa ayi. Esa no alcansara a ser alguien en este mundo. Acaso salir embarazada ha temprana edad. Esa ayi, esa es una puta. Oh snap, Hello my name is Aracelis but you can call me puta. It was circa 1979 and my Dad was drunk, again. All of a sudden he's Walter Mercado predicting my future pero menos el,"...sobre todo mucho, mucho amor". My Dad's prediction flowed out of him as the vodka and budweiser flowed into him. Fast forwad to Septmeber 2008, here is my attempt at fluidity and so I'll roll my own "r" and define me- I am Aracelis, friendly, kind, funny, smart, generous, vibrant and welcoming. I am a Registered Professional Nurse, licensed in NYS, a Therapist, and an integral part of a dynamic day treatment team, an educator, a speaker, an advisor, a caretaker, a mother, a daughter, a partner and a friend. I'm a fighter. "block b*tch!", my internal coach screams. Thanks Dad, low blow, I never saw that one coming! Hello, my name is Aracelis and I'm a divine being from above but you can call me.... forgiving.