In English my name means victory of people. It is grand, yet delicate. A wine glass. Elegant curves supported by a thin stem.  The type of blue that whisps the air on a clear beach day. It is the blue of an innocent baby’s eyes as she discovers the world for the first time. An almost crystal color of blue.

The name came from the famous actress Nicollette Sheridan. Now I make the name my own. My Dad mentioned the name to my Mom. He thought Nicollette Sheridan was beautiful. Dad believed Nicolette would be. Unique for his little girl. Mom disliked it. Too many syllables. As I grew inside her, the name grew on her. Nicolette Gene.

Gene came from my grandfather Eugene. He passed away two years before me. What an honor it would have been to meet him. My parents have told me about his adventures around the world. He explored Hawaii’s luscious waterfalls and tropical foliage on foot. He traveled to Switzerland. His home land. Which gave him the feeling of freedom. The freedom that he gets to lead his life. Instead of fitting into the lives of others. I adopted his name and share his love for adventure.

Now I make the name my own. Nicolette. Nicolette is a story. The unique lessons an elder has learned after looking back on their life. An old watch that has been passed down through the generations. Yet sometimes Nicolette can be inconvenient.  The 9 letters can be aggravating. When trying to finish a project in a hurry. People always ask me how to spell it. And look at me with a questioning face. Such as I just spoke a foreign language.

Some people call me Nico. Take a beautiful flower and toss it into the fire. Nico loses the class. It’s cheap. It underestimates the power of Nicolette. Others call me Nicki. But Nicki is too masculine. Average. While Nicole is lazy. Unimportant.

Nicolette fits me. A tall glass of ice water after a long, hot day outside. A deep breath in after a long look at the ocean. A delicate icicle hanging from a rusty building. A warm gale after a long winter storm. Slowly dripping water from the top of an old abandoned building. And Nicolette Gene will work.