Have I ever told you what it means?
Oreet is Hebrew for the word light.
I mean I love it now, but I HATED it the first day of school – from elementary ALL the way to highschool. I couldn’t bear to hear teachers butcher it, especially when the rest of the list was so friggin’ easy! I would hear… Orit, Oreeta, Oret, Ortiz or Otiz (wtf?). And then I’d have to finally raise my hand nervously because all eyes were on me, and say it correctly.
It happened Every. Goddamn. Time.
You know what I always fantasized changing my name to…?
Linda!
Yep! Just like Linda Carter who played Wonder Woman in the 70’s. I SO wanted to be her. Not only did she have long, black, hair that blew beautifully in the wind, but she was a babe AND a badass! (side note: so thrilled to see Israeli actress Gal Gadot playing wonder woman now, but looking forward to seeing a woman of color though!)
Anyway, it wasn’t until college that I started to embrace my name. Why? Because I felt like I had a fresh start, and with people who didn’t know me. But what I knew I didn’t want to do and was no longer interested in…was blending in.
I was tired. Tired of hiding.
And that’s when it all started – gaining confidence in who I am. It was a struggle and took me quite a few years to get to a place where I love myself, but I’m finally here baby!
I am so happy that I am able to be transparent about events in my life. And I’m also happy I am able to celebrate who I am to others. It’s therapy for me. And I also know it may be therapy for others.
There is so much more possibility when we lean into our visibility and our story. Think about it…if I didn’t lean into it, SharQui wouldn’t have been created AND I wouldn’t be educating the public about Yemeni dance and culture.
So I want you to think about this. If you’re not visible…
…then how will your story be told?
…and who will stand up for you?
…then who’s going to tell your story and inspire others?
Look, we can all find some connection in each other’s stories, am I right? The truth is we are all the same damn thing, just a different flavor, a color, a spice, and a name.
I hope that my story inspires you to see the beauty in simply YOU.
Now go and celebrate it my friend,
Oreet
I REALLY struggled to see the beauty in my name…Oreet.
Have I ever told you what it means?
Oreet is Hebrew for the word light.
I mean I love it now, but I HATED it the first day of school – from elementary ALL the way to highschool. I couldn’t bear to hear teachers butcher it, especially when the rest of the list was so friggin’ easy! I would hear… Orit, Oreeta, Oret, Ortiz or Otiz (wtf?). And then I’d have to finally raise my hand nervously because all eyes were on me, and say it correctly.
It happened Every. Goddamn. Time.
You know what I always fantasized changing my name to…?
Linda!
Yep! Just like Linda Carter who played Wonder Woman in the 70’s. I SO wanted to be her. Not only did she have long, black, hair that blew beautifully in the wind, but she was a babe AND a badass! (side note: so thrilled to see Israeli actress Gal Gadot playing wonder woman now, but looking forward to seeing a woman of color though!)
Anyway, it wasn’t until college that I started to embrace my name. Why? Because I felt like I had a fresh start, and with people who didn’t know me. But what I knew I didn’t want to do and was no longer interested in…was blending in.
I was tired. Tired of hiding.
And that’s when it all started – gaining confidence in who I am. It was a struggle and took me quite a few years to get to a place where I love myself, but I’m finally here baby!
I am so happy that I am able to be transparent about events in my life. And I’m also happy I am able to celebrate who I am to others. It’s therapy for me. And I also know it may be therapy for others.
There is so much more possibility when we lean into our visibility and our story. Think about it…if I didn’t lean into it, SharQui wouldn’t have been created AND I wouldn’t be educating the public about Yemeni dance and culture.
So I want you to think about this. If you’re not visible…
…then how will your story be told?
…and who will stand up for you?
…then who’s going to tell your story and inspire others?
Look, we can all find some connection in each other’s stories, am I right? The truth is we are all the same damn thing, just a different flavor, a color, a spice, and a name.
I hope that my story inspires you to see the beauty in simply YOU.
Now go and celebrate it my friend,
Oreet