My legal name is Renée Lauren Esses. People call me Renée and Renee and Arnay and Nar. My dad calls me Nana and kids call me NayNay and I guess, my name is part of my identity.
My hair is brown and medium length. People say my eyes are blue and green and blue-green and gray. My dad made me short and my mom actually made me. I think that my physical self is also a part of me.
My immediate family is made up of seven. People in it make me emotional and Jewish and “cultured” and loved. My dad is from Israel but I am from Brooklyn and I know that where I’m from shaped what I’ve become.
My interests are music and playing guitar. People notice I sing and write and talk and draw. My friends taught me sports and kids like me. People also call me nice and quiet and boring and fun. My dad showed me funny and my mom showed me perfectionism and I contemplate whether people are people without personalities.
My “who I am” can go on forever. People can decide for themselves whatever they think I am. My dad contributed to me and my mom did just as much if not more. I believe that bottom-line, who I am is just me.
