It didn’t last very long, as you can see.

All the cool girls in preschool, of whom I can recall exactly zero, had names that started with the letter K. 

I wanted to be cool and it seemed the fastest track to stardom was with a K-name. So I changed my name to Kethany.

It didn’t last very long; as you can see, I’ve since reverted back to my original title. I think about Kethany from time to time, mostly with gratitude that I didn’t stick that one out. 

But I do wonder how my life may be different had I been given another name. Because, you know, I am the only Bethany Platanella in the world. (Go ahead, google it.)

If I had been born brunette instead of blonde. 
If I had taken the advice of my Communications professor and switched my college major to journalism. 
If I hadn’t grown up a vegetarian.
If I had traveled as a kid.
If I had grown up wealthy.
If I were gay.
If I hadn’t gone on a high school class trip to Spain.
If I had had brothers and sisters.
If my mom hadn’t been a yoga instructor. 
If my father hadn’t walked the Atlantic City boardwalk with me on his shoulders, introducing me to everybody we passed.
If, as a toddler, my parents hadn’t let me run freely, in whichever direction I wanted, on the beach, trusting that I’d always come back to them. (I did. I still do.)

What a different person I might be. 

I might not have published my first book, and I might not be working on my second!

Want to read it? Buy Wander Lust: A sassy, sexy memoir of my journey from the known to the wild unknown!

Did you read it already? Leave a review! PLEASE! Reviews help me advertise on other platforms.

With love,

Bethany (<— original title)