The Names I Answer To
My mother called me la Sandra. My sisters call me Ale. In Russia, I was Sasha, and in America, sometimes Alexandria. Then I chose S.A. Sterling for my books. A personal essay about family names, the names we acquire along the way, and the people who know exactly what to call us.
All The Women I Could Have Been: On Midlife, Choice, and the Parallel Lives We Carry
There's a version of me who still plays Chopin in Venice every evening. Another who never left her village. One whose business card says International Liaison Officer.
Sometimes I miss them. Not with regret. More like a quiet ache for what will never be true.
This is about the tension we don't talk about enough: loving the life you have while still grieving the ones you left behind. The parallel selves we carry. The women we almost were.
Because maybe courage isn't picking the "right" path. Maybe it's picking a path and learning to live with all the ones you didn't take.