A few people have brought up that word recently. I always thought it was such an ominous word. “The reckoning is near,” “Their reckoning will come,” “The day of reckoning...” and other dramatic uses. As I do, I looked it up and if you didn’t know already, the word reckoning kinda leans toward the positive and is filled with possibility. Now that’s my kind of word!
Definition of reckoning
1: the act or an instance of reckoning: such as
a: account, bill
b: computation
c: calculation of a ship's position
2: a settling of accounts
3: a summing up
Indulge me in a mid-year reckoning. Summing up is really just a review, right? What better time than month 6 of 12, to review our progress, to calculate the position of our ship?
You've seen the commercial for this Haagen Dazs Crispy Layers Trio, right? Ummm.... go buy it! It's amazing!
Now is the time to make sure our ducks are all in a row. Are we making good on our promises we made to ourselves at the start of the New Year? Not only the big resolutions but basic stuff that we often let slide. Drink plenty of water, go to bed early, move our bodies, eat well. I feel like if I can’t manage those, then there’s little hope for the big specific stuff.
Reckoning. I reckon sometimes our summations don’t always go well. We come up short in some areas, we downright fail in others. Our ship might actually feel like it’s sinking. And those, my friends, are just opportunities. Opportunities to find our way, get back on track, improve, plug up the holes in our boat and float back up to the surface.
When I feel like I’m failing I look to the people around me that are succeeding. I’ll admit, I do have deep lasting moments of compare and despair - so it doesn’t always fuel my motivation immediately. I allow myself to wallow, for a bit, and then I hear my old friend Janet, who left this earth far, far too early, saying, “Get it together, Lisa!” And I stop feeling sorry for myself and I take a closer look at those people succeeding. Aha!
- They are working their asses off.
- They aren’t giving up.
- They are digging deep.
- They’ve put the time in.
- They are not making excuses.
Those are the people we need to surround ourselves with. Luckily, most of my tribe consists of those people. How’s your tribe? Are you with the right people? Are they bringing out the best in you?
Blurry shout outs to Yahoo! and Uber for including rainbows in their graphics to add to the pride celebration!
Since it is Gay Pride Month and NYC celebrated this past weekend, (The month of June was chosen for LGBTQ Pride Month to commemorate the Stonewall riots, which occurred at the end of June 1969. As a result, many pride events are held during this month to recognize the impact LGBTQ people have had on the world.) I want to share someone I’m most proud of. He’s one of the main people I look to for inspiration because he has literally left no stone unturned while building his dream. In fact, he was just in New York this last week RE-turning over stones just to make sure he didn’t miss any opportunities.
My friend Randle has done his own personal reckoning and is charting new territory. (I love that I now know that word has to do with a ship’s positioning! It's even more appropriate for my friend Randle.) He’s the CEO and joint founder of Vacaya, an LGBTQ travel company like none we’ve ever seen. Full-ship cruises/full-luxury resorts are chartered providing a safe and expressive environment for LGBTQ vacationers. Years of curating experiences, years of global adventures, tireless commitment to the community, and advocating for better standards in the business of alternative travel - this is the Vacaya team.
Do me a favor and visit their website, like them on Facebook, share the site with anyone you know who is part of the LGBTQ community who might be looking for a place to put their vacation dollars. Hard work deserves to be recognized and a few simple clicks to support a new business are like rounds and rounds of applause.
And I reckon there are many of you that are saying to yourselves, ‘this isn’t my thing.’ In a time where people from other countries are being turned away from America, when women and people of color are still fighting for equal rights, and when this precious community of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer + are scratching and clawing their way to gain HUMAN rights, we have a responsibility to support them. We need to seize every opportunity to do our part, to pay attention. To be an ally. An organization like Vacaya can most definitely be your thing if only to provide a window you can look through to raise your own awareness and expose yourself to more of the human experience. The human experience is everyone's thing.
As you think about your own summation and reckoning this Pride Month and as June ramps up into full-blown summer, think about who or what makes you most proud. Are your hearts and minds open to those that are different than you? Are you taking your own rights for granted?
Randle and I had our own pride celebration while he was in town last week and made caramelized banana splits with hot chocolate ganache. No offense to good old Hershey’s syrup and the plain old banana, but we elevated the whole dessert. It was truly like a parade in our bowls.
Caramelized Banana Splits With Hot Chocolate Ganache
- 2 ripe, but firm, bananas
- 1 pint of your favorite ice cream
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 12 ounces of your favorite chocolate, broken into pieces
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- generous pinch of salt
Place the butter, salt, and chocolate In a small mixing bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over low heat. As soon as bubbles form around the edges of the pan, remove from the heat and gently pour the cream over the bowl of chocolate, butter, and salt. Give the bowl a gentle shake to make sure the chocolate is submerged. After 15 seconds, stir the mixture until the cream is emulsified and the chocolate is fully melted. It will be glossy and smooth.
Peel the bananas. Cut them in half and slice them lengthwise. In a small skillet, heat the sugar and water, stirring once to combine but then leave it alone. Let it cook until it is a golden hued syrup and gently bubbling. Carefully place the bananas in the skillet, swirling the pan and spooning the caramel around them to fully coat. Let cook for 30 seconds and remove from heat. Divide the bananas into serving bowls. Scoop in ice cream, spoon on a generous amount of the hot chocolate ganache and top with your favorite toasted nut. Drizzle with more caramel from the skillet.