June already? Or only June?

And just like that, Summer is here. This is my favorite time of the year for many reasons. You’ve got the outdoors to explore, beaches to swim, BBQs to attend. What’s there to complain about?

June also brings Pride, and wowsers, does it come at a critical time. We’ve been in a quarantine-like situation for almost two months, and the eyes of the world on our country as we navigate through the greatest civil unrest of my lifetime.

"It is for us to adapt our understanding of a common humanity; to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse; to recognize the presence of disability in our human midst as an enrichment of our diversity." -Nelson Mandela

In the height of the pandemic, my brokerage held their yearly awards ceremony via Zoom. It’s a very special time for everyone to come together and celebrate the successes of our brokerage and also highlight the excellence we observe in our colleagues. This year, I received the Better Homes & Gardens PAIGE award for Inclusion. I am thankful for my wonderful compeers for nominating me, but it left me with a strange feeling inside. Am I doing my best to be inclusive? It could have been Trayvon Martin that got my attention.  Maybe it was Eric Garner since I was living in New York City at the time. That was my backyard. Sadly, it wasn’t. It was not until years later  watching the video of Ahmaud Arbery’s life being taken away from him that forced me out of my benightedness. 

As the world is in a rush to return to “normal”, I’m inspired to adapt and create a “new normal” where I strive to be more inclusive and understanding. I’m challenged by Mandela “to learn of the richness of how human life is diverse”. Short story, I can do better.