What's in a name?

Year's ago when I started my cookie business I contemplated naming it "Just Desserts". When I ran the name by a dear friend who I considered to be quite intelligent and worldly she responded with a blank stare and said she didn't get it. I was sure I had heard this expression many times before and thought I could put my own spin on it's meaning and that if I branched out from doing "just cookies" (which didn't have the same ring) and took on other desserts as well , then I surely had the perfect name figured out. Clearly I was over thinking the name thing and settled, simply, on "Kristin's Kookies".

Today I decided to start a blog. I knew right away that I wanted to call it "Just Desserts". This time around the meaning wasn't strictly of the edible nature. Just Desserts means getting what you deserve. When I was thinking in terms of cookies I was thinking a reward; go ahead and reward yourself, you deserve it..your just desserts. Perfect right? I thought so too. So I researched the literary meaning of Just Desserts and here is what I found (pay attention) :

The noun "desert" (accent on the first syllable) is generally used to refer to an arid, barren expanse of land; the noun "dessert" (accent on the second syllable) is a sweet course or dish usually served at the end of a meal. However, the word "desert" -- when spelled like the former but pronounced like the latter -- also refers to a deserved reward or punishment. Therefore, someone who does wrong and is punished in a suitable manner has received his "just deserts." Many people, unfamiliar with the "reward or punishment" meaning of the word "desert," mistakenly assume that the phrase "just deserts" is properly spelled "just desserts" because of its pronunciation. (The usual reasoning is that a dessert is a type of reward one is given at the end of a meal, so someone who receives suitable rewards or punishments for his actions has gotten his "just desserts.")

Did you get all that? Nothing like starting off on the wrong foot with misspellings..in the title of the blog for Pete's sake. But I will stand by my original spelling since I do have the cookie thing going for me. Now my intention with this name is certainly not meant to be negative. I would never say to someone "you got what you deserve!" That's a little bit like saying "I told you so" and I make it a rule not to go there either. However I do firmly believe that when making choices, no matter how big or small, we must be accountable for our actions. It's something I drill into my five year old almost on a daily basis. Every day when I drop him off at school the last thing I say to him before he marches off to take on his day is "Love you buddy, make good choices today". At the end of the day that's what it's all about isn't it? Making good choices. Doing the right thing. Life rewards us when we do the right thing. It doesn't always seem that way and sometimes it takes a while to really get our Just Desserts but there's a little something called Karma and I choose to believe in it. These rewards that life sends our way appear in strange ways. Sometimes it's just a smile or gesture or even a spoken Thank You for a deed well done. Sometimes it's the ability to stop and take a deep breath and realize that you are strong enough to take the high road and not let the little things get to you. Because when you do sweat the small stuff then you deserve the strife it brings you. Let it go. You have a choice. Make it a good one..and when in doubt, eat a cookie.