Vera & Diamond

Hey Pinkies,

What fabulous responses we had to Wednesday's What is Mojo? post. We couldn't resist sharing a response we received from Vera Sparre, a Pinkie with Major Mojo, who answered the question with an incredibly inspirational story of how she lives Mojo every day. Thank you, Vera, for your courage, perspective, and generosity in sharing this with all us Pinkies. Is this lady Owning it or what? Enjoy, embrace, and bask in her wisdom.

How have you come to know Mojo? Live it, write it, share it.

Pink Peace,

Joy

Here is what Mojo means to me:

There are three ingredients to my Mojo, which I equate with my inner equilibrium, and the source of my own personal happiness:

1. Physical Health
2. Spiritual Health
3. Blissful Intimacy

When all three are in balance, I am very happy. But, like all things in life, this equilibrium changes over time, and is dependent on continuous personal growth and the embrace of ever-changing life.

Here are some specifics regarding each of the three elements of my Mojo:

1. Physical Health is something that's often taken for granted until something in our complex physiology gets thrown out of balance. After almost forty years of health and stamina, in the last three years, I've experienced my own fair share of physical unbalance. A bilateral mastectomy, removal of both ovaries resulting in instantaneous menopause, and a heavy pneumonia took their toll.

However, they also allowed me to slow down and enjoy things from a more contemplative perspective (and brought me brand-new silicone breasts!). Most importantly, this period of unbalance brought me closer to friends and family, and especially to the love of my life, who stood by me like a guardian angel. In turn, this closeness with people contributed to stronger spiritual health and blissful intimacy, the other two sources of my Mojo; my happiness. Now that I feel fully rebalanced on the health front and grateful for my new lease on life, I'm ready for new adventures in my professional and personal life.

2. Spiritual Health can be even more elusive than its physical counterpart, especially when things get thrown out of balance. I experienced spiritual unbalance at the same time as my physical hardships. I lost a job I enjoyed because my manager was not willing to support the logistics and challenges of having an employee who is also a cancer patient. I found a new job at a small company where different leaders were fighting for turf. I found myself stuck in the middle of this war, and in the end lost that job despite all the hard work and heart I had poured into it. But this too was a passing phase, during which I made wonderful new friends, and grew in strides, both personally and professionally. Now that I feel balanced spiritually side again, I'm ready for new experiences of the soul.

3. Blissful Intimacy is arguably the most elusive of all human states, especially in this fast-paced, egocentric, and highly materialistic society we live in. Like most people, I had to learn the hard way that I cannot find truly blissful intimacy without really getting to know myself. And as if getting to know my true self wasn't hard enough, I also had to learn that I couldn't just have everything in life. As I was getting older, and spending some quality time with people much wiser than me, I learned to look deeper into my heart and discovered what was really important to me. This was the first and essential step to determining what priorities I needed to set to meet my needs, and then find a partner that wants the same things out of life. Now that I have found this person - and the amazing intimacy that comes with it - I am working on deserving it anew every day.

So, right now, I feel very much in balance - i.e., I feel like I've got my Mojo - and work on enjoying it every day. However, I can already see the next thing on the horizon that will upend my current balance, and challenge me to seek equilibrium under new circumstances. If all goes well, I anticipate taking on a challenging new job that will stretch me professionally, while allowing me to apply my strengths and do my best work yet. I look forward to this new challenge, as well as finding my Mojo/equilibrium under new circumstances.

Lissa's Note: Thank you Joy, for posting this so I can take a holiday. And thank you Vera, for being YOU. What an eloquent and absolutely spot-on definition of mojo. You got it, girlfriend! Do you have a story you want to share with the Owning Pink community. Pink me (email me) and let me know you'd like to be a Featured Pinkie.