Do you have a Mojo Maker? Something you do to get back in the groove when you’re in a funk? Do you have a list of things, a few tried-and-true, or just one? Your mojo is that life force, in the zone, your groove, when you feel most yourself and fully alive.

Lately, I’ve been seeing so many heavy hearts, stressed out people, and let’s face it there is a lot of stuff going on in the world. We can get weighed down with all of that on top of our own problems. We all have struggles, big and small, and it depends on your perspective on how much that occupies in our lives. We can center and refocus through gratitude…which could be a Mojo Maker for you. Think about it so you can add that to your tool box/treasure chest to deal with life.

I realize two of my mojo makers are probably weird to some. Wine is one that some may judge, but a glass of wine and I’m just fine. But seriously, I can’t use that all the time. One is a common mojo maker is dancing. Another music related one is driving in the car with music on full blast. Writing is many things for me and yes, it’s a mojo maker. My weird ones are cooking and putting on make-up.

Some people hate to cook. I can’t say I dig it when I’m frazzled after the kids get out of school, we went to the playground, and I need to squeeze in dinner before karate, cause this family doesn’t eat fast food. Thank God they have microwaveable organic food. Yes, we eat processed food and use a microwave. We’re not total hippies or purists, but if you are, good for you.  I, myself, go through phases, like I eat a certain food a lot, and then lose interest for a while.  Does anyone else do that, I wonder?  There was a kale phase, gorgonzola dip and crackers, then chia seeds, a detox smoothie, and lately it’s been roasted chickpeas.  My kids’ phase is always sugar, isn’t everyone’s?

The kind of cooking I love is when I’m in the zone, creating like it’s a canvas, combining colors, textures, tweaking recipes, and time doesn’t exist. Okay, now I’m hungry again. Today, I actually experimented with making veggie burgers with a new ingredient. I used Teff, a grain found in Ethiopia. I kind of got panicked when I thought I might be taking food away from starving Ethiopian kids. I’m not even kidding. So I looked it up and who knows, this new superfood that is hot on quinoa’s tails may stimulate the economy where we help the farmers support their family. Btw..I did use quionoa in the recipe as well. They were delish! Hope the kids think so. They are so picky, but so am I.

Playing dress up like I’m five is still one of my favorites. Call me immature, a superficial flake, or whatever, but I love make-up, accessories, and clothes. The process of putting a look together and combining trends while cultivating style is so fun to me. I never care about how others dress, but for me, I love to look cute and fashionable. I love colors, textures, what particular clothes remind me of and how one accessory shifts the vibe. My closet is my happy place. I could feel guilty about having so much (even though some socialite might laugh at my thrift store or super cheap finds), I love my stuff. I am so grateful and I can’t solve all the world’s problems today. But I can use my mojo to lift up others and add good vibes to the planet. My last mojo maker I’ll share is prayer. I’m praying for you all. Know you are loved.