Quintessence: The Memoirs of Coco Bijou

By CoCo Bijou

Coco Bijou lives life fully and with an insatiable curiosity. Through sheer will and determination, inspiration and magic, grace and experience, pain and joy, mistake and triumph, she has experienced an epiphany: when we live life with an open mind and heart, we become ourselves and shape our destiny. Here, she shares her journey with others, in the hopes of inspiring them to life-changing epiphanies of their own.

As a young person, she started to keep journals and filled them with her poetry, stories and dreams. Once a sporadic writer, she has now amassed a huge library of these journals. Through wild detours, interruptions, trauma and joy, she kept writing. In her life, she has met some incredible people who inspired many of the memories and lessons she shares here. Through the people we meet, she says, we have the opportunity to create an incredible array of experiences and to craft an inspired life.

In this candid confessional, she ruminates on aspects of her personality, important relationships, powerful stances shes taken and falls she has survived. Within each story is a lesson, a laugh or a thought-provoking moment. These are her memoirs, told in story and verse. She shares some tales that may inspire a giggle, a gleeful laugh or even a moment of personal discovery. For Coco Bijou, life is a magnificent journey, and she is inspired by every wonderful moment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781475985214

CoCo Bijou

CoCo Bijou is known for her laughter, humour, terrific intellect and the enthusiasm with which she shares her observations about lives well lived. She loves learning, travelling, cooking, music, community service, politics, philosophy and being the mother of two. She currently lives in Canada.

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Contents

Preface

Introduction

1.  Blue Topaz

2.  Lapis Lazuli

3.  Opal

4.  Ruby

5.  Jade

6.  Emerald

7.  Garnet

8.  Topaz

9.  Tanzanite

10.  Rose Quartz

11.  Tiger’s Eye

12.  Moonstone

13.  Sapphire

14.  Peridot

The descriptions of these gemstones and their lore, used throughout this book, come from George Frederick Kunz’s book The Curious Lore of

Precious Stones published in 1913 and from www.gemselect.com.

For my children, whom I love beyond life itself.

For Frank, who walks a new path with me.

For Ells, my mentor.

For the man who loved me, whom I call Warrior.

For my mom, who personifies unconditional love.

For my sister, Sylvie.

For my brother, Alain.

For my muses.

For my friends Trudi Turner, Sandra Coates,

Elizabeth Holmes, Richard Bergquist, Helen Muszynski, Tim Hines, Carmen Rawe and Dr. Larry Fong.

And for all of those who’ve always wished for adventures and have learned to live anew.

Other books by CoCo Bijou:

THAILAND SURPRISE

by CoCo Bijou and Katherine Wynne © 2013

Preface

On a day in December after Christmas, I started to write again. It was a bit of a tiring day, but I had better aspirations for the next. And thus began a new season. That was the very day that my friend Mark asked me, When was the last time you went dancing? His question reminded me that I needed to look at how I was experiencing joy.

As we evolve, we form relationships with many people, both men and women, and we change though our experiences. I hypothesize that we each come into our own sense of self when we learn to look at the world through eyes other than our own.

Like sculptors we shape our experience with wisdom and perspective. Gratitude is what joyfully brings this art to life.

CoCo Bijou

Introduction

Welcome to my memoir. Through will and determination, inspiration and magic, grace and experience, pain and joy and mistake and triumph, we become ourselves and shape our destinies. I want to share my journey with others. Every person can fulfil his or her dreams if open to the opportunities that come knocking on life’s door.

I have found my writing voice while travelling an unpredictable road. As a young person, I kept journals, recording my poetry and stories. I started out as a sporadic writer, but over time, I amassed a huge library of my own diaries. At certain points, my writing career took wild detours and suffered interruptions. Having survived some trauma and some joy, I felt it was time to open up the many volumes of memories in order to share some of my stories and poems. When we meet incredible people, we have the opportunity to create incredible experience and craft an inspired life.

I grew up in Canada with a single mom who had lost her first husband in tragedy when she was a young woman with two small kids to care for. My mom’s life was shaped by the losses she experienced growing up in France during the Second World War, with every scar that such a life can leave. Her DNA was imbued with a fear of loss and terror of loneliness. Her lack of self-confidence resulted in unfortunate choices that gave her a life that was only a shadow of what it might have been.

When my mother came to Canada to start anew, with hopes and fresh dreams, she brought me into the world amidst a tumultuous and painful, brief marriage that left more scars. In phoenix-like fashion, she pulled herself up from desperation and raised three children.

That is how my life began. I had abundant love from my mother and the fullest example of the unconditional will to survive. I learned from everyone in my family that you can make something wonderful if you start with hope. We all remember our parents’ pain, but we can fashion that into magnificent inspiration wrapped in gratitude and courage.

I too married and had children. The marriage did not last; however, the resulting offspring are a huge and wonderful gift! I have learned to love my own mother more by becoming one.

I obtained a lot of formal education and became a lawyer, socialite and bon vivant. I suffered some serious illnesses, including addiction for a time; travelled the world by car, plane, camel and elephant; learned to cook; and I have gone on to design, craft, create and give advice to whomever is willing to take my pearls of wisdom.

I know that spirituality materializes in the relationships we forge. I have been on a lifelong mission of seeking relationships of all sorts and with all sorts. We tend to go for our favourites in the candy dish, but sometimes we hunger for something we have never tasted before. The same is true for relationships. I have seen my life as a quest to feel alive and loved, to fully know new people and experiences. Some would say that I have morally compromised in my choices, but I have learned lessons that embolden me. At times, I can be irreverent. Sometimes we must be bold and adventurous. It is this part of my journey, replete with stumbles and triumphs, loves and devotions, that I will describe. In love, I know that I am more than a series of masks. In lust, I partake in the masquerade.

While this memoir does not follow the chapters of my life in order, it peeks at some important relationships, shares candid confessions about aspects of my character or provides a description about a stance I’ve taken or a fall I’ve suffered. There is a gem in each lesson that I take moving forward; these make up my collection of bijoux.

Blue Topaz

This stone is associated with courage and overcoming fears and obstacles. It is a traditional stone for writers, scholars, artists and intellectuals and used for aiding higher thinking. It is said to ease mental anguish and promote fidelity, friendship, gentleness and integrity.

The Trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico

The idea of taking a trip to Santa Fe was born when I had to quit the practice of law out of the utter frustration that I’d made an unwise career choice. I wanted to find a gentler life that offered the possibility of more expansive thinking than the firm boundaries of the law provided. I wanted something totally different to do, so I exchanged my navy-blue suit for the black garb and kimono uniform of the art world. I was twenty-something years of age. I battled with myself over the decision but took a very deep swallow of the absinthe called courage, and I took employment from a notorious and crazed local art dealer named Virginia. She smoked large quantities of good pot, drank a lot of scotch and made up the most amazing verbiage about mediocre art for art patrons and interior designers.

Virginia was a phenomenon in the way of a whirling dervish. She had a good mind, sturdy work ethic and love of opera. Her hands showed their age and the scars of hard work. Her hair was wiry and sort of piled on top of her head, as if she had always just come inside after a strong windstorm. Virginia understood the sensibility of mediocre artists and sometimes found fresh talent in emerging painters and sculptors. She had a great talent for cooking and was in the habit of healthful eating