Welcome to joh’s World of Gonkism.
A tribe of mythical gnome-like characters depicting a vocabulary of multicultural fun and unique words and partnered with a quote to reawaken your inner innate wisdom.
Gonkism: the study of G.O.N.K. insights and wisdom.
A simple and gentle reminder that U-noze-this-2
2026-09-15
Hello My Good friend and neighbour,
Originally, VIRAGO was a compliment – celebrating a woman of courage, exceptional strength, character and heroic spirit. Then, somewhere along the way, apparently a woman could be strong… but not too strong. Bold was fine, outspoken was questionable, formidable was getting dangerous – and heaven forbid she should know her own worth, claim her place at the table, and – heaven forbid – turn out to be right.
Then came the inevitable plot twist: a woman who was confident, outspoken, independent and strong apparently crossed an invisible line and became a virago in the not-so-nice sense – bossy, aggressive, overbearing… basically, too much woman for the room. Funny how quickly confidence can become a character flaw when it refuses to sit quietly in the corner.
She wasn’t necessarily becoming aggressive. She was becoming harder to dismiss.
Bless the room. It clearly needed more chairs.
Thankfully, some words deserve a comeback. I think it’s time to reclaim this one.
Because a VIRAGO isn’t strong because she has something to prove.
She’s strong because life has taught her how to stand, stumble, get back up, laugh at the absurdity of it all – and keep going.
And very often, she didn’t get there alone.
It’s the friends who bring wine, wisdom, laughter, tissues, tools, chocolate, a reality check – or whatever the particular emergency requires. It’s the bonds, the connections and ties that carry a virago through heartbreak, chaos, illness, reinvention and the occasional spectacularly bad decision. And alongside her stand her sisters, friends, brothers, nieces, nephews, cousins, partners, neighbours, coworkers and allies – all those who have offered steady shoulders, honest advice, wicked humour and that precious “I’ve got your back” kind of friendship.
Maybe that’s the real beauty of her strength: it grows stronger when it is shared.
Strength isn’t diminished when we share it. It multiplies.
So perhaps VIRAGO deserves its original glory back: not a woman who is “too much,” but a woman who has discovered that she is enough.
May we continue to become stronger together, kinder together, and considerably harder to underestimate.
It’s a GoNK thing to do…
Go On Now Knowing
Keep Healthy, Stay Safe, continue Creating Mirific Moments.
joh
