My personal goal in writing:
I was sad to hear that Maya Angelou died today. It is normal to feel sad, even when people have lived a full life.
I first became familiar with Maya Angelou in one of her visits to The Oprah Winfrey Show. From there I sought her out. It was only today as I was writing this blog that I learned I wasn't the original author of "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn". Maya Angelou said it first.
Here are more of my favorite words of wisdom from Dr. Maya Angelou:
HOW TO LIVE:
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.”
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style”
“If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be.”
“The first time someone shows you who they are, believe them.”
“We need much less than we think we need.”
“You should never make someone a priority who views you as an option.”
“Have enough courage to trust love one more time and always one more time.”
“My wish for you is that you continue. Continue to be who and how you are, to astonish a mean world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.”
LIFE TO THE FULLEST:
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.”
“I want all my senses engaged. Let me absorb the world's variety and uniqueness.”
“Some people cannot see a good thing when it is right here, right now. Others can sense a good thing coming when it is days, months, or miles away.”
WITH GOD:
“A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.”
“While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.”
“It is this belief in a power larger than myself and other than myself which allows me to venture into the unknown and even the unknowable.” - (If I had written this the title could be "How I moved to Honduras")
“Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.”
“Life is going to give you just what you put in it. Put your whole heart in everything you do, and pray, then you can wait.”
POETRY:
“Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.” SO THERE! (I added that part)
― Maya Angelou
PHENOMENAL WOMAN
“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.”
“I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights. I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life. I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as making a "life." I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back. I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision. I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one. I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I've learned that I still have a lot to learn. I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
ABOUT WRITING:
“When I am writing, I am trying to find out who I am, who we are, what we're capable of, how we feel, how we lose and stand up, and go on from darkness into darkness. I'm trying for that. But I'm also trying for the language. I'm trying to see how it can really sound. I really love language. I love it for what it does for us, how it allows us to explain the pain and the glory, the nuances and delicacies of our existence. And then it allows us to laugh, allows us to show wit. Real wit is shown in language. We need language.”
“I make writing as much a part of my life as I do eating or listening to music.”
“I don't know how much longer I'll be around. I'll probably be writing when the Lord says, 'Maya, Maya Angelou, it's time.” Today was that day. I hope she was writing?
“I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being.”
Maya Angelou, you will be known as all of these things and much, much more. I feel blessed to have lived on this earth at the same time you were here. Thank you for sharing your heart with the world.
"Peace, My Brother. Peace, My Sister. Peace, My Soul.”
