Precious: What I Learned from Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is no longer with us, but her life will forever be a constant reminder of one lived robustly and with no apologies; a reminder that we are here but for a moment and have only one chance to get it right.
Born Marguerite Ann Johnson, Maya had every excuse to give up on life at an early age. Raped by her mother’s boyfriend at seven/eight years of age, she did not speak for the next few years. She found her voice through writing. Never allowing her temporary misfortune to dictate the course of her life, she went on to live out one of the most remarkable lives in history in my estimation. She was:
The first African-American female cable car driver in San Francisco
A singer
Dancer
Screenwriter, Poet, Waitress, Cook, Orator
Author
Educator, Historian, Producer, Film maker
Actress
In the movie, Roots
Civil rights activist
With Malcolm X
With Coretta Scott King
The first African-American woman to be nominated for a Pulitzer Prize
Awarded Presidential Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama
I’m quite sure more can be added to this list. She was all this and much more. Now tell me, what is your excuse? Maya Angelou has taught me many things. I have learned, through her life to:
Be Fearless – she wasn’t afraid to be the first to do something.
Give myself permission to make mistakes – That’s the only sure way not to make them again
Be flexible and leave room to change my mind – She worked and lived globally
Be anything I want to be – She did that
Be as many things as I choose to be – I’m not limited to pursuing one career or profession. She certainly proved that
Believe that I am never too old to do anything – She became an author at the age of 42 with her novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Be phenomenal – Be me and not a duplicate of someone else
…and that I am precious – how I treat myself is exactly how others will treat me. I AM PRECIOUS.
Maya Angelou lived her life to the fullest; I strive to do the same.
This is for you Dr. Maya Angelou – Precious
Beautiful we were
Bound by unspoken experiences
Shaken by things forbidden
Rooted in our search for acceptance
We blossomed in the attention
Averting our eyes from what was
Hurtful words, sudden outbursts
Hauling objects, broken frames
We blossomed still in the attention
Coy and brutal you became
Conquest, your only pursuit
Determined in your will for dominance
Effortless in your ridicule and disdain
Bent on traveling the path of destruction
A smile became a snarl,
A caress, a rope around the neck
Every breath, a miracle
We traveled down the path of destruction
Barricaded from the world
Beset by loneliness
Oblivious to the passage of time
Camaraderie slipped into distrust
Thoughts begot whispers
Whispers begot fears
Fears birthed mayhem
Self-doubt tore us from within
We ceased to be one
Silence ate at our bones
Shattering our will to live
Fear, uninvited, made our heart home
Separating us
Precious clung to life
I dangled on the edge of nothingness
Wishing, hoping, praying
Time will heal
Change will come
Riddled anew by chaos
Roaming death but a thrust away
Precious faded
Rattled by the thought of loss
I gathered strength and my spirit rose
Freed by self-love
Freed from self-hate, self-doubt, self-pity
Blood throbbed in my veins
Overtaking my heart with force
Free to finally soar
Rest in Peace Maya Angelou. You will be missed.
Pictures from http://mayaangelou.com/, Getty images.
