50 Days of Maya Angelou

Hello!

Welcome back! If you're new here, welcome to you too! Today's post will be the first of a series that is near and dear to my heart. So as we get into our first "50 days of..." post I hope you will be inspired. So lets get into it!

Why?

Why 50 days? Why Maya Angelou? The answer is simple. I noticed a friend of mine running 50 days of Maya Angelou themed posts on her WhatsApp statuses and decided to join her. Coincidentally I was reading a collection of Maya Angelou’s poetry at the time and figured I wanted in on the action and so, my 50 days of Maya Angelou began.

Maya and Me

Dr. Maya Angelou lived an extraordinary life and at every turn strove to be her most authentic self. I have always been drawn to her and her work, so it was easy for me to take on the 50 day challenge. Throughout the 50 days I would post a photo of her that I'd found on the internet and a quote or poem of hers. Through this process I discovered the popular photos of her in her youth and older years, photos of her dancing, writing and hanging out with the likes of James Baldwin, Coretta Scott King and Malcolm X. Discovering these photos of her gave me the feeling I get when I look through my grandmother's photo album. Searching for her quotes and poetry was another experience in itself. I looked on the internet , read her collection of poetry, watched videos of her reciting her own poetry and interviews with her. I grew more familiar with her story and words each time and felt a connection to them. I felt a connection to her in a way that I hadn't felt before.

“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”

Her Legacy

She was so beautifully human. She acknowledged and owned her shortcomings and tragedies but, did not let them stop her from being great. She dared to be the best version of herself at every opportunity and dared others to do the same. She always strove to learn and teach because she understood the power that words hold. She believed that we are all children of God and for that reason alone embraced and loved anyone she crossed paths with. Lastly, she lived. She lived everyday like it was her last. She lived not striving for perfection, but simply doing all that she could to be her absolute best.

"Your legacy is what you do everyday. It is every life you have touched."

In the End

At the end of the 50 days I felt that I had in a way grown closer to Dr. Angelou, even though I had never met her. I was sad to see the 50 days come to an end, but then I realized that even though the 50 days was over my journey with Dr. Angelou didn't have to. So as I continue to to learn from her and live the best of my abilities I leave you with one last word from Maya.

"Success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it."

Love and Light

Kombe.