Thank You Maya Angelou

I’ll never forget the first time I read something by Maya Angelou. It was a number of years ago. I had been in New York City, and found a used bookstore. Bookstores are something I rarely pass up, and used bookstores are a treat for me. I love finding old editions of books, and also old cookbooks, which I used to collect.

I saw a book on the table, picked it up and randomly opened it. The words immediately struck my eye, and then down into my soul:

“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 was so insecure at that time in my life, with a very low self-esteem. I went through my days thinking I wasn’t good enough, and that my body was ugly. Those words were a revelation to me! They told me, “You have a choice. You control who you are, and let no one else decide that for you.”. Wow…powerful.

I believe that those words Maya Angelou wrote, the ones that had such an impact on me, were the first of the healthy seeds to get planted that would eventually take root, so I could grow and blossom when I was ready to start my journey to be healthy, years later. Now I do believe that I am phenomenal, and don’t judge myself so harshly as I used to. My thoughts are rooted in love with any self-change being brought with positive thought, not negative criticism.

What book, poem or author has inspired you to take action in your life, or to see things in a new way?

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