Maya Angelou: Still I Rise

Today the world lost one of its greats...

Rest in paradise Maya Angelou

Your legacy will live forever 

This is how I will remember you ... phenomenal woman!!! 

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may tread me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own back yard.

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.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise. 

Maya Angelou

Homage to my Hips

These hips are big hips.

they need space to

move around in.

They don't fit into little

petty places.

These hips

are free hips.

They don't like to be held back.

These hips have never been enslaved,

they go where they want to go 

they do what they want to do. 

These hips are mighty hips.

These hips are magic hips.

I have known them

to put a spell on a man and 

spin him like a top.

Lucille Clifton

Image source: Black women by Sergey Levin 

I haven't met You yet ...

I recently found this letter in The Huffingtonpost and needed  to share it .
The message is beautiful and profound and I can totally relate.

A letter for the love you haven't met yet ...  The author gives the reasons why it takes longer for some of us to recognize and be recognized!! I like to think of myself as a "rational" person but thank God I am romantic to the bone.

I am want a love that will fill me up and burst out of chest and I am willing to wait for it... meanwhile there is  so much I want to do and accomplish, so love of my life... forgive me for making you wait so long... when you meet me, you'll understand.

"Dear Future Love of My Life:

I know. I should have written before. Forgive me. But I got the feeling that you were beginning to think I didn't exist. But I do. And I wanted to let you know that while I might be as elusive as a unicorn grazing in a field of four-leaf clovers, I'm close. I'm around the corner, down the street, on Facebook, in your office, at our local coffee shop, a complete stranger. I made eyes at you once on the subway. I saw you across the room at a party. I swiped you right on Tinder. But it's not our time yet. And I know you're wondering why.

It's really not fair that you've had to wait this long, or go on blind dates, endure bad sex, settle for 'meh' relationships, feel misunderstood, cry from loneliness, wrap your arms around a pillow as you fall asleep at night. I'm so sorry, my love. You deserve an explanation. So, here it goes. It's taken me a long time to even admit this to myself much less to you, so please know that everything I've written here is true.

The reasons we haven't met yet, in no particular order:

1. I haven't thrown out the list of things I think you should be.

2. I'm with the wrong person right now.

3. I'm not ready to be loved unconditionally.

4. Since my life isn't together, I think you'll reject me.

5. I still believe that drama is a show of love.

6. I've been intentionally keeping my head too busy to think with my heart.

7. I need to date more to understand what I do and don't like.

8. I won't be able to appreciate you until life has kicked my ass.

9. I'm too focused on my own needs.

10. I don't know how to create the feeling of home that lives in my heart.

Clearly, I'm not my best self yet. Or even myself -- I'm still figuring out who that is. I'm pretty sure even if we did meet, you wouldn't like me all that much right now. It's entirely possible that we did hit it off once, and I left without getting your information; or maybe I did get your number and never called because of any one of the above reasons.

Be patient with me, darling heart. Know that I'm working my way toward you. So don't spend any more time thinking about where I am or am not. Just keep making your life exciting and full, so when we do finally come together, we can bring each other joy, because we are already happy.

I know it's taking longer than you'd like. It's a hell of a lot slower than I could have ever imagined. But I'm here. This is me talking to you. And I'm not going anywhere.

Don't give up on me.

Yours, in perpetuity,

The Love You Haven't Met Yet "

This post originally appeared in Medium. 

Three poems by Langston Hughes

Dream Variations

To fling my arms wide In some place of the sun, 

To whirl and to dance Till the white day is done. 

Then rest at cool evening Beneath a tall tree

 While night comes on gently,

 Dark like me— That is my dream!

 To fling my arms wide

 In the face of the sun, Dance! 

Whirl! Whirl!

 Till the quick day is done. 

Rest at pale evening . . . 

A tall, slim tree . . .

 Night coming tenderly

Life is Fine 

I went down to the river, 

I set down on the bank.

 I tried to think but couldn't, 

So I jumped in and sank.

 I came up once and hollered!

 I came up twice and cried!

 If that water hadn't a-been so cold I might've sunk and died.

 But it was Cold in that water!

 It was cold!

 I took the elevator 

Sixteen floors above the ground.

 I thought about my baby

 And thought I would jump down.

 I stood there and I hollered!

 I stood there and I cried! If it hadn't a-been so high

 I might've jumped and died.

 But it was High up there! It was high! 

 So since I'm still here livin', 

I guess I will live on. 

I could've died for love— But for livin' I was born 

Though you may hear me holler, 

And you may see me cry—

 I'll be dogged, sweet baby,

 If you gonna see me die.

 Life is fine! Fine as wine! Life is fine!

The Grass

The grass so little has to do, --
A sphere of simple green,
With only butterflies to brood,
And bees to entertain,

And stir all day to pretty tunes
The breezes fetch along,
And hold the sunshine in its lap
And bow to everything;

And thread the dews all night, like pearls,
And make itself so fine, --
A duchess were too common
For such a noticing.

And even when it dies, to pass
In odors so divine,
As lowly spices gone to sleep,
Or amulets of pine.

And then to dwell in sovereign barns,
And dream the days away, --
The grass so little has to do,
I wish I were the hay!

Emily Dickinson 

Splittings

1.

My body opens over San Francisco like the day –

light raining down      each pore crying the change of light

I am not with her     I have been waking off and on

all night to that pain     not simply absence but

the presence of the past      destructive

to living here and now      Yet if I could instruct

myself, if we could learn to learn from pain

even as it grasps us      if the mind, the mind that lives

in this body could refuse      to let itself be crushed

in that grasp     it would loosen      Pain would have to stand

off from me and listen     its dark breath still on me

but the mind could begin to speak to pain

and pain would have to answer:

We are older now

we have met before     these are my hands before your eyes

my figure blotting out      all that is not mine

I am the pain of division      creator of divisions

it is I who blot your lover from you

and not the time-zones or the miles

It is not separation calls me forth      but I

who am separation      And remember

I have no existence      apart from you

2.

I believe I am choosing something now

not to suffer uselessly     yet still to feel

Does the infant memorize the body of the mother

and create her in absence?     or simply cry

primordial loneliness?      does the bed of the stream

once diverted      mourning       remember the wetness?

But we, we live so much in these

configurations of the past      I choose

to separate her     from my past we have not shared

I choose not to suffer uselessly

to detect primordial pain as it stalks toward me

flashing its bleak torch in my eyes     blotting out

her particular being     the details of her love

I will not be divided      from her or from myself

by myths of separation

while her mind and body in Manhattan are more with me

than the smell of eucalyptus coolly burning      on these hills

3.

The world tells me I am its creature

I am raked by eyes     brushed by hands

I want to crawl into her for refuge     lay my head

in the space     between her breast and shoulder

abnegating power for love

as women have done      or hiding

from power in her love     like a man

I refuse these givens      the splitting

between love and action      I am choosing

not to suffer uselessly      and not to use her

I choose to love      this time      for once

with all my intelligence.

- Adrienne Rich
Dream of a Common Language

Sam's Happiness Philosophy

How do you deal with a heartache?
How do you keep a positive attitude when you feel defeated?

I've been sad... I am giving myself time and dealing with it the best I can...
I am reading and researching on ways to deal with the array of emotions that comes with disappointment.

I am a faithful and spiritual person and believe everything happens for a reason but still... I am hurt.

I first I thought that maybe if I was less optimistic and had lower expectations I would be less prone to heartaches...

But how sad would life be if you live expecting the worst?

What I've found and feel is that being optimistic is actually what makes life better. The anticipation makes me happy!  I dream, I plan, I expect more... ALWAYS!!  More kisses and more sunny days.

Optimism is imprinted on my DNA. It changes my reality and it makes me work harder.
I  am choosing to live out loud!!! Heartaches... well I will learn to deal with them.  Practice makes perfect!!!


I am sharing this video I found on  ted.com that will actually demonstrate what I am talking about...  Watch and learn! Joy to all!

Sam Berns is a Junior at Foxboro High School in Foxboro, Massachusetts, where he has achieved highest honors and is currently a percussion section leader in the high school marching band. He recently achieved the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America. Sam was diagnosed with Progeria, a rare, rapid aging disease, at the age of 2. He is featured in the documentary Life According to Sam, which will premiere on HBO on October 21, 2013.

The Mothering Blackness

She came home running

back to the mothering blackness
deep in the smothering blackness
white tears icicle gold plains of her face
She came home running

She came down creeping
here to the black arms waiting
now to the warm heart waiting
rime of alien dreams befrosts her rich brown face
She came down creeping

 She came home blameless

 black yet as Hagar’s daughter

 tall as was Sheba’s daughter

 threats of northern winds die on the desert’s face 

 She came home blameless

Maya Angelou

Source: The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (Random House Inc., 1994)

Image Source: Unknown

National Poetry Month

April was chosen in 1996 to become the National poetry month. 

"The concept is to widen the attention of individuals and the media—to the art of poetry, to living poets, to our complex poetic heritage, and to poetry books and journals of wide aesthetic range and concern. We hope to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture while acknowledging and celebrating poetry’s ability to sustain itself in the many places where it is practiced and appreciated." Poets.org

The website poets.org suggests 30 ways to celebrate and make time for poetry. 

I've always loved poetry and I will be celebrating by sharing a poem every Wednesday.

Here is goes: 

“If You Forget Me,”  by Pablo Neruda

I want you to know
one thing.

You know how this is:
if I look
at the crystal moon, at the red branch
of the slow autumn at my window,
if I touch
near the fire
the impalpable ash
or the wrinkled body of the log,
everything carries me to you,
as if everything that exists,
aromas, light, metals,
were little boats
that sail
toward those isles of yours that wait for me.

Well, now,
if little by little you stop loving me
I shall stop loving you little by little.

If suddenly
you forget me
do not look for me,
for I shall already have forgotten you.

If you think it long and mad,
the wind of banners
that passes through my life,
and you decide
to leave me at the shore
of the heart where I have roots,
remember
that on that day,
at that hour,
I shall lift my arms
and my roots will set off
to seek another land.

But
if each day,
each hour,
you feel that you are destined for me
with implacable sweetness,
if each day a flower
climbs up to your lips to seek me,
ah my love, ah my own,
in me all that fire is repeated,
in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten,
my love feeds on your love, beloved,
and as long as you live it will be in your arms
without leaving mine.

Pablo Neruda is one of my favorite poets. He was crowned by  Gabriel Garcia Marquez as “the greatest poet of the 20th  Century in any language.”

(image source: www.poets.org)

Trust Your Intuition

I believe in intuitions and aspirations… I sometimes FEEL that I am right. I do not KNOW that I am right. - Albert Einstein

Intuition is your soul talking to you.  When you feel something in “your bones” there is no need for a  logical explanation, that little voice  lets you know when something is safe or unsafe, fit or unfit, right or wrong and you know because you feel.

I met a guy once…  I met him as I would imagine meeting someone who would change my life.  I liked everything about him. He was gentle, nice, funny and so polite.  I loved  being with him, our conversations, but what I like most about him was the way he looked at me… as if I was magic.  One thing lead to another we started dating… but somehow I always had this feeling that something did not click. I would tell him:  “You are too good to be true."

I would often talk about this weird feeling with one of my good friends.  She would tell me that it was just me being crazy, that I was trying to find excuses and I was afraid of commitment!  I tried to brush the feeling off but it was very strong so I decided to talk to him about it… he told me that I had no reason to feel whatever I was feeling … Everything was fine and that he loved me as he never loved before.
He came to see me one day after work, as he would always do and while we were talking I notice a ring in his finger.  I was 18 years old …

Your intuition is the watchful eagle that warns you when something does not click. It speaks through your body, emotions and dreams but because is totally separated from intellect it’s harder for some of us to develop and use it to our advantage.

We can all think back about situation when that little voice told us:  humm… but we simple ignored and did not listen to something that was intangible but felt true. We are too caught up in busy lives filled with daily routine, multitasking, gadgets and stress that we become busy to acknowledge the signs.

Some physical reaction that can be associated with your intuition:

• Stomach – intuition is often described as a “gut feeling” because that is exactly where most of us feel it … When considering an option, how does it feel in your stomach? Some fears are good fears while others are warning signs. Good fears are usually the  felling of anticipation and excitement, the so called “butterflies” while bad fears comes associated with  feeling of panic or distress.  Bad fears cause alarms through your body and your body prepares for protection. Pay attention.

• Heart – does your heart feel heavy thinking about the situation? Or it tingle as a warm feeling runs throughout your body?  What feeling would you want to perpetuate?  When you choose the best option, your heart supports your decision.

• Breathe- Think about the situation and feel your breathing… Is it shallow and rapidly (signs associated with stress) or is it deep?  Clear your mind by taking long deep breaths and decide choosing the option that feels right to you.

Now that you know what intuition feels like, here are 10 things you can do to stay connected with yours:

Take time to be alone

Loneliness sparks creativity, creativity sparks intuition!  When you are alone you connect with your inner wisdom, with the source, the universe, God, whatever you call it...  By taking some alone time and connecting with the source you will engage in deeper thoughts and connect with yourself. By connecting with yourself in silence you will be able to learn the signs and you will be more aware. 

 Listen to you inner voice.

It may be difficult for you to act on a “gut feeling”, especially when society discourages anything that can’t be logically explained… but know that your intuition is the balance point between your instinct and your reasoning.  Pay attention to that little voice. It can be as alarming as a scream but most time is just a soft whisper. If it doesn't sound right, usually it is isn't… listen with your heart.

Practice mindfulness

Be present and devote your fully attention to the task at hand!  Mindfulness is achieved with activities that keep you calm and grounded.  Physical exercise, mediation, keeping a journal...activities that required your full attention, which will help you to quiet your mind. You’ll be surprise by how your awareness can develop by simple busying your hands and silencing your mind. 

Listen to your body

Intuition causes physical sensations. Tune in with your body and learn how it speaks to you. Stop reacting verbally and pause. BE STILL AND LISTEN...

Fell your body reaction and begin to honor and trust those responses.If you are not sure about a situation chances are is not the right thing for you.  If it was right you would know… it would feel right and you would know with every fiber of your being!!!

Create

Creativity and intuition are directly related, practicing one will boost the other. A creative mind is aware and highly intuitive ; it pays attention and it talks in a clear language.Find a hobby you would like explore! Devote some time to it and your mind you’ll thank.You will become more aware, mindful and more intuitive!

 Pay attention to your dreams

Dreams and intuition springs from the same source: your unconscious and inner wisdom. Pay attention to your dreams. Keep a dream journal where you can write them down and check for patterns.

Connect with others

Tune in with your emotions and connect deeply with others. Develop your empathy by listening and bonding with others.

     
     Pay attention to your surrounding

Pay attention and you will start to notice coincidence and surprising connections in your surroundings.  Keep a journal and write down your observations. Once again check for patterns… The universe will keep repeating the same message until you understand and act on it. 

Let go of negative emotions

Negative emotions cloud your mind and conscience. It’s okay to feel angry and/or sad, but don’t let your emotions run your life.  Don’t dwell in, acknowledge them, try to sort it out and understand why are you feeling angry/sad and then LET IT GO!!!

Rest
While you are awake our minds is busy taking in information, emotions, thoughts and images. Only a rested mind can process data by saving the good and deleting the bad. When we sleep our brain resets so we can start a new day with a new perspective. Think about the expression "sleep on it"... we sleep on a problem so we can find the best solution.  We need to give our brain a chance to rest by establish good sleeping habits such as: going to bed everyday at the same time and having night rituals which let our bodies know is time to rest. 

Intuition origin is the Latin root  intuir,  which means "knowledge from within ".  I don't think I need to say more... :)

Joy to all!

On Change...

Trying to Name What Doesn't Change

BY NAOMI SHIHAB NYE

Roselva says the only thing that doesn't change   

is train tracks. She's sure of it.

The train changes, or the weeds that grow up spidery   

by the side, but not the tracks.

I've watched one for three years, she says,

and it doesn't curve, doesn't break, doesn't grow.

Peter isn't sure. He saw an abandoned track

near Sabinas, Mexico, and says a track without a train   

is a changed track. The metal wasn't shiny anymore.   

The wood was split and some of the ties were gone.

Every Tuesday on Morales Street

butchers crack the necks of a hundred hens.   

The widow in the tilted house

spices her soup with cinnamon.

Ask her what doesn't change.

Stars explode.

The rose curls up as if there is fire in the petals.   

The cat who knew me is buried under the bush.

The train whistle still wails its ancient sound   

but when it goes away, shrinking back

from the walls of the brain,

it takes something different with it every time.

Naomi Shihab Nye, "Trying to Name What Doesn't Change" from Words Under the Words: Selected Poems (Portland, Oregon: Far Corner Books, 1995). Copyright © 1995 by Naomi Shihab Nye. Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Source: Words Under the Words: Selected Poems (Far Corner Book, 1995)

How do You define Success?

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines success as: “ 1. The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. 2.a. The gaining of fame or prosperity .b. the extent of such gain.”

I am especially interested in the second part of the definition because this is how most people would define success. Success is directly  associated with money, power and fame. 

 Unfortunately we all know stories of people who acquire immense wealth, are perceived as successful only to find out they live miserable lives in terms of health or family dynamics. Material wealth requires enormous sacrifices and it is often repeated that “money can’t buy happiness”.

Material possession  is only one of the many components of a successful living. Success is a complex journey. Money will make the journey more comfortable but not necessarily easier. 

To be successful you must develop essential traits such as knowledge, love, respect, patience, respect, appreciation, wisdom and integrity.  The development of these characteristics requires discipline and work.

Success is the ability of living a well-balanced life which includes:

·         physical, mental  and emotional health

·         fulfilling relationships

·         freedom to be and to create

·         passion and energy towards life

·         religious or spiritual well -being

·         material possession

I have a theory that you can judge someone's success at their funeral.  I am not trying to be morbid but your funeral will reflect the quality of life you lived.

Think about it!!

How many people will show up to genuinely honor the life you lived?

How many of those people will remember you by the positive ways you touch their lives?

In what ways will you contribute to leave the Earth better that when you first got here?

Now I want to share a few  of my favorite success quotes:

Maya Angelou

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

 Bill Cosby

 In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

Margaret Thatcher

What is success? I think it is a mixture of having a flair for the thing that you are doing; knowing that it is not enough, that you have got to have hard work and a certain sense of purpose.

Winston Churchill

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.

Pablo Picasso

Action is the foundational key to all success. 

Nelson Mandela

Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will. 

Albert Einstein 

Try not to become a man of success. Rather become a man of value. 

Colin Powell

There are no secrets to success: don’t waste time looking for them. Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty to those for whom you work, and persistence.

Reba McEntire

To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funny bone.  

Marianne Williamson

Success means we go to sleep at night knowing that our talents and abilities were used in a way that served others. 

Helen Keller

Your success and happiness lie in you.

Woody Allen

Eighty percent of success is showing up

Madeleine Albright

I was taught to strive not because there were any guarantees of success but because the act of striving is in itself the only way to keep faith with life.

Dr. Seuss

So be sure when you step, Step with care and great tact. And remember that life's A Great Balancing Act. And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and ¾ percent guaranteed) Kid, you'll move mountains.

Joy to all :)!!

Celebrating Self Love

You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection”
― Gautama Buddha

Being a single person on February can be tough. chances are you are being bombarded by roses, hearts, teddy bears, engagement rings and  happy couples all  wrapped in red and pink! 

 I've always felt like an outcast during "valentine season". The main reason being my belief that LOVE as the supreme force of the universe and the core of the human soul, should and must be CELEBRATED EVERYDAY. Another reason is the emphasis placed on romantic love, the love between couples... what about SELF LOVE ?!  You don't necessarily need to be in a romantic relationship  to love and feel loved!

The most complex and important relationship that we have is with ourselves. If you are not able to have a healthy relationship with yourself you will never feel whole and satisfy with your life. Chances are you  also developed unhealthy relationships with others!!! YOU ARE YOUR NUMBER ONE STAR. Love starts in you, you are made of it. 

That being said,  I came up with a list of 10 things single folks like myself or maybe anyone can do to express love to themselves.  Here it goes:

1. Be grateful for life...your life, your body, your soul. Be grateful that you are you and nobody else!

2. Connect with your tribe (parents, siblings,cousins, friends, old friends, pets...) Creatures that love you unconditionally, feel their love and express your love to them. Don't wait,  do it now!!!

3. Cook yourself a meal! Even if your cooking skills are not impressive, try it out... make a mess. Feed your hunger with starch and sugar or whatever makes your mouth water.  Food is love!

4. Buy yourself flowers, your favorite ones, just walk in a store and buy some. Buy flowers for no reason, buy them because you are  happy and the sun is shining. Buy them because you had a rough day and it is raining...  Write a love note to yourself  expressing your qualities and uniqueness.  What do you love most about yourself ? Is it your smile, your loving heart, your crazy laughter... Tell yourself how awesome it is to be you!!!

5. Pamper yourself!! Lose yourself in water, take a hot shower or a bath. Lit your candles and incense. Rub oils in your body, touch you belly, rub your feet, feel them!

6.Laugh your butt off. Watch comedy, a funny movies or talk to someone who makes you laugh. Laugh till your belly hurts and your eyes are watering...

7. Dance by yourself, dance for yourself. Seduce yourself, dance with no shoes and no pants... touch your hair and sweat out. Move like you do in your dreams, move like you were watching.

8. Take pictures of yourself! Keep them private...for your eyes only. You need no external validation! Keep them in a folder or album, they are now your secret.

9.Kiss yourself in the mirror as children do!! Everyday... kiss slowly, kiss fast, kiss deeply looking into your own eyes. Feel that love in your heart... 

10.Touch you body... Every part of it, as you would want a lover touching it... Use your hands!! Feel your curves, smell your fragrances... Be your own aphrodisiac, love yourself, please your body. Kiss your hands and touch your body, love yourself until it’s imprinted by your love only.  As Dr. Seuss put it  "there is no one alive who is youer than You." 

Joy to all!