Remembering Maya
“If you get, give. If you learn, teach.”
This quote was my introduction to the incredible force known as Maya Angelou. I discovered these words within the pages of a copy of Southern Living magazine, cleverly nestled between garden plans and travel destinations in the South. Ostensibly, it is a simple request to share and be altruistic, but hidden within its simplicity is a magical formula for finding happiness.
These words, along with her oft-quoted observation “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel” have gently folded themselves into my synaptic convention and claimed their place as my personal motto and creed. I’ve never read any of Maya’s books and I can barely tell you the title of one of her poems, but the fact that less than a page’s worth of her words have weaved themselves into the fiber of my being speak volumes of her life, her impact and her unique hold on human consciousness.
RIP, Maya.