RIP Dr. Angelou

(reposted from my Test & Testimonies blog) 

I awoke Wednesday morning, checked my cell phone, and saw a text: “Maya Angelou died.”

Those three words took my breath away for a minute.   I knew she was ill, and I had been praying for her recovery ... Now she was gone? 

It was like reading that my favorite aunt had died. I immediately started to mourn … and I want to tell you why.  

I came to know Maya Angelou (nee Marguerite Johnson) almost 20 years ago, via a high school English course.

We had a book list for one of our term papers and then were allowed to choose a book for another.

Apparently the list was outdated, because when I chose I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (a book that had been suggested by other avid readers I knew), I was told that it was now on the banned book list (and I think it still is) because of its “content”.

So I chose another book … but the rebel in me still wanted to read hers. I wanted to see what I was being kept from knowing . So I checked it out of the library and read it – finishing over a weekend. 

In those pages I found a kindred spirit. 

A little girl who had been through trauma at the hands of someone who was supposed to protect her.

A young woman learning to live in a black vs. white world.

A lady who learned to love her herself, despite her past and those who tried to demean her.

A talent who was inspired by the world (and her travels around the world) … She was me, and everything else I wanted to be. This caged bird wanted to fly.

As I often do when I discover a new writer, I then wanted to read everything she ever wrote. Poems, collections, other novels …

It was then that I discovered that she was the pen behind the poems I’d heard in the movie Poetic Justice, and I realized I’d known her work far longer than I thought. (Don’t judge me for being late, I wasn’t allowed to watch that movie when it first came out).

Now, I’d been writing since I was in elementary school … and writing poetry since I was in middle school, but through the work I discovered in my high school years, Maya Angelou stirred something in me that would not be muffled.


And that something still exists.

 I take flight every time I write.

I still own a copy of I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings (I’ve bought it several times over the years).

I still rifle its pages sometimes to remember why I write, or recite some of my favorite lines of her poetry for inspiration.  

Though I never met or knew Dr. Angelou, when I read that text this morning, I shed tears as if she was a member of my own family … and in a way she was.

She was someone I turned to for inspiration (through her work).

She represented that old-school, classy, regal, strong Black woman who has seen the world and experience everything in it – and now can teach me how to conquer it.

With the stroke of her pen, the tap of her keyboard or the sound of her melodic voice, she would whip a crowd into frenzy and ignite the a flame in creatives and non-creatives alike.

She was not just a Black woman, a dancer, a writer, a poet, an activist, a teacher, etc. – she was a treasure of our time.

Her presence will be missed, but the legacy and work she has left with us, will live on forever. 

Rest in paradise Dr Angelou.

And Thank You … For Everything.

 

#CoolVideo: THE FLIP SIDE - BAR

What would happen if men and women switched roles during a night on the town? A cool bunch of people decided to make a video about it!  Someone shared this on FB and I thought it was such a neat concept video and sooo funny LOL.  Check it out:

#CuteCommercial: "He Loves Me" / Pillsbury Grands Flaky Layers

I've seen this commercial on TV about a dozen times now and each time I have the same thought -- That little girl HAS to be related to LAURYN HILL.  I don't care WHAT y'all say! lol.  #CuteCommercial

I Dream of Eutopia

Tonight I met a fellow media type for the first time (face-to-face) and we had a nice little chat. I really admire his work and am working to feature him on my other blog. 

We talked about our mutual news backgrounds, and some of the work he's done that I love ... And during our chat he told me that he appreciates what I do, because there aren't many people around here truly pushing for the Underground Artist and giving them chances to showcase or platforms to have their story told.

See ... what I do is not for my ego, or money, or anything but the LOVE of artistic expression and wanting to see talented people from my hometown get the recognition they deserve.

And trust me, it's not easy being selfless in a city like this one. Especially when you barely get a thank you in return.

He said he wished there were more people like me.

Heck, so do I!!

And that got me to thinking ...

Wouldn't it be amazing if we put our personal agendas aside and just supported the home team?

Instead of always vying to be the starter or MVP, just be a cheerleader or fan?

Or while on your quest to the top, stop to acknowledge and support those who are on the same journey and work so that we ALL can win???

No?

Too much like right huh?

Oh well ... a girl can dream can't she.

;-)

Thank God For Good Neighbors

Anyone who follows me on twitter or is my friend on Facebook knows about the car trouble I've been having lately.

So, for the past few weeks, I've had to borrow my parents' cars to get around and get jobs done.

As a result of switching up vehicles frequently, I have left a little piece of me (i.e. my stuff) in each vehicle.  So when I was headed out last night (1/23) for (what I thought would be some filming at) the Open Mic my friend hosts, I had to go in each car to assemble my gear.

Tripod in one car ... Lights in another ... etc, etc.

As I retrieved each item, I put it on the trunk of my mom's car (my transportation for the night) -- Camera bag. Tripod, Purse, Laptop bag.  [I have a habit of putting all my stuff on the hood or trunk to make sure I have everything BEFORE I put it in the car, so this is common.] ... 

I then put my camera bag and tripod in the back seat and covered it with my coat (because I was making a stop at Starbucks to get a little work done before the event).

As I put my purse in the front seat, I remembered I'd forgotten something so I went inside to get it and came back out and got in the car.

I made my way across town, to the Starbucks closest to the event venue and parked.  I reached for my laptop bag on the passenger side (where I usually place it) but --- No bag.

I look in the backseat ... No bag.

I frantically start tossing everything in the car looking for the bad ... Nada.

I knew I didn't go in the trunk so there was no reason to go in there ... and then I remembered how I'd piled everything on the trunk.

My next thought: O ... M .... G!

I tried not to panic and prayed that I was wrong.

Maybe I'd taken it inside the house and forgot it inside ... Or maybe it just fell in the driveway or in the garage (but that last thought was immediately followed by -- But I would've remembered backing over it right?)

I called the house and asked my Mom to look for the bag.

She didn't see it.

I thought well maybe she's just not looking hard enough and decided to head back the way I came and retrace my steps to find the missing bag.

With less than an hour until the event, and my living all the way across the city, I sped back down the interstate ... scanning the other side of roads to see if I spotted the bag.  Nothing.

When I made it back home.  I didn't even pull into the garage ... Just stopped in the middle of the driveway and ran for my life to look through the house.  No bag in the dining room/living room. Not in the kitchen.  Nowhere to be found in the house.

Now, I was in panic mode.

I stood in the garage ignoring the cold trying to compose myself.

The thought of my life's work being gone made it hard to breath or think of anything else.

My writing, my photos -- heck even my notebook, phone charger and external hard drive was in that bag ... Everything -- just GONE.

Now I had to hope and pray that I missed seeing the bag on my way back ... Or that if someone picked it up, they were honest people, because I would lose it if my stuff was pawned or sold for a quick buck on the street.

I slowly walked back to the car prepared to go back down my route, though hope of finding it was slim.

I'd left my phone on the driver's seat and picked it up to sit down and saw I had a missed call from a number I didn't have in my Contacts, and a new voicemail message.

Something said "Call that number back" ... So I did.

When the person answered, I asked if they'd called me. The thick-Southern-accented man on the other end confirmed that he did and after asking my name he almost shouts: "It's your lucky day!" ...

He'd found my bag laying in the middle of the road.

After my heart cartwheeled with glee, he told me he was at a Wal-Mart close by and I agreed to meet him up there to get it.

As I drove to meet him, I just thanked God for answering my prayer that a good, honest person would find it and I would get the center of my personal and professional world back.

I was so grateful.  I wished I had some kind of reward to give him but I didn't, so I made a mental note to get his information so I could somehow repay him later.

When we finally met up, he told me where he'd found it.

He said he drove by and saw it in the middle of the road after seeing other cars swerve to avoid running over it, and he held up the battered and torn case.

He then apologized for having to go through my stuff but he wanted to see if he could find a way to contact me.  I've been preparing my re-application for film school so my application was in my folder with my phone number on it.

If that hadn't been in the case, he may have never found me since my laptop was password protected.

He also told me he'd turned on the computer to make sure it was okay and it was ... and then handed me the case.

He said he saw the college papers and knew that it was important to someone so he wanted to return it (as did his wife lol).

I thanked him immensely and handed him my business card and offered any services he wanted for free (which is all I could give at this time).

I wish I could've given him more ... I mean the man just saved my life! But he seemed to just be happy that I got it back ...

After parting ways, I just sat in the car for a while ... then looked over at my laptop case.

Though the outside was beaten and torn, everything on the inside was fine.   Everything was okay, thanks to God and a Good Neighbor -- Freddy Neighbors, that is.

I not only thank both of them for showing me that good, honest people do exist and reminding me that angels walk among us ... but the case itself taught me a symbolic lesson.

We all make mistakes -- like I did leaving the case on the trunk.  These are honest mistakes, but they can turn our world upside down ... and may even leave us a little battered and bruised,

But if you have faith, He will protect you and everything will turn out okay.


- m

People, Put Down Your Phones!

I went to an Open Mic last Thursday and accidentally left my phone in the car ... If I had it, I wouldn't take a pic of what turned out to be a disturbing revelation ...

After the Open Mic was over, everyone started mixing and mingling a bit ... But at one point I looked over at the gathering of attendees and every single person in the place was looking down at a cell phone.

I was both tickled and kind of saddened.

Have we become so fixated on smartphones and social media that we forget to enjoy the old-school way of communicating with having to let our friends and followers know what's going down?

I mean, can we try to enjoy the people around us more instead of working to do play-by-play tweets of the event and selfies during/after it? ...

Try to remember to Enjoy the Event! I often wonder how great a local event/party was if the promoters/organizers have time to be on social media the entire time LOL ...

Anyway. Just had to share that. I think I'm going to leave my phone in the car more often

#EnjoyLife
#Reminder4Self
#PutDownYourPhone