Maya Angelou

I received this email...

In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.. Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.
And, there on television, she said it was 'exciting...'
Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day.....like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first.
The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!

Maya Angelou said this:
'I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow.'

'I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.'

'I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life.'

'I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life.'

'I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance.'

'I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back....'

'I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision..'

'I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one.....'

'I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back.'

'I've learned that I still have a lot to learn..'

'I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.'

This made me wonder... just who is Maya Angelou? Why is she regarded so highly? I remember she wrote a poem called "Phenomenal Woman", which sparked a saying my friend, Beth, and I wrote in high school...

I am a phenomenal woman,

My expectations are NOT too high,

I deserve the best!

But what else? Google here I come...

First of all, Angelou was born in 1928, meaning she turned 82 at the beginning of this month. So, who knows how long that email has been circulating. A quick google search gave me too many options for trying to figure out when she actually appeared on Oprah's show, but it doesn't really matter anyway...

Undoubtedly, Maya Angelou is a fantastic writer. A quick look at her "official website" http://mayaangelou.com/ reveals additional thought provoking quotes...

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope...

The biography on the website outlines how much she has accomplished in her lifetime. Although, after reading the summary on Wikipedia, I feel conflicted... Wiki says this... which I find odd... The details of Angelou's life, although described in her six autobiographies and in numerous interviews, speeches, and articles, tend to be inconsistent. Her biographer, Mary Jane Lupton, when speaking about these inconsistencies, has explained that when Angelou has spoken about her life, she has done so eloquently but informally and "with no time chart in front of her".

Regardless, I've put I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings on my reading list... I might have read it in high school, but don't remember...