Pep Talk: On Maya Angelou’s Birthday Buy Yourself Flowers

One dozen beautiful red roses for my literary foremother...

I have a new habit of buying myself elaborate bouquets of flowers. Tulips. Hydrangeas. Peonies. Orchids. I sit them on my desk and study the petals. The flowers keep me company as I make edits to my manuscript. Suddenly, I forget my writer’s block and move steadily towards my goal. This week’s floral arrangement was a little different. I decided to buy roses for Maya Angelou’s birthday. One dozen beautiful red roses for my literary foremother.

I mean, just watch her spell-binding performance. Her skin shines with exuberance. I wonder out loud what inspires her love of life and complete freedom. Maya Angelou. Beloved artist. Prolific teacher. Dedicated literary citizen. I have learned from her how to have a generous heart. She modeled how to transform moments of unexpected luck into genuine hope.

If one is lucky, a solitary fantasy can totally transform one million realities.” — Maya Angelou

Most of us think luck “happens” but I know it’s about a way of seeing — seeking beauty in the ordinary and discovering unexpected joy. This is what Angelou did in her life and writing. Her everyday life was an active process of spotting and connecting the dots of her existence. When I write I try to see new possibilities. When I buy myself flowers, serendipity guides me into unexpected places. It’s as if tulips signal my worthiness to the universe.

Give yourself flowers for the smallest of moments as well as the greatest life-changing events. You deserve all the flowers. You can realize success on your terms. Seek real unfiltered joy. Hold tightly to the courage to care about people. Let the flowers serve as inspiration for a bolder life.