A Rainbow in the Clouds

Be a rainbow in someone else’s cloud.

-Maya Angelou

When the Washington Post interviewed Dr. Maya Angelou on April 3^rd, 1970, she reflected on her memoir, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.”

“I don’t regret living any of it,” she said. “It’s like brush lines on a painting. I have a feeling that I have a rich heritage. But I don’t write as if I’ve done all I want to do. I still have a lot of things to do. I’m really very lucky because those difficulties I’ve had have knocked those blinders off my eyes and given me peripheral vision. I’m a romanticist, but I’m also a realist.”

At a young age, reading was my passion, and Dr. Angelou was my rock star. Her stories and poems spoke to me as clear as day. Through her beautiful prose, she opened my eyes to reality and taught me that to tell a story, and to tell it well; you have to travel, help others, live life to the fullest and love no matter what comes your way.

Motivated by Dr. Angelou’s words of wisdom, I packed my bags and moved to Belgium to study International Law. I’ve worked my way across three continents, traveled to over a dozen countries, and finished the first draft of my manuscript with more stories to tell.

But the real test of a writer comes when you pitch your novel to agents, and inevitably you get the “thanks, but no thanks” in response.

I didn’t plan on posting my first blog entry on the second anniversary of Dr. Angelou’s death. In fact, I’ve been putting it off for some time. But this morning, I glanced over to my well-worn copy of “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” and I knew it was time.

Thank you, Dr. Angelou, for being an inspiration to us all. Because of you, I have many rainbows in my clouds.