What Ana Does

The Peace of Wild Things When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. -By Wendell Berry I found this posted on this beautiful baking blog.  

I was sad to hear about Maya Angelou's passing ... and though I find it annoying when people take to Twitter and social media sites to say RIP to a celebrity they didn't even really know ... I'm making an exception. Ms. Angelou's books were way too dark and troubling for me to read (I'm sure there's a light chick-lit unpublished and hidden on her laptop somewhere), but her poetry opened up the world to me. Particularly "Phenomenal Woman." That one changed everything. I found this incredible poem as a teenager (senior year, maybe) and WOW it hit me like a 2-ton anvil. Floored. Smashed. Flattened. I'd always felt pretty cool about being a girl, I didn't have horrible confidence issues or anything, but this poem took me to a higher level. It empowered me. Strengthened me. Made me feel PROUD of all the beautiful things a women could be. Should be! And at 17 or 18 years old, is there anything more important to understand? To learn? There...