Mantra

I thought I would share my mantra with you:

"Lay aside your fears that I will be undone,
for I shall not be moved." -Maya Angelou

It is from the poem Our Grandmothers by Maya Angelou and it is one of the most moving and inspirational poems I have ever read. The poem tells many different stories of African American women from the times of slavery to the present day. The saying "I shall not be moved" is repeated again and again in the poem, and each time it seems to become more powerful. The poem is really about resistance, resilience and determination.  About a year ago when I was having a difficult day, my sister repeated those words to me and told me to read the poem. Now, when I come across a seemingly insurmountable task or when I feel that I can't overcome certain obstacles I will remember this quote. Another one of my favorite quotes from this poem is,

"When you learn, teach.
When you get, give.
As for me,
I shall not be moved" -Maya Angelou

Speaking of strength, I summoned everything I had this week to write my masters project paper (dramatic much?).  In the instructions on how to write the paper, my professor told us to use "scientific creativity". I don't believe such a thing exists, there is nothing creative about writing a scientific study.  It was miserable.  But we managed to finish our first draft. Now we just have to get through the editing. Here is what my week looked like:

Moby was happy to sit on my all my research articles.

That is Long, my masters project partner and if you can't tell he is watching soccer.