Nikki Giovanni, the acclaimed African-American poet, writer, activist, and educator, has died.

I was first introduced to Giovanni‘s words back in college during an African-American literature course.

I remember being impressed and inspired by her as an early twentysomething who felt lost and overwhelmed by the world, but it’s as I’ve gotten older that so many of her poems and quotes have taken on a deeper meaning for me.

She’s one of those writers who just “gets it.” It being life and love and vulnerability and empathy.

As I was reading articles about her passing yesterday, I came across a quote that felt like waking up.

This year has been full of major changes, some expected and and some that came as a complete (and not necessarily welcome) surprise. And the one thing about change that I’ve always struggled with is that we can’t guarantee what the outcome will be. We are thrown off course or push toward a different one, and all we can do is blindly trust that things will work out in our best interest. (Or panic and stress that they won’t…)

These words from Giovanni reminded me that life is change, and this is the bravest way to move forward:

“A lot of people refuse to do things because they don’t want to go naked, don’t want to go without guarantee. But that’s what’s got to happen. You go naked until you die.”

If you’re inspired to “go naked” into your own life, here are a few more noteworthy thoughts from Giovanni:

“i hope i die
warmed
by the life that i tried
to live”

“I really don’t think life is about the I-could-have-beens. Life is only about the I-tried-to-do. I don’t mind the failure but I can’t imagine that I’d forgive myself if I didn’t try.”

“The world is not a pleasant place
to be without
someone to hold and be held by”

“Writers don’t write from experience, although many are hesitant to admit that they don’t. …If you wrote from experience, you’d get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.”

“If i can’t have
what i want…then
my job is to want
what i’ve got
and be satisfied
that at least there
is something more to want”

~