This story is from the May 2020 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine.
Over the past 20 years, we have made it our mission to deliver stories, wisdom, and goodies that delight. Which ones struck a chord? We took to Instagram to ask readers for the moments in O that inspired them to say “Aha!”
@ADEXOXOX
O reminded me of my beauty. When I was out of the workforce raising kids for several years, things got pretty frumpy. But self-care changes mindset, and mindset changes everything!
@LADYFRIENDCP
The Tomato-Braised Chicken Tacos from February 2012 are known in our house as Oprah’s chicken tacos.
@SAMANTHA_FITTS
Oprah’s health scare, which she talked about in the November 2018 issue, offered knowledge to live by. I was struck by her powerful quote: “Wherever you are in your life’s journey— whatever the status of your career, your relationships, your finances, whether you’re successful or struggling, happy or not—I know for sure that you need look no further than your own body to offer a prayer of thanksgiving.”
@CORPORATEGYPSY2019
My favorite find: The English muffins from the Model Bakery!
@MHRMAYD
introduced me to yoga, which helped me overcome the panic attacks I’d been battling for over a decade. Can never thank you enough. 🙏🏾
@SWIMMERHOFFY
I’m a teacher, and the Columbine massacre changed everything about my job. The essay “I Will Never Know Why” by Susan Klebold, the mother of one of the shooters, in the November 2009 issue shook me to my core as an educator and mother. It made me stop and ask myself whether I really could spot any signs she’d missed, and the answer profoundly changed how I viewed my students, their parents, and myself. I think about that essay weekly and have realized that parents often feel lost, just like kids do. I was initially furious at Oprah for giving Klebold a space and a voice. Now I think her essay should be required reading for every parent and teacher.
@SCIROCCSTARSTUDENTS
For some time, I thought the phrase “Live your best life” didn’t really apply to me. At 46, I became disabled and had to leave my beloved career in education and move in with my elderly parents, and I have struggled for the past three years with ongoing medical treatments and procedures. I used to look at Instagram and feel that only “healthy” people could live their dreams. But the more I’ve read O, the more I’ve come to realize that living my best life isn’t about how many cruises I take or how successful I am according to social media. Instead, it means doing the best I can each day, finding a way to go on in spite of the obstacles in my path, and having grace and gratitude.Iwasn’tableto become a mother, which used to make me feel purposeless. But through Oprah’s example, I find ways to nurture—as an aunt, a sister, a dog mom, a daughter, a volunteer, and a human being.
@WRIGHTKATJ
When O came out in 2000, I’d just gotten my first job out of college, and I took my mother to a launch event in L.A. I’ll always remember it—and the goody bag. 🙀 My mother talked about it for years afterward. She has since passed away, but thank you for giving me that memory.
@RACHELMPRYOR
My Favorite Find: That African Chicken in peanut sauce from "Norma Jean's Delicious Adventure" in January 2001. OMFG.
@JAZZYJENNIFERGEE
O’s covers have inspired me to experiment with my style. I’ve even copied a couple of looks.
@PULITZER2016
It has increased my to-be-read pile tenfold! And that’s not a complaint!
@CAIT_DONOVAN
An article by Martha Beck from October 2009 has stuck with me. I even bought a digital back issue so I could have it forever. Martha was sharing something she called the “designated issue” theory, that often what we identify as our problem isn’t actually our only problem. She suggested a five-step process to dig deeper and find out what’s really going on. I’ve used her theory with coaching clients and acupuncture patients so many times.
@MONICAJACKSON19
O taught me to take chances and step into my career path as if I were already the boss. And guess what? Now I am.
@JULIEFALCDC
I read the April 2019 “What I Know for Sure” at the airport in Austin when my husband and I were considering moving there. Reading Oprah’s words about walking her land—and “grass so crystal green...it feels like God just made it fresh today”—really changed the way I look at things and inspired us to move to beautiful Austin.
@MAT8892
My Favorite Find: The boa scarf from the December 2009 O List. Still classic. Still fun. Still looks fabulous day into night.
@MIXEDCHICKSANDMISFITS
The May 2012 article “The Enlightenment of Age” changed my life. Oprah wrote a letter to her younger self, saying “Dear beautiful brown-skinned girl.” I saw so many similarities with my story, and that recognition guided me toward accepting my internal scars and loving myself first. Wisdom is a gift that comes from aging—like they say: If you know better, you do better, and I have.
@MRSHOWARD28
The magazine inspired me to be bold and receive all that was intended for me. Over these 20 years, I’ve gotten a few fabulous jobs—and before each interview, I’d prepare with words of encouragement I got from O . Nailed it every time.
@HELLSBELLSANDMASTCELLS
O introduced my friend and me to the term shlumpadinka. We embraced that hilarious word immediately. This year we went on our first official Shlumpadinka Retreat. It was filled with nature, creativity, laziness, and old, cozy clothes!
@ALYSON_MUSE75
Reading through “Signs and Wonders” in the December 2019 issue gave me goose bumps. I am a big believer in signs, and that feature demonstrated how magical the universe really is!
@DANNYOSTUDIO1963
I took apart issues to make collages while caring for my mom as she went through chemo— and I always cut out and saved inspirational quotes. They were life-affirming and life-altering.
@GROBANIZED
“Jill Scott’s Aha! Moment” from March 2009 found me at exactly the right time. My husband had just moved out, and I had two young daughters. I was terrified of the unknown. As always, I turned to words for comfort, grabbing a random issue of O out of my magazine basket. In Jill’s piece regarding her own journey out of an unhappy marriage, she wrote, “Our lives are amazing; why waste them not wanting to turn the knob at your own front door?” That insight leaped off the page and into my heart. I, too, had dreaded turning that knob each day. Her words gave me the peace and confidence I needed.
@RDBARTO
Glennon Doyle wrote an essay in the June 2017 issue about grief and an older woman in the grocery store who told her that sometimes
we find ourselves in life’s valleys— but it’s okay, because that’s where all the power is. That line took my breath away.
@MISSJOGI
O encouraged me to drink more tequila!
@FANCYNANCYCAPECOD
I was deciding whether to take a new job and wondering if I was considering the change for the right reasons. After reading an article in O about being valued at work, I asked myself if I felt valued in my job. I did not! So I got the new position, and I earned my master’s degree—at age 50—while working there. (My employer even helped pay for it.) One article changed my life!
@THEJOEBRAXTON
The February 2016 issue contained a feature called “The Storm Inside” that focused on starting conversations about anxiety, depression, getting help, and hope. It made me realize that sharing my survival story is not in vain.
@LLLLLISSSSSAAAAA
My Favorite Find: Cashmere pants, but I haven't been able to afford them—yet.
@KIKICONTENTE11
I still do the Gooey Cinnamon Sticky Buns from February 2006 twice a year, for girls’ getaway weekends.
@CLARISSA.HASTINGS
My favorite was the January 2009 story about Oprah’s battle with her weight, in which she asked, “How did I let this happen again?” I’ve had the same battle, and the article encouraged me not to beat myself up. (And it taught me to try new things—I just enrolled in a ballet class.) Like Oprah, I’ve learned to love the body God gave me!
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