By Cheryl Smith
PUBLISHER
While I could reference several pandemics that we didn’t identify as such while growing up in Newark, New Jersey; only slavery had such a devastating death toll on Black people, that is prior to COVID-19.
As of May 7, 2022 the CDC reported 998,408 total deaths in America, with 15-20% being Black and still the World Health Organization reports a significant undercount.
According to Dallas County Health and Human Services, “a total of 6,427 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.”
And it’s not over.
Daily I receive reports about the number of new cases and deaths related to COVID-19.
My message to everyone, you’d better get to living because the reality of life and death has become more “real” since COVID.
Which brings me to my truth.
I received a purse for Mother’s Day and the message inscribed was so significant to me: “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”
A former editorial assistant, Marva Sneed, said that it was one of the more memorable quotes she has heard me use, at least that can be put in print!
I’ve been saying “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” for years and while I would like to say the phrase was my own contribution to great sayings, I have to attribute it to the hip hop culture.
Now when I think about what “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop” means to me, it boils down to a simple premise, and that is how a person chooses to live their life.
Are they giving or existing? Are they giving their all or doing just enough to get by.
Sure I like the grind, the hustle and the feeling of accomplishment. Also, as I attempt to figure out this thing called, “life,” always on my mind is the contribution I make during this lifetime.
Speaking of sayings, there’s one that says there are two important times in your life: when you are born and when you realize why you were born.
In a nutshell, what is your purpose?
Many times at funerals you will hear folks ask, “Why?”
They want to know why the person in the coffin is gone when there are others in their life they would rather be saying farewell to.
It’s interesting that some will even proclaim, “It should have been me!”
Reality check time.
And again, what is your purpose?
Death causes folks to make the strangest declarations. It never ceases to amaze me when folks say that a death was “untimely.”
For the life of me, I don’t know when a death is “timely.”
For the most part, you can say that the majority of people only die once or “YODO.”
But more than likely you hear people say, “YOLO” or “you only live once.”
I contend that every day is another day to live and also to make each day better than the one before; or you can at least make the attempt.
And this brings me back to “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.”
I remember reading the book, “Purpose Driven Life,” by Rick Warren.
If you’ve lived a life of purpose, your mantra can be “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop,” because you will have left an impact that remains long after you have said your last goodbye.
Try keeping a daily, weekly or monthly log of your comings and goings.
What do you spend the majority of your days doing?
Now if you are retired or experiencing impaired health, these are variables that must be taken into consideration.
Those of sound body and mind, well, you can get to evaluating and then coming up with a plan of how you are going to ensure that your time on this earth has meaning or value. Or did you just take up space, existing until you don’t?
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