By Frances Toni Draper AFRO Publisher
Frances Murphy “Toni” Draper, AFRO CEO and Publisher.
What would you do if you were given 48 hours to live by a doctor? What would your reaction be?
Who do you want to spend your final days, hours, minutes, or seconds with? Friends? Family? Co-workers? Total strangers?
Would you rather spend your time planning your funeral, organising your affairs, travelling, pursuing a hobby, or lamenting your mistakes and mishaps? Would you change your social media status (or just delete all of your social media accounts), confide in close friends, forgive those who have hurt you, or hide under your covers until you died?
Perhaps you would give your children deep hugs, start cleaning out a closet, write a blog about the importance of maintaining your health, or create a podcast about your life. Maybe you’d just watch your favorite show (or eat your favorite food) and hope for the best. Many of you, I’m sure, would start praying.
If pressed, most of us can think of a long list of things we would do if we only had a few days left on Earth. We know exactly what these things are and, like the proverbial tin can, we’ve been kicking them down the road for years. Some items on your “to do” list (like those on mine) have been there for a long time. And many of us wait until this time of year to begin (or discontinue) certain activities.
After many years of making and breaking hundreds of New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to stop making lists of “to do” items without also developing a measurable plan of action. It’s simple to declare unequivocally that I’m going to lose 10 pounds, get more sleep, or write that book. However, simply “saying” it or writing it down does not constitute a plan.
This is the year that every potential task comes with a plan, even if it’s only a sentence or two. And this year, I’m being more selective than ever about doing only things that add value to people and causes that I truly care about. Because, as the late Benjamin Mays so eloquently stated,
I only have a minute and sixty seconds left.
I can’t refuse what has been forced upon me. It wasn’t something I sought or chose.
But it’s up to me to put it to use. If I lose it, I must suffer.
Please hold me accountable if I misuse it. It’s only a minute, but it contains eternity.
This edition, Becoming Your Best Self, is chock-full of articles that will help us with our “minute” – everything from “‘No’ is a Sentence” to “Resolve to Get More Rest in 2023,” “You Are What You Eat,” and “Improve Your Focus.” Rev. Dorothy Boulware, Alexis Taylor, and the entire editorial team, as well as our production and advertising teams, deserve a special thanks for creating an outstanding special edition for readers to keep handy in 2023!