It’s been over a month since I nearly lost my life in a car accident but God allowed me to thwart death. And the beat goes on.

It’s been more than a year since my father passed away and the sadness smacks me in the face out of nowhere. And the beat goes on.

It’s been nearly two years since I published anything on my blog – frozen with the inability to put pen-to-paper while consumed with life. And the beat goes on.

It’s been several years since my neck surgery where I slowly started to lose the ability to type my thoughts onto the pages you see before you due to the nerve damage I sustained. And the beat goes on.

It’s been years since I first started writing after nearly losing my little ones IN THE SAME YEAR that almost crushed me to pieces where I would not have been able to recover. And the beat continued.

It feels like a lifetime since I was in love or had love to share. Now where was that beat?

I now sit here with my thoughts while struggling to control my keystrokes due to my physical limitations in my hands. I have Elvis’s “Burning Love” blasting through my AirPods as the motivation to clear my head, think about how fast life is passing, and reminisce about the days when the pulse of my life was beating through my veins and I felt alive.

But, I am alive.

I have great memories of my hard-working father who sacrificed so much for so many people. I have the thoughts of my kids (now teens) as they find their own ways through the world facing the challenges of young Black teens and an uncertain future. My motivation.

I have my loving mother who continues to cherish all of her children and grandchildren and never complains about the hardships life has bestowed upon her. I am reminded of my supportive family and friends who have held me up over the years – they encourage me to continue to strive to be the best version of myself. I have positive thoughts of my co-workers, acquaintances, and other peripheral individuals who I sense care about my well-being, and it makes me smile.

I am grateful.

And my life’s heartbeat goes on.

I imagine I am not alone in my thoughts of life passing by, I’m currently just more vocal about the thoughts as they are revealed in my blog.

With all of the struggles in the world and the pressures seemingly piling down on you, just remember, the beat does go on. Do your best to catch that beat and ride it out. In the end, you can’t stop life from happening, but you can control how you respond to the rhythmic nuances presented to you.

And. The. Beat. Goes. On.

Now go well and with love good peeps while you create your own musical playlist in your head to march to the beat of your life.

“Be the best above the rest.” – Walter B