Wha nuh dead, duh dash ih way.
Jamaican Proverb
On a recent trip to Panama City Beach, a friend gave me three firespike plants fighting for their lives.The soil was dry, some of the leaves were burned to a crisp, and the few green leaves that remained were struggling between brown and green.
“If anyone can bring them back to life, Kadine, it’s you,” my friend said.
I gathered the plants, moved a few bags around in the back of the car, and tucked each plant into a secure position. When we got home late that night, I put the plants in the sink, turned on the faucet, and gave the plants some water to drink. In the morning, I brought the plants outside, removed them from the confines of the small plastic pot, and planted them beside my hydrangeas.
At first, the leaves dried up some more. But then green leaves replaced dried ones, tiny plants grew out from the soil and just two days ago, three tiny red flowers bloomed.
The Jamaican proverb, “Wha nuh dead, duh dash ih way,” can be translated in so many ways, but the gist of it is, there is life in what seems dead to the naked eye. There is hope even when there seems to be no doorway, no path, no one to hold your hands.
The plant that seemed dead, was very much alive. It simply needed to be repotted in a larger container and given space to spread its root, send stems out of the soil, and bloom red flowers.
Some surroundings can be small and suffocating.
Some people might not see your worth and are willing to discard you.
Spread your roots, shoot out new life, and BLOOM.
Kadine Christie
