Worry Never Helped Anyone

How one song guided me to overcome.

Greetings Superstars!

Unfortunately, hurricane season is getting longer and fiercer. So far this year, I’ve worried about friends in Bermuda, New Orleans, Florida, and the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. On top of that, I’m still scarred from when Hurricane Hugo decimated St. Croix, where I grew up. I was 15 at the time.

I won’t go into the details, but life as I knew it changed then. Hours, days, weeks after the storm, I remember being shell shocked. We all were. My family didn’t really speak about anything during that time. While my mom scrambled to figure out food and potable water for us, I drifted around my house—which miraculously remained intact—my brain failing to process the destruction to the island.

I don’t remember how much time passed as we stayed in limbo like that but one day, one of us—my mom, stepfather, or me—started singing:

Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing, Don't worry about a thing
'Cause every little thing gonna be alright

And then the rest of us chimed in:

Rise up this morning, smiled with the rising sun
Three little birds pitch by my doorstep
Singing sweet songs of melodies pure and true
Saying, This is my message to you-ou-ou

This lovely song, “Three Little Birds” from the outstanding 1977 album Exodus, broke the spell and set us on the road to healing. I’d grown up listening to Bob Marley and the Wailers, but this was the moment when I think that I fell in love with them. This point in time was when I understood why so many people considered Marley a prophet. I’m 50 years old now, but I remember that moment as clearly as a bell ringing out in the night.

This week, I hope that you think about the little things in life that have kept you going through adversity. If you can’t come up with anything, might I suggest listening to reggae music?

I’m glad that we’re here together. 💛