Jamaican Saying: Nuh fatten cockroach fi fowl roun’ di corner.

English Translation: (Imagine you are a chicken.) Don’t fatten your cockroach for another chicken around the corner.

Meaning:
Be careful of spending all your energy cultivating or building something that you have no ownership in or that won’t benefit you because someone else who didn’t contribute anything or didn’t invest as much may easily come in and get all the benefits of your hard work … and you will have nothing to show for it. Make sure you get some benefit out of your efforts.

Wow, some of these old Jamaicans who came up with these sayings must have looked into their crystal balls and seen what happens all the time in the corporate world!

This was something I didn’t have to think about until I became a mom. Every time I fly with the baby this question brings me anxiety beyond belief. Fortunately I have never had to do this but I’m sure it is a matter of time. I had a false alarm on the last flight to Jamaica. I could feel my pulse racing and my mouth getting dry. I am not one of those people who can change a diaper in a minute. I need the changing table and a space to neatly lay out the wipes and diaper cream before I get started. Anyway, as I walked down what seemed like a long walk down the aisle to the restroom, I could feel the anxiety growing. I couldn’t tell the last time I used an in-flight bathroom. I remembered them as small and cramped with barely enough room for me let along a squirming baby. I could just imagine myself fumbling in there and a long line growing with impatient people waiting for me to get done. I thought of all the germs parading around in the bathroom and worried that they would get on my baby. Clearly, by the time I got to the door I was a mental basket case. Well, I was surprised to see that there was a changing table over the sink which folded down to give me just enough space to change the baby. My friend who is a more experienced mom just rolled her eyes when I told her about the table which I was sure was a new invention. Turns out that they have been around for a long time. I just never noticed them before. I guess there are just some things you don’t think about until you become a mom.