It's that time of the year again when all the graying, tangled, woodsy looking mess of dead- looking vines are springing back to life. Sometimes known as "the vine that ate the South," Kudzu is once more on the rampage.
The Japanese brought us this gift that keeps on giving back in 1876 when they introduced it at the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. It was promoted as a forage crop and ornamental plant and from 1935 to the early 1950s the Soil Conservation Service encouraged farmers in the southeastern U.S. to plant it in order to control soil erosion. Kudzu is high in protein and minerals and provides an enjoyable meal for grazing animals. It has also been used to make tea, baskets, soap, jellies and lotions, and there are possible medicinal uses for Kudzu.
However, most of us in the South view this unruly and tenacious plant as a less than welcome guest that threatens to overtake any immoveable object in its path. Untold hours have been spent pulling, hacking, cutting and using weed killers to eridicate this marauding pest while year after year despite man's endeavors, Kudzu continues on the rampage.
Inspiration can come from the most unexpected sources and several years ago while I was out walking the dog, I glanced across the street to notice the Kudzu as it seemed to creep upward and outward, lush and green, before my very eyes. Suddenly that wretched plant was transformed as I saw it as a metaphor for determination and tenacity. It became for me a symbol for renewal and the importance of persisting despite setbacks and disappointments that can lead to feelings of hopelessness and despair. Because it comes back again and again, impervious to all efforts to kill it off, it can remind us that if we just "hang in there" we too can come back again and again and bloom where we are planted if we keep our eyes on the Kudzu and are determined and persistant in our effort.