Proverbs are witty sayings that express basic truths which may be applied to common situations. They are important because they help to give advice about life and teach wisdom.
One of my favorite proverbs is the one that states; “A stitch in time saves nine” because it reminds me of the consequences of procrastination and negligence in my actions.
WHAT DOES THIS PROVERB MEAN?
Literally, it means that if one doesn't sew a small hole in a garment immediately, the hole will eventually become a big tear leading to a state of no repair. However, the implementation of this proverb in “real life situations” means that; it is better to deal with a problem immediately it appears rather than put it off for a later time when it will be harder to deal with.
Despite our knowledge of this proverb, time and again, we failed to take needed actions with situations in our life where a little attention in the beginning could have meant the saving of a lot of time and money in the end. And in relation to my blog title, I'd like to share an unforgettable experience I had back in 2020 which accurately matched this proverb.
Story time!
So, it all happened when I was about to take my JAMB exam (one of the exams taken to be eligible for admission into a Nigerian university). I had gone for my reprinting (an online process to get the Jamb exam date, venue and time in printed form) and realized that I wasn't familiar with the venue on my form. All I knew was that it was very far from my residence and that was a problem, so I asked for directions and I was advised to try and locate the venue a day or two before my exam date.
However, I kept procrastinating and neglected the advice I was given, firstly because the venue was too far for me to just waste transport money on locating it, secondly because I was too lazy and occupied with other things. And being certain of the fact that I had gotten the directions, I didn't bother to locate the venue until the D-Day came.
In bid to get to my venue earlier than the said time, I woke up very early that morning and set off the road in search of my exam location.
Lo and behold, I didn't know when I passed the bus stop I was supposed to drop off at and I was now several kilometers away from my destination. When I called the attention of the driver, he yelled at me and said he had long passed my supposed bus stop. Even all the passengers joined in blaming me for not speaking up on time. (They were not wrong, I know).
Consequently, I felt so embarrassed and requested that the driver stopped the car. Then, I was given directions to retrace my steps back to the bus stop. But the unfortunate thing was that I didn't carry extra money with me, so I had to spend more than I had initially budgeted for transportation.
It felt as if the universe had turned it's back on me or perhaps it was just karma being too hard on me, because I kept facing one problem or the other during my journey; from difficulty in getting a bus, to road traffic, to having to que up at an ATM to withdraw more money and finally, the stress of locating my venue. Not to mention the scorching sun, heat and sweat attached.
Fortunately and unfortunately, I finally arrived at my venue but I was an hour late and there was only one more hour left! Everyone was already sitted engrossed in their computers and taking their exams but there I was; a late comer, soaked in sweat and tears, begging the invigilator for mercy and second chance (Lateness was highly prohibited).
I began narrating my sorry story and luckily after series of reprimands and rebukes for not locating my venue on time, I was later allowed to take my exam after being compelled to tip the invigilator 😐.
Phew! Thank God! I was so relieved that day. If I had missed my exam, it would have been a depressing moment for me. What would I have told my parents? That I was careless and pathetic enough to miss my exam? I would have had to wait the following year to purchase another Jamb form.
Clearly, my procrastination and negligence cost me a lot of my time, money and put me under stress. If I had just sacrificed some time, effort and money and located my venue earlier, I would have saved myself the troubles.
In all view, that incident taught me to always do the needful on time, to never avoid problems but face them head on, to never be too sure I have everything under control, to always be practical and fully prepared, I learned to never procrastinate or neglect anything because “procrastination is the thief of time”. We must always ensure to make a timely stitch which will prevent us from having to make several later.
P.S. This post is in response to the @hive-learners weekly posting topics for week 19 edition 3 on the title “PROVERB”.
If you came this far, THANKS FOR READING! ❤️