The little things

Some problems present all at once. They pounce. They’re unforeseen, and impossible to mitigate with preventative measures.

Other problems seem to present all at once, but on closer examination show themselves to have been festering for a long time. Scheduled maintenance deferred too long causes more costly damage and bigger interruptions than the combined time and expense of keeping things in working order.

Change the oil. Rotate the tires. Weed the garden. Fill the cavity. Talk to your friend (spouse, parent, child, etc.).

“For want of a nail the [horse]shoe is lost, for want of a shoe the horse is lost, for want of a horse the rider is lost.”

George Herbert, “Outlandish Proverbs” in Collected Works, 272.