Interconnectedness. Long unwieldy word. Expressing unwieldy-ness and untidiness. Seriously, the long string of connections from each moment is what makes life untidy.
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost.
For want of the horse, the rider was lost.
For want of the rider, the battle was lost.
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horse shoe nail!
(Somebody forgot or failed to fix the nail of a horse-shoe properly and it came off while a messenger was riding furiously to deliver the message that would alert troops who could save the kingdom in a time of war.)
Well, this is my version of the history behind this nursery rhyme I can’t remember when I learnt. But think about it. You didn’t eat breakfast because you were in a hurry? That is why you have a running tummy after eating lunch you looked forward to because you are now raging hungry. Failed to pay back what you owed to your roommate when you were 20 years old? Well, she repeated that story, her aunt got to hear it, and her uncle decided you were not trustworthy enough to give you a job eight years later. Sad and strange eh? It happens.
Everything we do and say or fail to do and say is connected to the results of our lives. This is why you should avoid mistakes and get help early for any form of venture. Do not go into marriage without counseling. Do not do business without research and counsel. Do not make assumptions where you can get directions. And next time you want to doze instead of work; drink or eat what is not necessary; hang around what will hurt later; think about the horseshoe nail! Don’t lose the future because of a present you can shape differently with competence, hard work, good will and truth. It just isn’t ‘wort it’ (to quote a pidgin English expression I love)