This is a story around the famous idiom- A stitch in time saves nine.

 

Shreya met Sid in school in standard eighth when the sections were re-shuffled. Very soon they discovered that they were not just class-mates but neighbors too. In those days, Sid would cycle to school, however Shreya used a school bus. Very soon Shreya’s Dad also gifted her a bicycle and soon she was good at it. The two of them made friends and began to enjoy their cycling rides to school.   🙂

Sid was  the energetic, young lad who had a knack for speed, race, timing etc. He would often involve Shreya into cheesy challenges to race to school. She would give in to the tempting offers but always remembered to follow the traffic rules. On a normal day, it took them twenty minutes to reach the school on the bicycle. The duration included the time required to cross the two red lights and a few turns on the road-map to school. Sid would always look for ways to jump the signal-lights and he would draw a pleasure in not caring for the red light signal. Shreya would always scold him for this but he would only laugh over and never take them seriously. She would also show him the road signs which clearly stated that traffic rules must be adhered otherwise they could be fatal in some cases. One day, in the mad rush to win the race, he met a small accident with a car but he was quick to brush it off casually. A few stitches here and there and he was all fine. Shreya did warn him to take it as a lesson and check his speeding limits.

Unfortunately, warnings often fail to change people’s behavior. Either the warning goes unnoticed, or, as increasingly happens, the warning is seen but ignored.

A few years down the line Sid had a motor bike to himself and Shreya had a scooty. Though they were not in the same college but they would often meet each other sometimes in the colony and other times on the busy roads. Shreya would notice Sid had not changed still. He would often zoom past her on the roads giving the red lights a skip as often as possible. His ways of dealing with traffic rules had not changed at all, and in fact he had become more careless with them.  

One morning, when Shreya was leaving for college, the guard on duty at the main gate of the colony informed her that a young handsome boy of age twenty one had met a severe road accident and had succumbed to the injuries. When she probed later in the evening she found out that it was none other than Sid.  Shreya couldn’t believe her ears but she knew how Sid had always ignored all warning signs.

🙁  🙁 🙁

Habits should really be changed and all warning signs should be taken damn seriously.

Moral of the story: A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

The meaning of this age old proverb is quite literal. It effectively warns us against our own neglect, laziness, ignorance, small faults, imperfections. It makes us realize that one must not ignore the warning signs of any kinds because some-day the situation or condition may become unmanageable or may not be in a state to be remedied at all.

Happy Blogging !!!

🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

My recent art work related to this idiom! And below is the link of my new book on illustrations. 

This idiom is relevant even during these times. People should not become careless about social distancing and face masks. A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE!

Two friends are wearing their masks right,
One has let it slip below his nose and he doesn’t care,
One doesn’t wear it at all.
#Socialdistancing has gone wrong.

KALEIDOSCOPE OF CHEER AND HOPE – 50 illustrated musings on life during lockdown