Small Matters

A long time ago, when I was in primary school and my father was still around, he would go up to his empty land next to our house every evening and pluck every single weed he could find.

I'd always wondered why he did it. Something that he would never miss doing even if he came back late from work. One by one, just plucking off any grass, weed or flowers. I would never think much about it at that time, because it is something so insignificant...

plucking off small weeds.... hmph...

Time passed by; weeks turned into months; months became years. After my father passed, I have forgotten about his weird habit of plucking weeds on his land up the hill. Until recently, when I went up the hill again to visit that small piece of land that my father used to spend 15 minutes of his time everyday.

That empty land that I have remembered had turned into a bush area with all sorts of trees and plants with giant weeds that it is impossible to get rid of with bare hands now.

I regreted not asking my father,

"Pa...why do you have to pluck the weeds and flowers everyday when you come up here?".

But then, I think I would know the answer to that question.

"Son, I pluck the small ones now, so that in the future, it won't turn into something hard to get rid off. Small matters left unresolved may turn into something big to handle."

We cannot run away from our problems no matter how big or small they may be. Don't ignore the little ones before it gets bigger, or don't be afraid of bigger ones, because no matter how big the problem is, it is never ever too big.

To my late father, whom I have the utmost respect for...