by Susie Lofton

An old saying goes like this, "Haste makes waste." Without a lot of deep pondering, one can almost agree there is a lot of truth in that statement. There are times being hasty or taking shortcuts is NOT the thing to do. Guidelines, procedural steps, laws or rules are necessary evils, so to speak. We are privileged to live in a land of freedom (although that freedom is consistently dwindling) where there are certain restrictions necessary for the good and benefit of all. A "Stop" sign is a bit of an annoyance especially if one is running late, but it has been placed there for a reason and disregard of it is unlawful and dangerous as well.

My husband loves turkey and dressing. He seems to think he has to partake of this particular dish at least once a week. I manage to prepare it once or twice a year around Thanksgiving and Christmas. He loathes the boxed versions, he wants REAL dressing. One reason I do not prepare it more often is that it requires quite a bit of preparation. First of all, the main ingredient (more than ninety percent) consists of crumbled up cornbread. That means you have to bake enough cornbread ahead of time, let it cool, take time to crumble it up before you even get started with the rest of the ingredients. I thought I was real smart one day, bypassing the cornbread and used corn meal instead. Take my word for it, it does not work. My attempt at cutting a corner (haste) was dangerous (waste).

However, taking a different approach at this pearl of wisdom, we find it applies in other areas as well. With today's rush-rush society we can well see evidence of its truth at home, work,  school, play, etc. Hastily throwing a washer load of white clothes together without carefully sorting through them can result in pink underwear should a red sock happen to get mixed in with the load. A reprimand or disciplinary action from a supervisor at work can result when one does not follow proper procedure. Running in the halls at school can result in injury if one unwittingly collides with an opening door, not to mention the potential for harm to others. Imagine someone working in a chemical laboratory cutting corners and causing an explosion. Swinging a bat too hastily will cause a batter to strike out just as well as swinging it too late. Taking a test and not thoroughly heeding the directions can result in a low or failing grade. Venturing too fast on an icy road can result in ditch work, if you catch my drift. With these few examples, one can see my point.

There is another aspect of "haste makes waste," which applies in an abstract sort of way. This has to do with our relationships with one another. Some forty years ago my two aunts and I had not long moved into a neighborhood in Dalton when one aunt suffered a heart attack. Our neighbor came over one day and scolded my aunt for not calling on her when she became ill. My aunt, a little too independent for her own good, did not want to be a bother. A friendship developed between the two ladies thereafter. On several occasions my aunt babysat for the neighbors and was there to give emotional support when the neighbor's husband died. One day our neighbor saw a taxi stop at our house to pick up my aunt. The good neighbor told my aunt right straight there was no sense in her calling a taxi when she was there. Years later, even though my aunts had moved back to Cleveland, the neighbor would let us know when and where their family reunion would be each year. This continued on even until after I was grown and married.