Pull out the little weed.

My daughter Lindsey.

It never fails to amaze me how easy it is to fall into a series of habits. I have not been a practising minister of religion for a long number of years even though to a great many people I am still known by the title reverend. I suppose as the secretary at the doctors surgery said it is a tittle and degree earned and deserved and so I should continue to use it.

Now the strange thing about habits is how ingrained into life they can become. I find my self regularly doing two things on a Sunday morning and I do them both without switching on, they just seem to happen.

The first is that when I head through to the mirror to get washed and shaved I find myself on so many Sundays signing , or I should say making an effort to sing the hymns I use to enjoy as part of  a service of worship. What makes this even more strange is that  when you reach my age and you do things like writing a daily blog every day seems pretty much like any other day, except for the day Jim reminds me I am going to Dunfermline to meet my friends.

The second thing I find myself doing is thinking about the Sunday walks I used to have with my father and the many lessons learned on these walks.

My father, as some of you will already be aware, was a very quiet man of few words, yet a man of wisdom and insight. I am sure had he not been one of eleven children life might have been very different for him rather than years of doing hard labouring work. I hope my own children see me like him as a person of wisdom. 

A father was aware that his son was beginning to get into some bad habits and thought it was time to pass on a little word of wisdom. 

One day they were both out walking. As they were walking they came to a large group of daffodils portraying the income of spring. As the walked passed the father said to his son, "Do you see that weed that is growing there in the midst of those daffodils?" 

"Yes," replied the son.

"Go and pull it out," said the father.

With no difficulty at all the son went over and grasped the weed and easily pulled it out.  he managed to do it using only his thumb and forefinger.  The weed came out roots and all. 

"Now pull that one out also ," said the father pointing to  a small bush like plant. 

The boy had to use both hands and all the strength he could muster to pull out the offending plant. 

"Now this one," said the father pointing to a young tree, knowing that the son would not manage and the tree would come to no harm.

With all the effort he could gather the young boy tried and tried to no avail. 

Panting and sweating he turned to his father and told him it was an impossible task. 

"So it is with bad habits," said the very wise father. "When they are young and not yet taken a grip, it is easy to pull them out. Once they take hold of your life it is very  difficult to uproot them from your life."

The walk ended both having enjoyed the fellowship of the other and the young lad left with a very important lesson about life. 

Do not wait for bad habits to take root in your life, drop them while you are still in control of them, before they control you. 

Have a wonderful day and beware of things that creep up on you.