The Cost of Waiting

How long has this been going on?

As veterinarians, we are occasionally called to situations where the first question is not “What is wrong?” It is “How long has this been going on?”

Sometimes the answer is a few hours. Sometimes it is a few days. Every now and then, it is: “I noticed it a couple of weeks ago, but I thought it might get better.”

To be fair, we have all done it—not only with animals, but with projects, difficult conversations, our own health, and decisions we know we need to make.

Waiting is a decision

Waiting feels safe. It gives us time, postpones risk, and lets us avoid making the wrong decision. The problem is that waiting is a decision itself.

A lame cow rarely becomes less lame by being ignored. A loose board rarely fixes itself. The nagging thought at the back of your mind usually does not disappear simply because you stayed busy.

Timing matters

Agriculture teaches us better than almost any profession that timing matters. Sometimes the right decision at the wrong time becomes the wrong decision.

• Plant too early—or too late.
• Breed too early—or too late.
• Harvest too early—or too late.

Patience or avoidance?

Not every problem requires immediate action. Sometimes patience is exactly what is needed; a “tincture of time” may even be prescribed by Dr. Stewart.

But patience and avoidance are not the same thing. Patience is making a conscious decision to wait. Avoidance is hoping the decision goes away.

• Make the phone call.
• Have the conversation.
• Ask the question.
• Make the change.

The cost of acting is usually visible. The cost of waiting often is not—at least not until much later, when the bill has usually come due.