THE ART OF BUD NIPPING




Yes, bud nipping is an art form in itself. I think that it should be a required subject so that when we are released into the world after graduation we can have a better handle on things. But like most people my knowledge of the subject was learned at home mainly while I was in the process of getting my bud nipped.
I come from a long line of bud nippers. Mom was one. Her method was to grab a fly swatter and chase me down the driveway. My dad was probably better at it than she was. I do recall that whenever I would present, or should I say become a problem he would simply apply his own bud nipping techniques to get me back on track. I spent many an hour sitting on the up turned milk bucket and listening to him as he nipped my buds. If you ever had your buds nipped you know what I’m talking about.
The further along I got in life the more I began to understand the necessity of nipping it in the bud. And not only that, but eventually I got so tired of those long sessions in the barn with dad that before long I learned to nip my own buds. With Mom I would just hide the fly swatter.
But what do we mean by nipping it in the bud?
Well when you don’t want a flowering plant to grow a certain way, what you do is cut the bud off the plant before it begins to develop. The sooner you nip it, the sooner you will gain control over how the plant is to grow. This works with many different types of budding plants and also rowdy little hillbilly boys. You shouldn’t wait for the plant or the boy to get too much older because the bud nipping is not as effectual. They’ve already begun to grow a certain way so you can’t change them as easily. Anytime you are about to lose control of a situation, the sooner you nip it in the bud the sooner the situation becomes under your control. Have you ever experienced some-thing that has gotten out of hand? Something you lost control of because you failed to deal with it at the right time? It may have taken you too long to make a decision. Maybe you thought if you ignored the problem it might just go away, but instead it began to grow like a weed.
So what do you do?
You nip it. You may think it’s too late but go ahead and nip it anyway. In some cases you might have to do a little more nipping than usual.
Just nip it? Nip it where?
In the bud, that’s where.
Nip it. Nip it. Nip it. Nip it.
If only I had listened to Barney when he and Andy were discussing the concept of bud nipping. I could have avoided some real difficult times that cropped up in my life.
Of course there are different ways to bud nip. And you have to deal with each individual case accordingly. There will be times when you have to be firm and stand your ground applying maybe a little extra aggressiveness. At other times it may require an apology. Saying ‘forgive me, I was wrong’ has some power behind it that works won-ders for nipping buds. And yet still, sometimes it might require you to make a few personal adjustments. It is possible that it just might be your bud that needs the nipping.