Here I am sitting by myself on a cold winters day, when I spot a box of matches, I wonder "Hmmm where did those come from?". It doesn't really matter where it came from is inconsequential, its what I'm going to do with them that matters, I need matches to light some candles because its going to get dark soon and Eskom's turned the power off again, thank you for good service delivery. But while its still light out there's a pile of leaves I can burn, my chores will be done in no time.
I go over to the leaves, there's no wind blowing and I start lighting matches, holding it up to a piece of rolled up paper and stuffing the paper into the leaves (which are in a wheelbarrow - I'm not an idiot, so I'm doing this safely), the leaves go up in a inferno of flames, they're dry fuel the fires thirst for dry combustible material. As quickly as it goes up, it dies down.
I turn around to find something else to do, maybe I'll start loosening up the soil and throw some fertilizer to get the ground ready for the seedlings I plan on planting. Heading off to the shed I grab a spade and return ready to do some gardening. As I round the corner, I can't believe what I see, the entire lawn is on fire - how did this happen? I thought I was being responsible, I thought I had it under control, oh my gosh! The fire keeps spreading over the lawn, swallowing up every piece of dry brown and yellow grass. Its still small enough to contain, I grab the watering can and throw that on the fir, it doesn't seem to have an effect. I grab some towels off the wash line and try smother the fire, it smothers out that section but then the wind pick ups, the fire moves onto a new patch of grass. As the fire moves on the trail of black grass that I managed to "save" and the grass it no longer has a use for is left in its wake. The wind seems to be blowing from every direction I don't know which way the fire will move.
If the fire keeps moving towards the east, it will reach the veld, the dry long grass, then the dry pine needles and pine cones that lie on the other side of the veld. If it moves south it will burn my house down. If it moves north it will destroy my neighbors house. If it moves west - please let it move west, it will be heading towards the lake and then I might have a fighting chance. I don't know where its going, me armed with my hose pipe - do I even stand a chance? If the fire keeps burning, it will probably take me down with it.
*This is a metaphor for an argument/strife/dissension I caused all by myself no one else to blame with a special person - pick your battles, some things just aren't worth arguing over. The smallest comment can blow up way out of proportion and leave you feeling like a wretched idiot for your silly little actions.
