The idiom, “Make hay while the sun shines” originated in an agricultural setting and originally it was in the form “when the sun shineth, make hay”.
This unique expression refers to the production of hay after a harvest. The warmth of the sun’s rays dry up the wheat stalks and turns them into hay.
Once the hay is dry, if it gets wet again it starts to rot. The weather being unpredictable, one has to grab the opportunity and dry the hay while the sun is shining.
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The meaning of this proverb is that if there is a task that needs to be done then it must be done while you still have a chance to do it.
Advantage of favorable circumstances, which may not last indefinitely, must be taken. Most of us are inclined to delay things by postponing them to later dates.
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And come that later date some variables might change and it might no longer be possible to do it. This phrase applies to everybody regardless of their age or their gender.
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School children postpone studying during normal school days and when the exams rear their head on them, they are left worried and tense because they haven’t finished studying. On the other hand the handful students who study regularly are cool as cucumbers when exams are round the corner. They have enough time to revise and they are well prepared for the exam.
Homemakers have a million things to do and no matter how much they try something ends not getting done. In this case one must keep in mind priority. If you are on your way to pay the bill and the phone rings and you pick it up to find it’s a friend on the phone what do you do?? Well you tell the friend you will call her back later and you go pay the bill because if you sit to talk to your friend you might end at the bill counter when it has closed for the day. The right thing must be done at the right time for it to be effective otherwise the entire effort is wasted.
The Latin proverb ‘Carpe Diem’ or ‘seize the day’ means the same thing. The goldsmith must work when the gold is hot if he wants to mould the gold into an ornament. It goes without saying that you cannot dry your clothes when it is raining cats and dogs.
You must wait for the sun to shine first. So be on the lookout for that opportunity and when it comes your way, seize it with both your hands. Life is short and we must make most of the opportunities that present themselves to us. So whatever it is, whether it is work or play, whether it is asking forgiveness from a loved one or forgiving someone we love don’t wait until it is too late. Do it while the sun is still shining on you.