there's a parable in this somewhere

Story from our new abode:

When the builders installed the shelves in the linen closet in the second bathroom upstairs, they apparently hammered a small nail through the wall and into the pipe that connects the adjoining shower head to the water supply. After construction, the house sat empty for three years.

Then we moved in. Then we used that shower. Then water leaked from that nail-pierced pipe through the wall and onto the downstairs ceiling.

Then plumber came, found the tiny nail hole in the pipe, and fixed it.

Then Handy Man Dan came, sawed a hole in the ceiling, ran a huge fan for two days to dry up the moisture, and will return to replace drywall, spackle, and paint.

Good thing: the owner will have to pay for this, not us.

I can't help but see so many analogies, though. One careless hammering of a nail three years ago will lead to thousands of dollars of repairs now. And had we not caught the water spots, it could have been mold damage, and much more expensive.

Figuratively speaking, how many times does a small, careless "nail hole" that never gets resolved (or even gets forgotten about) do massive damage years later? The applications of this story seem endless.