nip something in the bud

Fig. to put an end to something before it develops into something larger. (Alludes to destroying a flower bud before it blooms.)

i think i did this today. no, i'm pretty sure.
this phrase sounds simple enough. too bad it's not.
to nip something in the bud is to end something before it develops. however, for anything to develop there must be a root. the root, i think, runs deeper than the beauty that is the flower that blooms.
additionally, the flower will definitely die if the root is bad.
fostering the root, then, becomes essential for the beginning of anything--a flower, a friendship, a relationship.
if the root is planted in any sort of wrong, the flower will suffer. if there is any sort of deviance, the flower will not bloom fully or as beautifully as it potentially could.

so.

to nip anything in the bud, as simple as it sounds, is not easy.
pulling out that root is not easy.
the root will leave an emptiness behind.
in all that, there is quiet and still pain.