Last week, a friend shared a video. While discussing it amongst us in our group, I mentioned what some of the comments beneath the video said.

Friend 1: You read the comments?! Such diligence.

Friend 2: That’s our Shail, the diligent.

It made me smile. I am always glad to add to the list of adjectives that describe me. No, I don’t have too many of them. I am just being cheeky. Anyways, diligent is not way off the mark. Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties. That does look like me indeed. Umm… I’ll go one step ahead and clarify it describes me to perfection.

There is a reason I don’t like or accept offers of help at home. When someone offers help of any kind, I expect them to complete what they have taken on, not leave it half done (or shoddily done) and walk off (emergencies are excused). Imagine someone insisting they’ll help with peeling the onions, for example and then walking away leaving the peels on the kitchen counter and on the floor, with the knife unwashed in the sink. No diligence.

I am not perfect, but you can bet anything that whatever I do, I certainly do with due diligence. If/when I take on something, you can bet I’ll give it the attention it needs. There’s a caveat attached to it. That work should have been willingly taken on by me. There are at times things are thrust on me against my wishes. In such cases, if my no makes no dent, I make sure to do a sloppy work so the message gets across. No kidding.

Once we had a informal family gathering at a restaurant, to discuss something or other. Apart from an uncle and aunt, the rest were all cousins, first, second and so on. I was taken aback to be given the job to write down the minutes of the ‘meeting’. No, he didn’t actually ask me whether I would please, he just told me. Why? Because I was a woman of course. Writing down minutes is the job of a woman, right? And as a homemaker what else could I contribute because not surprisingly, thereafter I was totally ignored.

Anyway, when we were done and stood up to leave, there was a paper on the table, its edges fluttering, held in place by the salt shaker. It was filled with some fine doodles of trees. Is it any wonder that the adjective I have chosen for myself is ‘Irreverent?’ (Check bio too)

BUT

This not what I had been intending to write today. I got sidetracked by the word ‘diligent’ and how! Oh well. there is tomorrow when this shall be continued. 😉

©️ Shail Mohan 2024