Responsibilities...

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The other day, we were all told to speak about the one virtue we’d like people to have. That one virtue that’ll make us forgive any other thing that might not be all that flattering about them, and in my entry, I mentioned how I wanted people to be more responsible for their actions. Now, thinking of this topic, I’ve realized that I’ll be talking about something almost similar.

One of the reasons I’m such a stickler for responsible people is probably because I try my very best to be one myself. And this does not just come as a result of maturity, it’s something that has been ingrained in me right from the cradle.

As the second-to-the-last born, and with about three seniors before me, I was never exempted when it came to chores or anything. Everyone was apportioned their chores and it was expected that you do it. The only thing that could make you not do your chores was if you were sick, or you had to go somewhere. At the time, the only cheat code we had to avoid doing excess chores was reading during exams. My Mom is a teacher and during exams, if we say we want to go to the moon and read, she won’t stop us. It must reflect in your results though… hehe!

We were all given our responsibilities and expected to answer to them. Everyone in the house had something to do, and not doing it could affect the others. Like when I refused to fetch water, others won’t be able to cook or wash. When my baby sister refuses to wash the plates, how then will the family eat? That’s how our parents made us see things. We were not doing these things for ourselves but for everyone else.

As we grew older though, things changed. Now, with most of my elder siblings out of the house (work and school), things had to change. And we were each made responsible not for individual chores but for the house in general. Where my Mom worked was far from where we lived, so she always had to leave home early and return at the most, by evening. So, she implemented the idea that if we saw something off, we fix it ourselves.

If there were dirty dishes and you saw them, do it! if there was no water, fetch it! If you were hungry, cook. But when you’re doing all these, do it for everyone! Don’t just wash plates for yourself, fetch water for yourself, or even cook for yourself. You have to consider everyone. My mom always stocked up the house, so the last bit was never really a problem… until month’s end began its approach.

My Mom hated coming home to a dirty house, and if someone was home, she would be pissed to find that they did nothing at all. It could be particularly irksome coming home after a long day hoping to just eat, bathe, and sleep, but the house is dirty, with no food or even water. So, with your tired body, you’ll have to start doing everything. Meanwhile, there were people in the house all day who just chose to do nothing.

So, by taking responsibility for the house, we made sure things were always in their top form. If for some reason, I was unable to keep the house clean or in top form, I took responsibility. My Mom would have it no other way. Anything I said was just an excuse to her, I could do it, I just didn’t want to. Because let’s face it, I wasn’t sick and I didn’t go out. So, nothing should have stopped me from doing a few chores. It was from my Mom I learned the value of being responsible and owning up to your actions.

This taught me a lot because while my house may not be the cleanest in the world, it does not have odor. There’s always water. And for food… well… you know the new administration palava…

There are houses you’ll go to and the smell will almost cripple you and would make you wonder how people can eat and even sleep in such an environment. That’ll never be me. Thanks to all that, I cook and clean easily. For many of you, this might seem like it’s not a big deal. But I know a guy in this lodge where I stay, he calls different ladies to either come cook or clean for him. And he always complains thereafter because he claims they disrespect him too much. Who would respect someone who doesn’t know how to clean up after himself?

When you realize that there are people who have no idea how certain things should be done, you’ll know that those little things you can do for yourself are something to be grateful for.

My sense of responsibility has never waned since then, I own up to my mistakes and make it a point of duty to do my very best so things flow. I employ this in my work and other parts of my life as well, if something in my charge gets messed up, I take responsibility and fix it. No matter how little my role is. And I also make sure that no one tries to take advantage of that.

So far, things have been going great. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store for us.

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_{Thank You for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, I’d love to know what you think. Till we meet in the next post.}

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_{This post is inspired by the third topic which is Remnants Of Childhood. Feel free to try it out.}

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_{N.B: All images are mine.}

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