Tentative

Pedro invited three friends out for lunch to a popular restaurant. He asked each one, ‘what would you like to drink?’ The replies were tentative: ‘Anything will do’... ‘Whatever you order will be fine with me’... Pedro ordered karela (bitter gourd) juice for them and lime juice for himself!

So often, so many of us suffer the end result, at the dining table, of the choice of being tentative. Sometimes, we are just avoiding being branded as gluttons. However, most of the time, we are playing slaves to the habit of ‘being unsure’ or avoiding the decision of making a choice.

The word – tentative – is derived from the Latin tentātīvus. It refers to ‘testing’, ‘trying’ and describes uncertainty. Feeling hesitant or unsure about something is the opposite of being confident. Confident persons may take some time to decide... they may seek information on options before they choose, but they will not rush to choose being tentative.

Take the time... scan every alternative
Never rush the choice to be tentative!

- Pravin K. Sabnis

Goa, India.