Thursday, January 29, 2009

She'll be right mate!


She'll be right; iconic kiwi saying or communication fob off?

For those of you who have never heard of this popular saying, here's an example:


"I think we're lost darling. Perhaps we should pull over and ask for directions?"

"Nah, she'll be right!"

or "I think that great big red sore on your face might need looking at by a doctor."

"Ah, she'll be right."


There's something endearing about it really. A kind of kiwi can do attitude. DIY to the extreme. We don't need any outside help, it will all work out for the best. Just ride out the tough spot and everything will turn out just fine.

If you were the new age type you might like to translate is as: Think positive. The universe will look after you. Be at peace with the now.

I guess it has a kind of "Island Time" ring to it too. New Zealanders might think they jet off to the Pacific Islands for some slow walking, slow drinking, stare at the coconut palms Island Time. But here it is, right here at home. A little slice of polynesia in our own back yard. She'll be right, mate. Don't worry about it. Just relax.

Now on one level I admire this nonchalant attitude, but there is a part of me which screams, No! It will not be alright! Listen to what I've got to say, plan ahead, work it out, stop and ask for directions, sort out the problem, think about it for a while!

Sometimes the she'll be right attitude stops us from exploring our situation, we hit a brick wall before we have the time to analyse. No need, she'll be right. But as our friend Socrates will argue, an unexamined life... well it aint worth living mate.

Lets introduce some new sayings, maybe from a female point of view. How about "She'll be right because she thought about it, packed a bag, worked out the costings and sorted the administration before she did it, mate". Do you like that one? Yeah, maybe 50% of you will.

Am I being too uptight? Yep probably. But there you go. There's the dichotomy, my desire for control versus my desire to let the world play its own tune. To plan and examine, the perfectionist streak, hitting hard against the well established, old school She'll be Right mentality... which, insanely, I kind of wish I had a little more of.

It would make life a hell of a lot more simple, if you really believed it.

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