She'll Be Right is this Happy Little Vegemite's beautiful place of denial.
It's a cell in my head where concerns are abruptly shoved when I get a whiff that a situation could turn: 1. Very messy for all concerned. 2. Unbearably sad for all concerned. 3. Catastrophic.
This corner of my brain is fortress-like. Thankfully, it is rarely unlocked. But, when it is, the door is opened just long enough for the overwhelming concern to be interned.
"She'll be right" has been on high rotation in my head lately. A few days ago, my COVID-19-induced She'll Be Right bubble came very close to being burst during a visit to a chemist. Wearing my cunning disguise of calm, I was searching for something on the shelf. It was out of stock.
It was the third pharmacy I had tried.
My frustration stirred. I gave myself a stern talking to: "It's OK. It's OK. Don't panic. Breathe. Breathe...but not too deeply as that woman over there looks sick and you might get something and then unwittingly pass it to someone else and.... arghhhh"
Then I heard another voice, this time not in my head.
"Excuse me. Can I ask a question?"
A masked man had appeared by my side. He was no Batman or Spiderman, his mask was medic blue. Let's call him Scrubs Man.
"Yes, fire away Scrubs Man," I said.
"Does this look weird? I mean, the mask."
Like an Australia's Next Top Model judge, I assessed his look. His outfit screamed 'I'm a pharmacist'.
"What do you think? Will it scare the customers?" he asked.
"No, it's fine. Looks good. Reassuring even," was my appraisal. He thanked me and, just like that, disappeared.
Then, I laughed. Like, really laughed. I had just told someone that his face mask genuinely looked good.
Thanks Scrubs Man. You made me realise we have no idea what we are doing.
You made me realise that having no idea is fine.
You made me realise we are all trying our best to do the right thing.
You made me realise we are all looking for reassurance.
You made me realise we are all up to our scared eyeballs in this together.
Best of all, you made me laugh. It felt amazing.
I couldn't find what I wanted, but walked out with the best tonic . . . and it was free.
