Emphasis on the ‘but’
Only three letters create a powerful little word that has the neat ability to change meanings and turn things around. This simple small word, ‘‘but’’, is used often to great effect depending on the order of the sentence.
For example, farmers regularly talk about weather and in contrast to much of the country, we are very dry. So I might say, ‘‘It has been great lambing weather but we really need some rain’’. Or turn it positive to become, ‘‘We really need some rain but it has been great lambing weather’’.
And getting up in the dark this morning I mumbled, ‘‘It sure is a nuisance for me but I guess some people like daylight saving’’. The opposite is more negative and self focussed, ‘‘I guess some people like daylight saving but it sure is a nuisance for me’’.
Struggling with a couple of stubborn lambs reluctant to suck I considered this glass half full/ half empty idea of managing ‘‘but’’. Frustrated with lolling tongues, milk dribbling off loose lips and woolly chins I encouraged myself by remembering, ‘‘these couple of youngsters are certainly wasting my time not eating but I have easily fed hundreds of lambs over the years’’. Sometimes it’s hard to keep patiently trying and after numerous attempts over several days they finally sucked successfully too.
Considering which side of the ‘‘but’’ words are in a statement often indicates which side someone is on an issue. A few examples: some waterways have been affected by runoff but the dairy industry brings massive export earnings. Work still needs to be done on improving water quality but farmers have contributed huge effort, commitment and finances to addressing problems. There seems to be big interest in rural rivers being swimmable but there’s not much focus on urban water quality problems.
Lobby groups are known for swapping sentences and emphasis around the other way.
I had an interesting experience this week while having quiet time-out from busy spring routine.
By the inlet with my whitebait net I watched with interest a shag fishing.
Down stream from me it was paddling, diving splashlessly, submerging for a surprisingly long time and rising to the surface an unexpected distance away. Often a herring wriggled briefly in its beak before being tossed and swallowed.
I waited quietly while this industrious fellow fisher worked its way up current eventually popping up a mere few metres away.
Beady eyes checked me out briefly then down it went again and as I stood calf deep in the water, this web-footed whitebaiter swam around my legs right over my feet.
It probably had more little fish in its belly than I had in my bucket.
I was OK with that and considered this ‘‘but’’ philosophy of looking on the bright side of the sentence. I didn’t catch much whitebait sharing with a shag, but the enjoyment of the encounter will be remembered longer than partaking of a patty.