Better late than never is one of the oldest English idioms. It emphasizes the importance of finishing a project even if it’s finished later than the original deadline.
Well, today that is true of my weekly blog!
As I was thinking about this idiom and what I could say about it I wondered how often it’s true and how often it may be very untrue.
The examples I thought of today all dealt with extreme situations.
A sick or injured person or pet needs to get help as quickly as possible. A delay could result in disaster or even death.
A delay in going to see a loved one who is fatally ill could mean that you are “too late” to see or talk with that person. In that case, late is NOT better and it’s actually the NEVER part!
However, this idiom is almost always used in less dire circumstances, like this blog being posted late. Or a student being late turning in a paper or project.
Sometimes, however, it’s not true even for the example of a student being late with a project. The teacher could refuse to accept the overdue project which, for the student, would mean it was NOT better late!
Are you ever late completing projects or chores?
Are you late often?
Does it matter if you are later than the original deadline?
I suspect it depends on the project or chore. Would you agree with that statement?
Writing and posting my weekly blog on time is important as a matter of discipline. But I don’t believe that anyone is going to suffer if it’s a half a day late.
Even my self-diagnosed OCD self will get over it and go on to the next project!
You are encouraged to comment on this and any of my other blog posts.
