This morning as I was running, a neighbor I don't know, was being walked by his dog. That's not just the way it looked - his greeting confirmed the optics of the situation. "Do you run a lot?", he asked. "Yes", I answered with a big smile, "Great day for it!" He smiled as he and his pet tried to navigate the path and offered, "I don't often walk the dog!"
Even as I answered, yes, (I run almost every day, but not a great distance) I wondered, "What's a lot?" In the case of his intended question and my proffered answer, a lot, meant frequency. However, it could have just as easily meant distance.
Obviously this was merely friendly neighborly banter. However, if the subject and response had been important, understanding what is a lot would have mattered. So much miscommunication occurs due to imprecisely conveying what we mean. When it matters we need to remember to check for understanding.
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