As a way to be more attentive, while I was out walking my dogs I was doing a silent Rain Man imitation in my head and mentally saying all the things that I saw. First I saw pieces of straw that had fallen onto the curb as excess from serving as protective covering for new grass seed. Next to it was a red drinking straw that someone had tossed. "Straw"; "straw" -- even though they were totally different objects with no related source or purpose.
Thinking that the dual meaning was an anomaly, I began to look for other objects along my path that fit that pattern. I was surprised to find many:
> drive (as in driveway or the action of motoring a car)
> curb (as in the side of a road or heeling your dog)
> grass (as in what you mow or the illegal stuff)
> weed (as in illegal grass or annoying things you pull)
> flag (flying from the pole or how you hail a cab)
> band (as in rubber or the music playing in the background)
> sign (piece of metal that indicates the streets or the act of affixing a signature)
It struck me as how we seamlessly handle the duality of our language -- most of the time. The complexity of our vocabulary should be a reminder that face-to-face conversation is great when you can get it -- it allows you to clarify if you mean the red straw or the kind that resembles hay. If we do resort to communication in writing, my little exercise can be a reminder to take extra care to have clarity -- especially if your message is going to someone new.
Does your note mean to pick up the dough at the bakery or the bank? And where do you get the bread?
-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com
@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com
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