You probably all realize that English people have to be careful about some of the expressions we use in Canada. It can sometimes be very embarrassing, as the expressions can mean something far different from the intended message.
One such incident occurred quite a few years ago when we were first live in Sonningdale in church. This particular Sunday all the seats were taken so I was waiting for a particular gentlemen to leave his seat to go downstairs. He was the Sunday school superintendent, so I knew he would be leaving in a few minutes.
Suddenly he turned and saw me, giving me a quizzical look. "Oh I'm just waiting for you to get up so I can pinch your seat," I said.
"I guess it would be better for me to stand for you to do that." He replied.
After turning three shades of red, I realized that I had done it again! It is very common practice in England to use the word 'pinch' instead of 'steal.'
There have been many other embarrassing things that I have said, some a lot worse I'm sorry to say. Hopefully I have now learned to 'think' before opening my mouth.
It's so easy to misunderstand each other too isn't it? We can say something quite innocently, certainly not meaning to offend, but the person we are speaking with completely misinterprets what is being said and ends up being offended anyway. We need to be so careful with our word choices and especially the tone of voice we use. Certainly there are times when we can all become too 'touchy' and easily offended but hopefully those times are becoming fewer. If we can think over what was said calmly, maybe, we will see things more clearly.
Have a great week and take care.
