My mother is recovering from yet another surgery. Though not by choice this time around, the result of a very broken ankle suffered while hiking. As such, I am one of the lineup of caretakers assisting with daily tasks until she’s able to walk again. The other night I went to set up the coffee pot ahead of the next morning’s caffeine needs. I asked her how many cups of coffee she typically makes in the morning. The following dialogue ensued.
“Two cups, guy.”
“Just two? I feel like I see you drink more than that.”
“Nope. I fill my cup twice.”
“Your coffee mug - the one up here next to the coffee machine? Mom, this thing holds like three or four cups of coffee.”
“Well, I don’t know what to tell you, guy. I drink two cups of coffee.”
“I’m getting that. But that’s way more than two…..Let’s try this another way. When you make coffee for yourself, how much water do you put in the pot?”
“I fill it up to the six.”
“So you make six cups of coffee.”
“I drink two cups of coffee.”
“Mom….Words have agreed upon meanings so that we can all effectively communicate with each other.”
“I’m communicating in cups.”
“What!?”
“What?”
“…..I’ll set you up for two cups in the morning.”
“Thanks, guy.”