The meanings we attach

I scampered round my 2-mile circuit on a brand new pair of shiny running shoes this morning.

Now a new pair of running shoes may not sound anything special, but if you'd seen what my old running shoes looked like, then you'd know that it was a significant event.

I use the word scamper because that's how my friend in the running shop described my running style after filming me running on a treadmill in the shop.

Someone else in the shop said that scampering didn't sound too bad. Apparently he thought that it sounded like newborn lambs leaping about.

I thought, "Yes, they have very stiff straight legs too."

I found 2 dictionary definitions of scamper.

The first is "the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner", which probably describes my running style fairly accurately.

But the one I like better is "to run about playfully."

Isn't it strange what the same words can conjure up for different people.

We all load our own meanings and interpretations onto everything we hear.

The question is which meaning might be more motivating for you?