Miss Manners: Fitness fan seeks ways to thank busy workout instructor

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I belong to a Pilates studio, and I like to acknowledge and express appreciation for the hard work of my instructors after each class.

I’m unsure how to do this when people get into detailed conversations with the instructor after class.

My practice has been to say a loud “Thank you!” or “Great class!” into the air as I leave the building. Sometimes I try to make eye contact.

Is that an appropriate response? I’ve struggled with this dilemma for years at various workout studios where the environments are fairly intimate.

GENTLE READER: Is your purpose to express personal gratitude to the instructor, or to lead the rest of the class in a similar expression of gratitude? Do you wish to be seen demonstrating your thanks publicly, or are you in a hurry to get to your next appointment?

Miss Manners asks only because your solution could be seen to address all of these except the first. Assuming that expressing your own gratitude — and not the public display — is actually the one you care about, she suggests you write a personal letter and leave it at the front desk after the last class.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I told my husband that he’s always saying I am negative. He said I was a liar. Later, he said I did something 10,000 times. When I said HE was a liar, he said his statement was an exaggeration. I asked why my statement was a lie, whereas his statement was an exaggeration.

What’s the difference between an exaggeration and a lie in these sentences?

GENTLE READER: The subject, dear.