If there's one thing I could change
about myself, it would be that.
Actually, there are probably many
things I'd like to change about myself. But after going to two
funerals in the past five days (Phil's yesterday, and one for one of
my Mom's close cousins this past Wednesday) I definitely know the one
thing I really do need to change about myself, whether I have the
power to or not.
And that's to remember people's names.
There were a number of far-flung
relatives and members of the Marquette community I ran into at those
funerals, and I'm almost embarrassed to mention the number of times
people came up to me and greeted me by name. I'm even more
embarrassed to mention how many times I either didn't know who they
were or knew I knew them but couldn't remember their names.
Thankfully, when I owned up to my inadequacies the people in mention
were cool about it.
Even if I wasn't.
There are actually two parts to this
problem. The first is that because of who I am I meet a lot of
people, oftentimes in groups. So if I get introduced to six or seven
people at a time I have to remember six or seven names, while the
people to whom I'm introduced only have to remember me. Not that
that's an excuse; after all, there are many people who are in the
exact same situation and can handle it without any difficulty.
But not me.
The other part of the problem just
seems to be a structural problem or inefficiency in my brain. I've
tried different tricks and different methods for remembering people's
names, but none of them seem to work. Sure, I can hear an obscure
history fact or pop culture reference and it's lodged in my brain
forever, ready for instant recall. But the name of someone I've met
or someone to whom I'm related? Not so much.
I'm a quality human being, aren't I?
So if we've ever met once or twice
before and I'm supposed to know who you are, let me apologize in
advance. There may be a point in the future where we meet again, you
greet me like a normal human being, and I just smile back and utter
the phrase “And remind me who you are again”? It's not you.
It's me.
And it's something I would very much
like to change about myself.
*****
This is shaping up to be a very busy
week. I have to shoot the final group of “High School Bowl”s for
the season, I have to work two or three evenings because high school
basketball teams keep winning when they weren't supposed to and I
told my part-timers they could take spring break off, and we have a
big party we're hosting Saturday night at NMU's hockey game. So if
you happen to see a “best of” scattered throughout the the new
stuff this week, I once again apologize in advance.
Something I seem to be doing a lot of
recently...
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