Excuse Me, Do I Know You?

At a certain point in age, everyone should have to wear a name tag. If that's not agreeable with everyone, how about a little tag that has a picture of you from 20 years prior. That way, when people walk up to you and instantly start talking and it's obvious they know you, you can at least get a little bit of a clue as to who they are.

I've been out of public service for a good many years now, and one of the problems with working at home is that your contact with people becomes more limited. This is true especially with people you worked around a good while ago. Now, for some people who change very little or have a distinctive personality, some of us may know you on the street, but unfortunately, others, like me, just don't remember you.

This has happened to me so many times, I'd be embarrassed to count. I don't know why people often remember me, but when you've worked as many places as I have, you start to lose faces and names. At least, I hope that's all it is. And let's face it, some people just aren't worth remembering.

On the other hand, people seem to remember me. I think it's probably the laugh. I like to laugh and try to do it often, and my laugh is not one of those cute little giggles or hee-hee-hee's, but rather, sort of a loud cackle. What my grandmother always called a horse laugh and tried for years to get me to change. I once had a friend who repaired copy machines who always told me that even though he hadn't known that I changed jobs, he always knew me when he heard me from the other room.

The worst cases are people I've met long before. Oh, please! But that's not always the case because I've introduced myself to the same person at a party three times in one night. On one particular occasion, the gentleman was extremely nice and told me, "I see you're the same person I met while ago. Good time's not changing you." I don't really think that was my fault, though, because obviously, I wasn't very impressed the first two times I met him.

My favorites are those who come up to you and start talking about family and mutual friends who you can't remember. Now, I ask you, how in the world could I remember those people if I have no clue who this person is?

Being the resourceful person that I am, though, I've learned there are ways to participate in these conversations without letting the other person realize you're completely out of the conversation. It includes a lot of "uh-huh", "oh, my" and a few "is that right?" Of course, I'm making eye contact the whole time and extremely interested in what they're saying. Yeah, right.

I know there are occasions where I've seen older people wearing name tags, like little children sent to school. I don't really think it's for my sake, though, but rather to help them find their way back home. Maybe, before long I'll have one of those. "Please point this poor soul back to the home. She knows not what she's saying or where she is." That'll be okay, though, because at least, I won't have to remember who they are either.