I don't think quickly on my feet. If I have to get up into the pulpit and make an announcement about someone leaving their car lights on, I want a note with me or I get tongue tied. I mull things over for a long time before I come up with a witty come back usually long after everybody has moved on to another topic - or gone home - and are already in bed.
That's why I hate situations like this. This happened recently with a couple I had not seen in years. People I genuinely like.
I've tried all the tricks of association and what not people recommend. I think my cranial storage system is just too much of a mess. Like my desk, it just takes me a while to find things. And when something gets misfiled it is difficult to put it in the right spot. I have a friend named Phred (yes, it is spelled that way.) When we first met I tried that association thing - I used the "Ph" in his name and for the first year of our friendship I called him Phil. Another friend of mine, Todd, I called Scott for two years. He just looked so much more like a Scott.
Here's my theory: People who are good with names are so because when confronted with a person the first thing they do is go to their cranial storage facility and pull out a name. I go their and start looking for pictures - for context. For example:
I'm immediately thinking, "Kids? Job? Joys? Problems? What do you remember about their lives?" Unfortunately this is a long process.
2 comments:
I'm the same way. Apparently I know too many people, or maybe it's the other way around, and I can hardly remember the names of most of them. Unfortunately not being able to place people when I immediately see them has placed me in many binds. One delayed recognition lead to a huge falling out with my husband's side of the family which in turn has lead me to be very guarded in how I answer questions of those I recognize but cannot place. On a good day I'm lucky if I can name all three of my daughter's correctly. My poor six year old is seldom called by the right name.
My mother used to call my younger sister by the dog's name, and I once forgot the name of my best friend.
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